Goodwood Supercar Sunday Breakfast Club PICS!

[Lucky]

So it was with a bit of excitement I looked forward to the first Goodwood Breakfast Club meet of the year. As usual, I'd been too slack to register my own car but it's always worth a trip anyway. A free car show where you stand a chance of seeing actual million-pound motors nonchalantly parked up, what's not to like? The only drawback is that it's a breakfast club, so by ten o'clock people have usually started drifting away and by twelve it's all over and the circuit's empty. Get there early or miss out, big style.

Needless to say, I was never going to get there early. Working lates and having gone through a patch where every time I touch a bloody train it fails (which is not an admirable trait in a train driver) meant I finished well late the night before, finally slinking into my pit around 2 a.m. The 7 a.m. alarm just served to enrage me without actually troubling my conscious mind. By the time I'd dragged my carcass downstairs and shouted at the kids enough to get them upright it was late... and raining.

Actually, I'll rephrase that, it was RAINING. The sort of rain that would have a rainforest pygmy scowling under a giant leaf and muttering darkly about global warming. On the dual carriageway over to Chichester we'd already seen a couple of Lamborghinis plodding home through the downpour, a phalanx of Porsches and random miscellaneous sportscars. Damn, looks like we might have left it a bit late then. Oh well, we pressed on and got there just in time to see a Pagani and a The Ferrari The Ferrari leaving. Considering this same meeting last year was the record attendance for a Breakfast Club, this one was decidedly sparse. In fact, I ended up with exactly 50% of the photos I took last year. Most of which looked like they were taken through a bucket of soup. Underwater. At night.

Still, I've spent a few hours in Photoshop adding lightness (Colin Chapman would approve) so such as they are, here they are, in no especial order of significance...


As always, the common denominator seemed to be Ferraris ... nasty common vulgar things they are. Weird innit, in any normal context they stop you on the street and make you look, but at these gatherings they almost seem passe in favour of the more esoteric and rare stuff. I guess 430s are old hat now anyway, being supplanted a couple of times by models with dafter names. I liked the fact that this dude didn't mind leaving his engine bay open to the elements for show though. Especially since it was completely lined with carbon fibre. Mmmmm







I seem to have failed to take a photo of the outside of this 456, the Ferrari for all the family. But the interior definitely deserves a pic. It's like a cross between 80s Vauxhall Astra switchgear and expensive hand-trimmed kit car. With cup holders! Awesomes



Less hardy than 430 owners, it seems, were the 458 Italia contingent. I saw just the one, and he was leaving. Like the burgundy colour though, a nice departure from the normal Ferrari red



Speaking of unusual red Italian sporstcars, can you tell what it is yet?



I love these little Alfa 4Cs. They seem to have an unwarranted number of swoops and curves boshed into their bodywork, but somehow this doesn't detract from the squat, purposeful profile of the car. I love the headlights that are apparently modelled on a spider's eyes, sculpted in finest carbon-fibre. I love the modern take on the teledial wheels, with their swoopy line that can be followed all the way round the rim and the hoops like a zany Mobius strip of alloy hypnotic potential. Or maybe I just spent too long sheltering from the rain next to one under the pit canopy. The daffodils were nice, too











There certainly seem to be enough people around down here in leafy Sussex who haven't noticed we've been living under austerity for years now. The proliferation of brand-new hot-poop models is truly amazing. If anything, the new-model Astons outnumber the Ferraris and it seems that more than in previous years, new is everything. No-one apparently wants a three-year old supercar, that would be lame. This does mean that it you want to tick off your I-Spy book then you're winning. It's weird, you almost stop noticing the fact you're surrounded by several hundred grand cars that still had the cellophane on the seats a month ago and stroll past them to look at an eight-grand Dino 308! Still, I guess there are some weird people out there who'd like to see some of the many, many McLarens on offer. Here, have some 650Ss





Plenty of Porsches, too. I guess you'd expect that from the most enduring sportscar evar. Mind you, it's easy to be the most recognisable car brand on the planet if you sell one model for about fifty years and change nothing except the shape of the headlights in all that time. That's a joke, don't write to Stuttgart to get the Teutonic equivalent of a fatwah declared on me. Mind you, the 911 in all its flavours has just never "done it" for me. I don't understand them, I can't tell them apart and they're a funny shape. So sorry for the lack of Porsche pics



In fact, maybe it's just German cars in general. Maybe it's my fault. I did rather like this AMG GTS, mind you. But only from the back. From the front it just looks like any other Merc with too many vents and strakes moulded onto it.





For no obvious reason there were a brace of Nismo special edition Datsuns parked up near the pits, a 370Z and a new GTR. I'm normally quite a fan of the new shape Z-car but I couldn't help but feel this version went a bit wrong. It was kinda OK from the front but round the back... urgh. It's just draped in random creases and lines in the bodywork that do nothing except make it look like putting a tutu on the fattest arse since the dancing hippos in Fantasia





Oooer, it's all gone a bit negative, hasn't it? Let's move on to something that never fails to blow my skirt up. A regular at these dos, the AC 378GT is a real one-off. To the best of my knowledge, it's never actually made proper production, and certainly this is the only one I've ever seen. As I understand it, it was designed in South Africa originally as a Perana (just like all those funky hot Capris and such), styled by Zagato and propelled by a Chevy LS lump popping out around 450 bhp. No idea whatsoever how it's ended up badged as an AC, but I mean, what's not to love in that recipe frankly? This car needs to be built! The only things that maybe lets it down are the slightly dull engine bay the surprisingly austere interior, but then again, I often feel that the shock and awe in many modern supercars interiors can only detract from the driving experience. Ever seen a Pagani cockpit? It's like a bad acid trip of conflicting textures, typefaces, shapes and colours. Not a calm place to pick out vital information at 200mph















Plenty of Lamborghinis floating about. I've seen pictures of a Countach, but that had evidently gone by the time I got there. There was one rather special Lambo left, of which more later. For now, have an Aventador to be getting on with



At the time of the launch, I wasn't quite persuaded by the rebirth of MV Agusta and the F4. Underpowered in first versions, it was also a bit too much like the 916 stylistically, and you couldn't shake off the feeling that Tamburini, undeniably one of the greatest Italian vehicle designers of all time, was being a bit lazy and re-treading well worn steps under the auspices of the Castiglioni empire at the Cagiva Research Centre. With time, however, like all the great man's designs, it's grown into itself and really stood the test of the passing years. Dare I say it? Maybe better even than the 916? Especially in pristine whit on such a dismal day, this one really pulled me up short and held my attention for quite a while. Even those organ-pipe exhausts that seemed such a contrivance at the time now seem achingly cool. Funny old thing, time, innit





Some "supercar" owners, it appears, are hardier than others. When many were closing their Aston-branded umbrellas and sinking into plushly carpeted, leather-upholstered, zonal climate-controlled cabins that wouldn't disgrace a boardroom, this fella was zipping up his waterproofs and buckling on his helmet to head home in his Ariel Atom! Not sure it really counts as a supercar, but fair play to the dude. I do love the lighty-uppy LED clockset. I've less love for the huge rusty exhaust collector box that's the first thing and last that I noticed about the car. That would incense me every time I looked at it if it were my car! Get it changed, man!





And speaking of hardcore, the number of TVRs at these dos is always heartwarming. Especially given the torrential rain, complete lack of driver aids and hairy-chested horsepower on offer in a lightweight razor-edged sportscar! God bless the indomitable TVR owners. I once read an internet nugget that the funky dents and light recesses in the front of the Cerbera were "designed" by Peter Wheeler's much-adored dog when it took a bite out of the clay model. No idea if that's true or not, write in if you know. Anyway, here it is, the practical model in the TVR range. LOL







I'm sure I've blethered on about it before, but for me the new Challenger is probably the "best" ie the most true to the original of all the newly resurrected muscle car brands. You can really see how the designers took inspiration from the original and tried to pay homage within the constraints of modern construction and use legislation. And that anoraky weird bloke from Graveyard Carz agrees with me, so it must be true cos he knows everything there is to know about Mopars. Although he doesn't know how to spell "Cars". Anyway, six-litre Hemi. Hell, yeah!







Bentley! Several Bentleys, in fact. There were even some old ones from the wilderness years when they were basically Rollers with a wire grille. This one is basically a VW with a wire grille, I suppose. Shows how bloody wet the day was, though



Strangely, the predominant Lambo that I saw was the Diablo. Or not, given that it had a production run of about eight millennia. But they seem to be the forgotten Lamborghini for some reason. Here's a couple to redress the balance. Normally I'd say the green one was bestest becos of pop-up lights, which normally win any argument. As any fule kno. But I did very much like the pearl baby blue paint on t'other one, so I'll call it a draw for now







Here you go, that aforementioned Dino 308. Funny to see how dated it looks now, and really not in a good way. It's always been a slightly awkward overall shape in my eyes, but this seemed really exaggerated in the company of ultra-modern schmutter. The comedy balloon tyres probably didn't really help. But, y'know, somehow it's got that mysterious x-factor (no, not that kind) that the up to the minute stuff just lacks. Maybe it's because you know it was hewn out of metal and elements by [Al Murray voice] MEN [/Al Murray voice], not computer-rendered and vacuum pressed out of plastic. I dunno. Maybe I'm just old...





There were a couple of guys standing out long-suffering in the rain promoting their new prototype Elemental (nope, me neither). It seems to be one of the modern style of trackday specials, powered by a ubiquitous Ford turbo lump. It certainly looks at least as good as the equivalent KTM or Ariel or whatever, and the fact the entire tub is carbon fibre would sell it to me. Mmmmm, lovely. The dudes were happy to chat about it and good enough to let the kids clamber about and try it out. One of mine seemed to take it rather more seriously than the other...







Another pleasant surprise was the sheer number of Lotusses... um, Lotii? errr Lotus models around. Not just the new Exiges, Elises and Evoras ....um Evorii? Eliseiums... ahhh, whatever... and such, of which there were seemingly thousands, but older ones too. Like this proper fag-packet coloured Esprit. One of several. Awesome. Window louvres rule



...and this gorgeous little breadvan Europa. One of my absolute favourite ever episodes of Overhaulin' was the Europa they did, utterly fantastic job.



And for balance, let's have a brace of what appear to be a Limited Edition ...errr... edition of the Exige. There've been several over the years, and I have to admit I'm not familiar with this LF-1 version but the colourscheme was funky so I took a pic. I'm a hippy at heart, what can I say. I like pretty things in nice colours





Another thing I've banged on about in the past is the current range of Maseratis. They always seem to get a slating in the press and on the telly for not being up to the track handling prowess of a Ferrari or not being able to drift around Rockingham as well as an Aston (yeah, real-world considerations there, thanks Tiff) or not being as fast in a drag race as an AMG Black or not being true to the pure-bred racing vision of the original Maserati brothers... or any other number of spurious comparisons. I think these are all missing the point. Rather than focus on what they're not, surely it's better to focus on what they ARE; and that is that they're extremely handsome and well-appointed GT continent crushers in the old school of loading up your hand-tooled colour co-ordinated luggage, throwing a shapely blonde in the passenger seat (a Golden Retriever will do if you can't find a real blonde), burying your Gucci loafer in the shag and rocking up in Mote Carlo in time for playtime. I love them. They're just as caddish and louche as a proper Jag, just with an Italian-a accent. Not sure what the new Ghibli brings to the picnic that the Quattroporte didn't except for new headlights and slightly different grille, but it is undeniably a fine-looking thing. The Gran Turismo looks fantastic in white. One of few cars I photographed on the day that didn't look like I'd taken the pic through a peat bog







...all of which musings are kinda diametrically opposed to the Ferrari FF take on the long-distance bruiser. Whilst it's probably the fastest, most driver-rewarding, capable shooting brake/GT crossover ever made, sweet baby Jeebus is it goppingly ugly. Especially round the back, where no matter how many swoopy lines and arbitrary folds they creased into the bodywork, no amount of fudging can disguise the fact that its arse is so humongous all the frills just make it look like a tugboat in knickers. Gruesome. Epic motor, mind








Moar to come after a break for lunch and a fag, lol

[Lucky]

Moar then...

HOW many times have I wittered on about THAT Ferrari? I've lost count to be honest, but it's a lot. However, they always reward a second look. Rare enough to see one at all, but even more kudos to the geezer who's willing to take a million-dollah car out in the filthy muddy rain when it's largely made out of unobtanium parts covered by bodywork that is the minimum necessary to hold all the vents together. Not exactly going to keep his detailer happy, is it? If anything, this F40 looked even more awesome than they normally do for being covered in crap and water. Except from low down at the rear, where it just looks ridiculously square considering the rest of it looks like a faired-in F1 car! Guess it was hip to the square. And no-one looks their best from low down in the rear apart possibly from Kylie Minogue. And Carol Vorderman, of course













This Jaaaaag had the right idea, nestling under the pit canopies. Really about time Goodwood invested in some modern self-supporting roofs, those pillars have ruined so many otherwise decent pics over the years



Sadly, I didn't see any real GT40s on the day... guess they really are a bit rare and exclusive for such weather. However, the honour of the Blue Oval was being championed by a couple of the new GTs. I really dunno why these have never caught on, even apparently in their homeland. I think they're great. Love the Gulf colourscheme too. Just like the real thing. Only much, much bigger















I mentioned the Nismo cars earlier, and here's the GTR equivalent of the 370Z (merely because my photobucket album is in alphabetical order and it's taken this long to get to "G"). I guess given the sheer ability and relative affordability of these things it's no surprise that they've become as ubiquitous as they have. In a way it's a shame that most of the aftermarket modded versions you see at shows seem to have more style about them than an official Nismo variant. What happened to the Nur-spec monsters of days gone by? Oh well. Rather like the Z-car, I do like this but can't help but think it's a bit... overdone with all the slots and edges. I feel that in the olden days a car's character was derived from its shape as a holistic entity rather than adding bits and folds all over the final shape and was better for it. But then, my FD has more creases and crevices than Old Man Steptoe's nutsack, so what do I know?





Back in another era of fast Datsun, this was the ultimate expression of the Playstation Generation. An R34 GTR is always a lovely thing to see for those of a certain age and upbringing, lol. Hope those are real CE28Ns rather than Rotas. Yeah, those sodding pillars again...







Rather inexplicably, accompanying the Nismo cars was an R32 GTR that definitely won "dish of the day" award. And wow, in this company that's quite an achievement. It wore Panasports so prodigious that the arches could easily have doubled as a breakfast bar at the local drivethrough. Looked a tiny bit unbalanced, to be brutally honest, but it certainly drew in the eye





You do see a fascinating cross-section of people at these things. When I grow up, I want a hoody with actual horns, wings and spikey bits



The new Lamborghini Huracan is actually quite a pretty thing from some angles, not quite the brutal chisel that many have been. It looks even better if you're a good enough photographer to get it all in the frame *ahem*. Anyway, I like this a lot and it's nice to see that Lamborghini are true to their roots of painting the cars in preposterous colours despite them now being Audis



while we're on the subject of those zany Germans...



Honestly, I've known some Germans very well in my life, and without exception they've all been utterly mad as balloons. I've often suspected that much of the racial name-calling between Britain and Germany originates from the fact we're actually very similar in many ways. And we won't mention the War. I did once, but I think I got away with it. Anyway, these i8s are a hell of a thing, even leaving aside the appalling grammar in their nomenclature. Now here's a design where the shapes and colours men have gone to the effort of making the vents and fins a part of the whole rather than gluing them on afterwards. I can't put my finger on it, but for some elusive reason they put me in mind of the M1 (the BMW, not the motorway) and that was a design that's grown into its true greatness over time. And yeah, it was Italian. Don't spoil a good theory with the facts. Look, even the wheels are a proper 80s throwback!









I had a model one of these as a kid, a little Matchbox-sized die cast. Not sure it was actually Matchbox, but you get the idea. It was one of my absolute favourites. If anything I think the shape was a more balanced one than bigger sister Bora. The V8 Bora might have won at Top Trumps but ask anyone and they'll agree that a V6 actually makes a better noise* and the Merak, especially in SS form like this was no slouch. Shame it was no stopper either, blighted by those weird Citroen on/off brakes. Anyway, Giugiaro's design character for the Maserati family is very obvious, but the Merak has its own distinct identity. Admittedly, most of that it down to those bonkers rear flying buttresses, but there you go, they never did Herstmonceux Castle any harm





*this may or may not be true

I ran out of time a bit today, hopefully I'll get this finished off tomorrow :|

[Lucky]

Oooops, better get this one finished then, even though it seems to have accumulated a marked lack of interest


Shall we have another small-volume Italian eccentricity, then? Lambos are not the only giant orange fruits. And it doesn't come much fruitier than the downright daft MG XPowerSV, probably the best ever of Fiat Punto headlights in human history. One of Peter Stevens' finest shapes, I love the overblown aggressive styling and if they came with proper wheels then they'd be perfect. Mind you, the comedy pram wheel offset fail never stopped the E-Type apparently being the sexiest car ever. Considering that the entire thing was made of carbon, it almost seems a shame to hide it under all that gleaming orangeness, but on a dreary day like this it certainly brings a ray of Tango-coloured sunshine. And yes, I did say Italian. They might have been nailed together in Longbridge but the bulk assembly work and the original platform hailed from Modena in the form of the Qvale (ex de Tomaso) Mangusta







This is quite possibly the future, here and now. Sadly, it's not a hoverboard. It's a Tesla Model S, a full-size liftback super saloon thing that just happens to be powered via the medium of black magic. Or maybe electricity. It's... well, it's average-looking really. But just maybe that's why it will be a success. Instead of comedy novelty vehicles like Honda's half-car half-hovercraft half-Gerry Anderson prop Insight and nonsense like that, maybe Tesla have twigged that people buying an electric car don't actually want something that looks like it was left over from a 50s episode of Buck Rogers, they just want something that looks like... well, a car



Moar McLarens. Along with Astons, they really seemed to be the Ford Cortina of the day... that is the "ordinary" and most numerous of cars that were only there to space out the more unusual stuff. Which is some kind of statement to make, when you think about it. Nasty, common vulgar things that they are, lol. I still can't help wishing they'd given it a name that sounded less like a microwave, but can't deny that the MP12-4C still has plenty of mojo about it. Although it does actually look quite sedate nowadays compared to the rather more extravagant swoops and nodules of the later cars such as the 650Ss. As I said, plenty to chose from in both coupe and spider versions











Nice to see a mainstay of the Goodwood meets out and about ...again. This Iso Rivolta seems to manage to sneak in irrespective of what the theme is meant to be. But then, it's a bloody rare and rather shexcshy bit of kit, so why the hell not? A five and a half litre V8 in an extremely capable yet gentlemanly outfit, what's not to like!



This funny wee thing, apparently, is a Rocket. Nope, me neither. I wasn't about to wade through 40 000 Google pages of "rocket car" to try and find out, either. Although it's clearly one of those sorta trackday type things in the time-honoured tradition of a million Lotus 7 variants, it has a certain je ne se quois about it that puts me in mind of a bonkers droptank-based salt flat racer as well.





As if slightly embarrassed about having to honour their custodianship of Lamborghini by painting them all kinds of luminous pastel colours, Audi seem to have overcompensated with their own in-house R8... which after all is a Lambo in a fat suit. Personally speaking, I think this GT is all the better for it in radar-cheating battleship stealth grey





And speaking of funny Lamborghinis, another Goodwood mainstay happens to paradoxically be one of the rarer ones ever made. This Silhouette always seems to be there. Best rocket-thruster wheels ever!



Some heavy hitters now, in the form of McMercedes stuff. I guess what with Mercedes franchising their V12 to every supercar manufacturer and their dog, it's easy to forget that they have their own in-house behemoth that features it as well! Funky door opening always helps (not pictured). A pair of SLRs looking menacing is a tricky thing to ignore, doors open or otherwise!









It was (kinda) nice to see acknowledgement of the Japanese contribution to the supercar ouvre (or is that a French egg?). For a long time the sneering and derision that once accompanied all Japanese cars in this country continued before people finally began to wake up and realise that especially in the 90s our inscrutable cousins from the Pacific were making cars that could only be described as entry-level supercars. Now rightly hailed as classics-in-waiting in their own right, acceptance is finally here for the more exceptional offerings from the East; Skylines, ZXs, RX-7s, GTOs, and of course, Supras. My man Ada was around in his FD RX-7 earlier but apparently he isn't waterproof so had gone home to cry about being wet by the time we got there, so I can't provide a photo of a Rex. But here's a MkIV Supra instead. Bet it's an auto.



And this fella has one of the more understated offerings from Japan... although there's not much second best about a Soarer, given that they have the same engine as the Supra (or even better, the rare and funky 32-valve V8) yet offer bosses barge levels of comfort. More interesting perhaps is the fact the dude appears to use this one as a drift weapon... and also seems to be shy one leg. I'd have loved to hear his, and the car's, story but was overcome by the awkwardness of walking up to a complete stranger and trying a conversational gambit along the lines of "I can't help noticing you've only got one leg...." Nahhh, I bottled it!



As I said earlier, TVR drivers are a hardy crew and always manage to represent whatever the weather. This li'l Tamora was struggling to remain visible in the grim conditions, given its radar-cheating battleship grey paint. Soooo cute and yet soooo dangerous. Like a bunny with a chainsaw





Also like I said earlier, Astons are now the Ford Escort of the supercar scene, appearing in droves at every event and bumbling around bucolically like a herd of cows who can't even tell each other apart. You almost stop noticing them after a while, there are so many of them. It's weird! Some of them did hold my attention though, such as this crisp white and brand new V12 Vantage 'vert. Gleaming! I love how they've let elements of the carbon fibre body poke through the paint, like a cheeky hint of suspender on a stockingtop. Oooer





and if you prefer your Astons a bit more old school, maybe the very steel fist in the velvet (and leather, and veneer, and shag pile) errr... glove of a Virage Vantage? Ooooh, suit you, sir! Does Sir dress to the left somewhat?



As regular readers of my drivel will know, I always like to end on a high. Cos my Granny told me to, that's why. So here for your delectation and delight, to end, we have no less than four cars which really stood out for me on the day and ... well, blew my skirt right up. Metaphorically. In no especial order we have Nik's Top Picks...

First up, a Don Law-modified XJ220. I still think this is one of the most beautiful cars ever, even in this rather acid shade of yellow. In my head, this car stands at a cusp in excessive car design, the post-200mph era. This was one of the first and still, in my humble, the best looking. Before this, supercars were a triumph of packaging a huge engine over ergonomics and good sense. After this, they worked like... well, like a car really... one that even Mrs Miggins could potter down to the pie shop in and never feel intimidated by the potential under her right court shoe. Cars so docile and well-engineered even Jeremy Clarkson could drive them. But this, despite being tarnished by association with Elton John, was the most beautiful and all the crap about its fall from grace off the drawing board with half the cylinders it was supposed to have and half the driven wheels and four times the price tag means nothing now. However, if it were mine (if only) that fuel door being upside down would piss me right off every time I looked at it











Next up is a car that rather like Cobras and GT40s, every time you see one you assume it's a replica rather than the real thing. I needed my man Rich/Phil with his amazing Decipher VIN Plate At 20 Yards skill to confirm or deny, but in a way I don't care if it's genuine or not. It's still a '67 Fastback 'Stang and it has all the right lines and scoops and decals and sequential lights and all. It might have the all-singing Cobra 289 K-code under the hood (bonnet) or it might have the asthmatic 170cu in straight six (it didn't), I guarantee if you park it up anywhere in town everyone will suddenly want to be your friend











Moving on from the V6 British offering and the V8 American, we find ourselves in Italy, who as any fule no, always like to win at Top Trumps. Apocryphally, Feruccio Lamborghini only got distracted from the serious business of making tractors and started dabbling in supercars because he got so narked off with the appalling lack of reliability and shocking customer service on his Ferrari that he felt it necessary to build his own. But better. Given that his entire undertaking was little more than a massive **** you to il Commandatore Enzo, it should have come no surprise that he should bring the first mid-mounted V12 to market, even if he did have to swivel it through 90° to shoe-horn it all in. That the resulting triumph of packaging should end up being clothed by the genius of Marcello Gandini at Bertone in one of the most evocative, enduring and downright beautiful automotive shapes ever sculpted pretty much guaranteed immortality. It probably didn't really need to be painted luminous orange to grab you by the nads and force you to gaze at it endlessly, helpless as a man-cub in the hypnotic embrace of Kaa... but hey, every little helps

















And so, finally, we're on the last-but-not-least. The ultimate, the Acme (though not in a Wile E. Coyote way). Or in my opinion, anyway, and since this is my thread my opinion is the only one that counts. Thanks for you input, though, that's your seat there, right behind you. That's it, careful now. So what, you're asking yourself, could possibly be better than the first, and arguably prettiest, 200mph supercar? Or the finest expression of Yankee barn-door indestructibility? Or the car that out-Ferraried Ferrari? Well, maybe a car that combines the best of all of them. Take the gorgeous curves of the XJ, the Italian flair of the Miura, the sheer old-fashioned blue-collar grunt of the Shelby and what do you end up with?



Can you guess? This ought to give it away, then



Funniest thing was waiting for a clear moment to get some pics, this fella wanders along with his kid. "Cor, look at that, Dad," says the boy. "Yeah, it's one of them Lamborghinis, innit," says Dad. "Errrr, I don't think it is, dad," says the lad. "Yeah, course it is, it's even got them flip-up headlights and that," he says, wisely. Poor kid just looks at me despairingly and carries on with the old man, too kind or too used to it to correct him any more. But honestly, you'd have thought the foot-high letters shouting "De Tomaso Pantera GTS" written right along the side of the car might have given him a clue...



And this is one of my favourite cars, not just on the day but of all time. For those of us of a certain age, those words "de Tomaso Pantera" still send a shiver down the spine. As a boy it sounded the most evocative, alluring and exciting name a car could possibly want, and the shape of it did little to dilute the spell. So pretty for what is essentially a pointed box with a wheel at each corner simply made to carry around the biggest engine feasible. And two hardy humans, if you must. No compromise, no frills, no concessions to anything other than the engine and the road. Just what a car ought to be. I love them, and I want you to love them too, lol. SEE? What's not to love!? If you don't "get it" already, then stay behind after class and I'll give you some lines to do











And that's me done. Even though it had eventually stopped raining like West Africa at tea time, by eleven o'clock the paddocks were almost all empty and we were some of the only fools left. Despite the arctic weather the kids insisted on an ice cream... maybe they're hardy enough to be TVR drivers in waiting... so once that was dispatched we too took our leave of the hallowed grounds of Goodwood. Until the next time.

Thanks for reading, as always. Until we meet again, go away.

[DKWW2000]

Excellent pictures, commentary & humour as always you feel like you are there (without getting wet)

[KiwiDave]

Huzzah to you Sir! That could have almost been a McLaren featurette which is not a bad thing since Bruce of the McLaren variety is my hero. I'm not a big fan of the McLaren 'tick' as it is called. It's a modern interpretation of the 'speedy kiwi' logo and it's nice to see that the super boffins at McLaren can still have a cheeky nod to the past ... http://jalopnik.com/theres-a-kiwi-hidde ... 1664304793 Having said that, I do like the way that the current logo is repeated in the 650S headlamp design and the M12 c sidelights
I must admit to being somewhat confused by your reference to the personage of Rich / Phil. Is he Richard or Phil? Or maybe he is simply Phillip and quite wealthy?

[Lucky]

Nope, he's definitely Rich. Short for Richard. But one time at the Bromley Auto Pageant, Madame le Jo kept calling him Phil for some reason and he was too polite to correct her Now she's got a mental block about it and it's easier just to call him Rich/Phil because then at least she'll be right 50% of the time At work we tend to call him Eeyore because of his highly motivational positivity vibe

Goodwood of course has special poignancy with reference to ol' Bruce as it was here that he met his untimely end testing the evil monster of a CanAm car when the front clamshell came adrift at speed and put him into the barriers. Sad times, we shall not see his like again. Nor the CanAm series, more's the pity

[KiwiDave]

Goodwood of course has special poignancy with reference to ol' Bruce as it was here that he met his untimely end testing the evil monster of a CanAm car when the front clamshell came adrift at speed and put him into the barriers. Sad times, we shall not see his like again. Nor the CanAm series, more's the pity

FYI Bruce gets a revival spot https://grrc.goodwood.com/goodwood-revi ... 6d6IyBO.97 This kiwi might have to go see!

[ian65]

Nice photos and writeup again
That Alfa is a pretty little thing.... shame the Italian flair and panache for car design is directly proportional to their cars tendency to dismantle themselves by the time they reach the end of the street.
I've been looking at buying a used Cambiocorsa as prices are very low on them at the moment but reliability seems to be a concept that's been engineered out of them.

[spoddy]

great write up and loved the photos, always enjoy reading your car show exploits.
interesting about the astons, but not surprising as when you see db7's and db9s on ebay from £20-£40 grand
they are becoming more affordable and some are not that old 2007's for £30-£35 grand for a supercar.

pity about the weather.

[codge]

Great Stuff (Yet again Nik). Thanks.