The greatest free car show in the world

Our favourites from the Goodwood Revival car park

Hundreds of thousands flock to the Goodwood Revival for the racing, but you don’t even have to buy a ticket to get your fix of great classics.

The pre-’66 car park is absolutely stuffed with sensational machines from multi-million-pound Ferraris such as the 250GT SWB above (if it’s real!) to obscure commercial vehicles.

Here’s a selection of our favourites.

Ford Galaxie and Hillman Super Minx

These little-and-large convertibles had arrived together and set up for their picnic by 930am!

1958 Cadillac Series 62 Coupe

Completely original unrestored, recommissioned in Halifax, Massachusetts, after a period of storage, before coming to the UK.

Porsche 356 Speedster

Fabulous ex-Sports Car Club of America racer as featured in Classic & Sports Car! In fact, if you want to read about it you can check it out in our Porsche Greatest Hits special, on sale now. Click here to buy it.

Mercury Park Lane

This huge American boat features Ford’s distinctive reverse-raked rear screen, as also seen on the Ford Anglia 105E in the UK.

Austin Seven Ruby

This cute little Austin saloon is one of many in The Revival Car Show; we just love the colour!

Ford panel van 

Fabulous Kustom metalflake paintwork made this slammed panel van stand out. It’s named The Kripple Kart, and the interior is every bit as wild as the exterior.

Lancia Fulvia Series 1

We love this beautifully prepared Fulvia rally car, which had been driven to Goodwood from Belgium.

1932 Ford Roadster

This ‘Deuce’ hot rod looked perfect with mud-spattered flanks. A plaque on the dashboard claims that it was driven to 130.43mph at Bonneville by the late Dan Gurney (though we were unable to track down the owner to verify that!)

Land-Rover Station Wagon

Series 1 Landies are everywhere at Goodwood in the model’s 70th anniversary year, but this was the only long-wheelbase Station Wagon we could find. The perfect classic MPV?

Ford F-100

One of the most subtly modified hot rods on show, this F-100 looked as if it had rolled straight off the set of American Graffiti.

DKW Auto Union 1000S

There aren’t any competing in the St Mary’s Trophy this year, but this funky little 1000S looked like it would slot perfectly on to the grid.

T-series MGs

T-series MGs are a popular choice for the Goodwood commute, but this trio looked particularly stylish, topped off by the rare and unusual 1939 MG TA Tickford (on left), one of just 260 made.

Mercedes-Benz 170 S-D

This rare and characterful station wagon has become a regular sight in The Revival Car Show. But we make no excuses for featuring it again – after all, it drove all the way from Germany.

Chevrolet Corvette C3

American cars are a real theme of the car park, but here’s a slightly later example of the genre. This T-top ‘Vette has the L-82 engine option.

Austin A70 Countryman

Around 2400 of Austin’s largest ‘county’ model were turned into woodie wagons, and this mint two-tone example is a spectacular survivor.

Austin A35 van

We spotted at least two signwritten A35 vans, but this charming little commercial was our favourite.

Gordon-Keeble GK1

For us, the sexiest of the Anglo-American hybrids – even if its badge does have a tortoise on it – the Giugiaro-styled Gordon-Keeble features Chevrolet V8 power.

Lanchester Eleven

The Lanchester name is virtually unheard of today, but this 1937 Eleven was one of 2000 produced in the Daimler factory in Coventry from ‘37 to ‘40.

Bedford Duplex coaches

What a way to arrive at the Revival! The passengers of these two private-hire coaches were making full use of their designated driver…

Facel Vega collection

To mark the rediscovery of Rob Walker’s Facel II, taking part in the track parade honouring the famous team owner, Facel Vegas from all over Europe were out in force. We counted 29, with more arriving, from HK500 to Facellia.

Ford Comète

Joining the Facel Vega display was this wonderful Ford V8-powered Comète – featuring bodywork designed by Facel founder Jean Daninos.

Standard Atlas pick-up

There were plenty of great commercial vehicles to see, but this immaculate example of the long-running Atlas was a standout.

Sunbeam Harrington Alpine

A popular roadster in the UK and US, the Alpine was turned into a neat little coupé by Thomas Harrington Coachbuilders Ltd. This example has the desirable 1725cc engine.

Hotchkiss Grégoire

You don’t see one of these very often, let alone a convertible version. This front-wheel drive machine was very advanced for 1950, but only a handful – 247, to be exact – were produced.

Simplex

There’s something uniquely appealing about a chain-driven veteran, and this huge Simplex looked ready to roar off on its next epic rally.

Triumph Italia

Combining rugged mechanicals with a svelte Michelotti-designed body, the TR4-based Italia must be one of the most exotic British sports cars of the ‘60s.

Rochdale Olympic

Low-volume British specialist sports cars are a relatively rare sight in the Revival car park, but this glassfibre-bodied Olympic – built by Rochdale Motor Panels in Greater Manchester – is a notable exception.

1950 Riley RMC Roadster

One of 507 examples of these glamorous roadsters produced – and two in the car park – this gleaming example looked more suited to California than West Sussex.

Triumph Roadster

Everybody remembers Jim Bergerac – but usually more for his car than John Nettles’ performance. This fine tribute had almost the same numberplate as the Jersey detective’s car and was even flying the Channel Island’s flag.

Citroën SM

Still looking space-age nearly 50 years after it was launched, the SM is a C&SC favourite. What could be cooler than Citroën comfort, Gallic style and Maserati power?

Messerschmitt Tg500 Tiger

Fresh from its victory on the Liège-Brescia-Liège microcar rally, this four-wheeled version of the iconic German bubble car drew plenty of attention at Goodwood.

Aston Martin DB4

You don’t often see a DB4 sat in a car park because of that fragile Superleggera bodywork, but this is no ordinary car park.

Mercedes-Benz 190SL

Making the trip from across the Channel was this glamorous 300SL mini-me. We love the contrast between the rich black finish and the glitzy interior.

Wolseley 4/44

The Wolseley name is synonymous with the boys in blue, having featured in endless early crime movies – though usually the 6/90 rather than its baby brother the 4/44.

Ferrari 275GTS

Competing for the title of most glamorous machine in the car park is this stunning V12 drop-top Ferrari. For once, its GTB sibling isn’t to be found on any of the Revival grids this year.

Fiat Dino Spider

Offering glamour to the 275, but at a fraction of the price, this glorious Dino Spider at least has a Ferrari engine.