It’s hard to deny that Goodwood is an incredibly special location for those of us whose hearts beat that much faster when surrounded by old school cars. In fact, you don’t even need to have been to the likes of the Festival of Speed or the Revival to know – to sense – that this place is really rather special. It’s as if the steady drip of leaded fuel and droplets of oil from countless DFVs has infused into the very soul of the place, and as such there could be no better location for our 10th birthday celebration than the Goodwood-based Retro Rides Weekender.
It no doubt helped that the British car show weather gods opted to play ball, and, Friday evening aside, Goodwood basked in scorching sunshine and cloudless skies for the whole of the weekend. The Retropower caravan of cars and vans arrived mid afternoon on Friday, and by nightfall the important tasks had been completed – the mobile bar was erected and the beer pumps were flowing!
Saturday dawned bright and warm (perhaps too bright and warm for those of us with fuzzy vision and hazy heads), and within hours the entirety of the Goodwood infield was packed with the now customary eclectic mix of old cars, a selection that’s come to mark Retro Rides shows as the best on the UK’s packed roster of events. I mean, really, where else are you likely to chance upon an Astra GTE with a longitudinally mounted C20LET parked next to a row of muscle cars, a Clan Crusader and a ‘dictator spec’ W123 Mercedes?!
Our own stand was soon packed with throngs of interested car fans, all admiring the suitably varied selection of cars on display. Somewhat predictably given its cult internet following, it was the Mk1 Escort we’re building for Gordon Murray that drew the lion’s share of interest, this being its first public outing. Other popular Retropower projects included the Jaguar XJC 430, Millington engined Alfa GT Junior, the Greetham Imp, and a pair of Opel Ascona 400 replicas, each with C20XE propulsion.
Retro Rides shows have never been static affairs and The Weekender was no different, with Goodood echoing to the noise of old school, carb-fed induction all weekend. Our own creations certainly didn’t disappoint in this respect, with the Sport Quattro, Alfa GT Junior, Kadett C GTE, RB Manta and both Chevettes taking to Goodwood’s hallowed tarmac.
Sunday brought more of the same, with packed stands and near constant track action. It was also the day we opted to unveil the Retropower 10th birthday cake and champagne, a fitting way of rounding out a weekend that was as enjoyable as it was significant, at least from our perspective.
Thank you once again to everyone who took the time to admire our cars, to our customers who came along with us and who helped make the weekend what it was, and to anyone who’s supported or helped us over the course of the last decade. Here’s to many, many more!
Add comment