For those in the know, the pair of Retro Rides-branded events—the Retro Rides Weekender at Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and its sister event, the Retro Rides Gathering at Prescott Hill Climb—represent Britain’s old-car scene at its most varied and vibrant. Both have been running for the best part of twenty years and can always be relied upon to deliver elite-tier events packed with fascinating, often home-built cars of every conceivable type; from bōsōzoku-inspired Nissans with wonderfully eccentric exhausts to Frogeye Sprites with JDM engine swaps. Retro Rides has them all, and so much more.
As you may have gathered from that emphatic opening salvo, these are this writer’s favourite events on the UK show calendar. Consequently, a large proportion of the Retropower collective was beyond excited at the prospect of attending the first of the two, the Weekender. We brought along a pair of our own cars for display: the ‘Lucky Strike’ Austin Allegro and ‘Project One’, our BDA-powered Mk1 Escort restomod. Both occupied a prime piece of real estate in the heart of the infield, tucked just behind the start-finish straight.
As this is a two-day affair, Callum was tasked with manning the Retropower stand for the entire weekend—a role he rose to with aplomb. Such was the excitement surrounding both the show in general and our stand in particular that Cal was in a near-constant state of motion, selling our expanded range of merchandise and memberships to the Retropower Club, while also talking shop and holding court on a multitude of automotive subjects, some of which were even directly related to Retropower projects.
Away from our own small corner of Goodwood, the Retro Rides Weekender was a towering success, with cool cars packed into every corner of this idyllic slice of rural England. Standout displays included ‘Deadline’ (home to projects set to be completed this year—so no pressure), ‘Rave from the Grave’ (celebrating modified cars from long-defunct manufacturers), and ‘Saloonatics’ (a tribute to everyone’s favourite body style: the humble, once-ubiquitous saloon).
Out on track, the action was almost constant, with sessions running throughout Saturday morning and afternoon. This allowed the same wildly eclectic mix of machinery to make its way from the show stands to the hallowed tarmac itself, creating hugely entertaining scenes for the packed banks of spectators around the circuit.
Those spectators were also treated to demonstrations from the Classic Touring Car Racing Club (CTCRC), whose cars—a stunning mix encompassing everything from post-war saloons and hairy-chested Capris to late-century Super Touring heroes—pounded around the circuit at a ferocious pace.
As regular attendees will already know, camping at the Retro Rides Weekender is an essential part of the experience, and some of the most memorable moments occur after the sun goes down. Saturday night was especially entertaining, with the annual ‘Tat Auction’—a long-standing, good-natured sale of, as the name suggests, less-than-stellar items, with all proceeds going to charity—hosted by RR legend Kev From Wales proving another roaring success. Much beer was consumed, and more than a few somewhat hazy bids were placed.
Sunday brought less favourable weather but no reduction in either enthusiasm or attendance. With the track closed for the day, those who had arrived in their own old-school machinery were invited to invade the circuit itself, parking along both sides of the start-finish straight, around the first corner and up to the opening chicane. It was a spectacular sight and served only to underline just how remarkably diverse the cars of the Retro Rides Weekender truly are.
Once again, we at Retropower would like to thank everyone who joined us for the weekend, and especially those who took the time to introduce themselves to Callum. He was busy—frantically busy—all weekend long, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
