12 things we’re looking forward to at Goodwood Revival 2025

Jim Clark

This year, the Revival’s celebrated driver is arguably the greatest of all time. Jim Clark was a two-time Formula 1 World Champion, revered by his peers as the best of his era, the man that Sir Jackie Stewart modelled his own driving style after.

2025 marks the 60^th anniversary of Clark’s second Championship triumph, when he won six races to score maximum points for Team Lotus. Alongside that astonishing title win, he also took victory at that year’s Indianapolis 500, again for Team Lotus, the Tasman Series and the British Formula 2 Championship.

It’s the perfect anniversary to celebrate the life and career of one of motorsport’s greats, and we can’t wait to welcome many of the cars Jim Clark drove back to Goodwood for an evocative tribute.

VE Day Celebration

This year marks 80 years since World War II came to an end in Europe and the country celebrated VE Day, and the Revival will recreate that jubilation with a unique track moment. On Sunday lunchtime the Motor Circuit will be transformed into the scene of a vibrant street party, with everyone in attendance encouraged to join in with the festivities.

Military and commercial vehicles will complete a parade lap of the track before tables and chairs are set up across the grid.

Spectators, dressed in their best 1940s attire, will then be welcomed onto the grid to wave a union flag and engage with Swing and Jive groups. This will be a memorable and heartfelt tribute to an important day in history.

Dita Von Teese

Vintage style icon Dita Von Teese will be returning to the Revival in 2025, once again leading Goodwood’s celebration of vintage fashion. Headlining a star-studded line-up, she’ll be appearing on the Revive & Thrive Stage in conversation New York style activist and Revival favourite Dandy Wellington on Friday 12^th September. She will also be appearing as a guest judge of the Best Dressed competition on Sunday 14^th September.

The Revival is as much a celebration of vintage and second-hand fashion as it is a historic motorsport event, and we’re looking forward to welcoming Von Teese back to Goodwood where she will no doubt be a fan favourite across the weekend.

Aside from her fashion influence, she’s also an avid collector of classic cars. Over the years Von Teese has owned a 1930s Chrysler New Yorker, a 1940 La Salle and a 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood, and is currently busy restoring a 1952 Woodill Wildfire. Basically, Dita Von Teese might be the coolest person in attendance at the Goodwood Revival.

A packed weekend of historic motorsport

It wouldn’t be the Revival without a stunning weekend of historic motorsport taking place on the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Every year this event sees this place returned to its original form as a hub of global motorsport, bustling with superstars and thousands of excited spectators.

That atmosphere remains unmatched anywhere else in the world, and it serves as the perfect backdrop to the sound of 1940s, ’50s and ‘60s racing cars getting their elbows out once again, as they did all those years ago.

This year’s race list includes 13 events set to play out over the course of three days, a programme that includes the traditional Freddie March Memorial Trophy, the St. Mary’s Trophy and the jewel in the crown of historic motorsport: the RAC TT Celebration.

Jenson Button returns 

Formula 1 World Champion and current World Endurance Championship driver Jenson Button is set to make his return to Revival in 2025, racing in the RAC TT Celebration in his bought-for-the-event Jaguar E-Type.

The 1962 ‘CUT 8’ E-Type is the last Jaguar prepared by the great privateer Dick Protheroe, recording wins at the 1965 St. Andrews Cup at Brands Hatch and at circuits including Mugello and the Nürburgring. Both car and driver have prior experience competing in the RAC TT Celebration, and after a year away, Button returns in a bid for glory.

“I am delighted to be coming back to the Goodwood Revival in September for the most enjoyable weekend of racing of the whole year,” he said. “In fact, I love it so much, I have bought my own car to take part! I am very excited to be racing my ‘new’ Jaguar E-type in the TT. I can’t wait.”

Revival Style Stage

As a consultant on all things cool, Dandy Wellington will lead the Revival Style Stage, hosting a series of talks on vintage lifestyle with special guests throughout the event. A jazz bandleader and style activist, Dandy will take to the stage fresh from the MET Gala, where he is serving as a key contributor to this year’s exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, alongside Lewis Hamilton.

The Revival Style Stage will also be fired up with DJ sets throughout the weekend. Art Jefferson (Friday) and Ginger Fizz (Saturday and Sunday) will bring the retro vibes to the decks for an unforgettable style celebration. And if you’re looking for style inspiration, then be sure to join the Revival Style community.

Embracing Revive & Thrive

An ever-expanding focus at Goodwood is the embracing of Revive & Thrive, an ethos that encapsulates everything at Revival. More than ever, the Revival’s core message is one of sustainability and creativity, and it’s developing into a global phenomenon supported by huge stars of the vintage fashion community including David Gandy, Daisy and Pearl Lowe, and the queen of vintage, Dita Von Teese.

In 2025, Dandy Wellington will return to the Revival to lead the Revival Style Stage and host a series of talks on vintage lifestyle. The Repair Shop’s Dominic Chinea will also be active once again with inspiring new ways to rethink and repair old belongings, while there will also be DJ sets throughout the weekend from Art Jefferson and Ginger Fizz. You simply have to experience the Revival Style Village at least once when you come to the Revival. Until then, if you’re looking for inspiration then be sure to join the Revival Style community.

Over the Road

While the Goodwood Motor Circuit will of course be central to the festivities at the Revival, you have to venture Over the Road at least once to experience the entirety of this sprawling three-day event.

The fairground is difficult to miss, but it’s surrounded by a number of immersive and fascinating features that all add to the atmosphere at the Revival. Regular fixtures include the Revival Cinema, which screens a number of classic films from the Revival era, and the Car Show, where ticket buyers can reserve a space to park up their beloved classic for all members of the public to admire.

Over the Road is also a great place to lose yourself in all manner of shops and stalls selling vintage memorabilia, clothes and gifts. Basically, if you want to embrace the vintage lifestyle, Over the Road is well worth your time.

Bonhams|Cars’ Auction

You’ll also find the Bonhams|Cars auction, which is a regular feature at all Goodwood motorsport events. The 2025 Revival Sale will take place on Saturday 13^th September at 10:30 and is sure to feature some precious gems of automotive history.

Among the big money sales last year were a Porsche 911 993 that crossed the block for £614,200, and a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Recreation that changed hands for £552,000. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the lots as they appear over the next few months, but the 2025 Bonhams|Cars Revival Sale is bound to be worth scoping out.

Freddie March Spirit of Aviation

The Revival is, at its heart, a celebration of the original period of the Motor Circuit as a motorsport venue, but the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation presented by Bonhams|Cars takes things a step further by commemorating Goodwood’s earlier history as RAF Westhampnett during World War II.

Each year at the Revival, the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation brings together a carefully curated selection of pre-1966 aircraft for a stunning concours d’elegance on the Goodwood airfield that remains active to this day. It’s a poignant celebration named after the Duke of Richmond’s grandfather, and well worth exploring while you’re at the Revival.

Revival theatrics

Now it wouldn’t be the Goodwood Revival without wall-to-wall theatrics. As you wander through the various avenues of the Motor Circuit, you’ll be met by everything from sweet carts to flash mobs, all serving to draw you into the atmosphere of the 1940s, ‘50s and ’60s.

In previous years at the Revival, we’ve been treated to circus acts inspired by the Greatest Show on Earth, we’ve been invaded by Aliens as a nod to the great space races of that period, and we’ve travelled to the Wild West. There is never a dull moment, and this year promises to deliver a host of similarly memorable experiences.

Best-Dressed Competition

And finally, we have the single most important ingredient that makes the Revival the most famous historic motorsport event in the world. Each and every year, everyone at the Revival spares no expense in making sure they look the part. From the drivers and their mechanics to the staff in the information booths, as you step through the gates at the Revival you take a step back in time, and it’s all thanks to the community spirit that has endured since the first event back in 1998.

The Revival’s Best Dressed Competition is an opportunity to celebrate all of the remarkable vintage outfits we see around the Motor Circuit. Best Selling Sunday Times author Paula Sutton will once again join a panel of expert and celebrity judges who will shortlist and then award the Best Dressed title on each day of the event.

Photography by Cat Brant, Jack Beasley, Joe Harding, Jonathan James Wilson, Matt Dunkinson, Nick Wilkinson, Dominic James, Jonathan James Wilson, Toby Adamson, Toby Whales and Tom Baigent.