It’s Revival week! Finally, after two years off, we’re back at the Motor Circuit for racing and revels in celebration of Goodwood’s golden era of motorsport. What can you expect to see and what should you be looking out for? Well, we’ve a list of six sportscars racing at Revival that we think you should be looking out for.
Here’s one to look out for, not that you’ll be searching too hard. This resplendent pinky-purple Cobra is one of just 8 “Dragonsnake” spec cars, build in period for drag racing. Obviously, it’ll be on circuit duty opening the Revival during the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, formerly Kinrara Trophy, racing 250 SWBs, E-types and DB4 GTs. What a cool piece of Americana.
It was never going to take long for us to get into the Ferraris and what a Ferrari this is. In a sense, it’s two Ferraris, given it was built twice, once in 1956 and once in 1959. Starting life as a 290MM, it was converted to a faux 250 TestaRossa by the factory in 1959. Why? Well, supply and demand. All of the factory TRs were out racing but a particularly demanding customer necessitated the 290 be converted. Catch it in the Sussex Trophy.
Another one to watch in the Sussex Trophy, arguably on the opposite end of the ‘thoroughbred’ scale, is the Sadler Chevrolet Mk2. This muscular sportscar packs a monster Chevy V8 that betrays its slight elegant form. This particular car is unpainted, too, with its panel-beaten alloy on display for all to see. Another point to note: it’s owned and will be driven by Goodwood and historic racing legend Julian Mazjub, so you can be sure this Sadler will have its wheels driven off.
You may not have heard of the Jaguar E2A. All is revealed, though, once you see it. If it reminds you of a sort of D-Type/E-Type hybrid, that’s pretty much exactly what it is. The E2A predated and previewed the famous road-going sportscar and was a development from the famous Le Mans-winner. The car was developed solely as a racer, however, swapping the D-Type’s beam rear axle for independent suspension and a smaller rules-compliant 3.0-litre fuel-injected straight-six. Another star we’re excited to see in the Sussex Trophy.
A star beauty of the Freddie March Memorial Trophy will be this red Maserati A6 GCS sports racer. One of the most elegant A6 racing bodies, this topless sportscar was Maserati’s equivalent to the Jaguar D-Type. With a howling straight-six, it’ll be battling against C-Types, D-Types, Ferraris, other Maseratis, Aston Martins and many more, that will have battled it out here at Goodwood in the 1950s.
You can always count on a few oddities joining the volcanic Lola T70s, McLaren M1s and Ford GT40s of the Whitsun Trophy. The fastest race at Goodwood sees all sorts of weird and wonderful prototypes join these well-known names, including Crossle, McKee and this, the Attila-Chevrolet Mk3. One of just three made, its creators used Lotus experience to develop a formidable prototype that unlike some other weird and wonderful machines you’ll see in the Whitsun, appears more conventional. Like everything in the Whitsun, you can count on it filling the Motor Circuit with a the howl and fumes of a monster V8.
This is a somewhat odd entry as we’re technically referring to two cars, although for good reason. Two Sunbeam Lister Tiger Le Mans coupes were made for the 24 hours in 1964 and both of them will be on the grid for the RAC TT Celebration here at the Goodwood Revival. They may not be as evocative as the Cobras or E-types but it’ll be very cool to see both cars going wheel to wheel.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.
Revival
Revival 2021
List
Ferrari
290MM
AC
Cobra
Jaguar
E2A
Sadler
Maserati
Attila
Sunbeam