The Goodwood Revival is centered on the Goodwood Motor Circuit, which began life as the perimeter track of a World War II airfield, RAF Westhampnett. The Circuit’s inaugural race meeting took place on 18 September 1948, and the winner of the first ever race was Paul Pycroft in his Pycroft-Jaguar. John Young Stewart was an unassuming nine year old growing up in Dunbartonshire. Wind forward 66 years and while Pycroft’s achievement may be remembered by only a few, the name and feats of the small boy have become legend. And legend has it that the professional career of Sir Jackie Stewart OBE started at Goodwood on a March day fifty years ago in the midst of one the defining decades of recent history.
Defined by cultural revolution, scientific development and a fresh political outlook; the 1960s were marked by the moon landing, the first super-computer, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, The Beatles, Mary Quant and epic movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Cleopatra and Doctor Zhivago. Automobile designers also embraced the sense of freedom and expressed their art producing emblematic cars that still stir emotions today.
While the 2014 Goodwood Revival pays tribute this weekend to the life of one of motorsport’s greatest living exponents who became a Rolex Testimonee in 1968, a stroll through the paddock reveals the exceptional mastery of design and engineering achieved by the automotive industry during the decade.
European lead
Early out of the blocks was the Ferrari 250 GT SWB. The model’s official debut was the 1959 Paris Auto Show held in early October. One of the most notable GT racers of its time, the 1959 250 GT SWB used a short wheelbase for better handling. 176 examples were built, and four are racing this weekend at the Goodwood Revival. Development of the model was handled by the same team that would subsequently produce the 250 GTO in 1962 – regarded by many as the top sports car of all time and currently the most expensive ever sold at auction. There happens to a 250 GTO at Goodwood this weekend.
Across the English Channel, the road revolution was also gearing up a level. Aston Martin continued to build on its legacy and reputation with the DB4GT, also launched in 1959, although naturally at the London Motor Show in late October. A pre-cursor to perhaps the most famous Aston Martin, the DB5, the DB4GT played a crucial role in defining some of the iconic design cues still used in by the marque today.
Buoyant from its racing success in the 50s with the C-Type and D-Type, Jaguar introduced the E-Type at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961. It caused a sensation. Capable of 150 mph, it outshone other cars in its class and had instant appeal with the sporting and pop idols of the day.
American follow-through
America was loath to be left behind. The 1960s would profoundly transform American life including its automotive scene. Early in the decade, rapid market growth and changing public tastes prompted U.S. manufacturers to look east to Europe for inspiration.
In 1963 Carroll Shelby and Ford took the British AC Cobra sports car, fitted it with a V-8 and created an intoxicating lightweight and ultra-compact vehicle with subtle English styling. Ford decided this was not enough for the United States, and in 1965 introduced a whole new breed: an affordable, compact, highly styled car with a performance-oriented image. Dennis Shattuck, editor of Car Life magazine, coined the term “Pony Car” to describe the class. Originally designing a two-seater in the European tradition, Ford felt success would depend on volume. So, when the Mustang was launched it came with an obligatory back seat and a multitude of options that would give the buyer an opportunity to customize. Over 22,000 were sold one the first day and one million in the first two years.
The 2014 Goodwood Revival pays its own tribute to this American phenomenon. This year’s Shelby Cup is a showcase for the Mustang and other similar-sized and V8-engined vehicles of the mid-sixties. By a stroke of good fortune, the plane that lent its name to the car – the P-51 Mustang – is also present, performing in the skies over Goodwood this weekend as part of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Design Icon
The age was full of defining, moments and the watch industry played its part too. In perfect step with the style and demands of those pushing at the forefront the era, Rolex launched the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona in 1963. Designed to be the ideal instrument for measuring elapsed time and calculating average speeds on a perfectly legible display, it extolled speed. Packed with adrenaline and with lines as tight and thrilling as a curve taken at full throttle, the Cosmograph Daytona was and still is the ideal match for the octane-fuelled world at which it was aimed.
source carcinnews.com
https://grrc.goodwood.com/section/goodwood-revival/
Photo Rokex/Jad Sheriff
