For many decades, when writing about Rolls-Royce cars, motoring journalists would mention Crewe, the location in England where they were made since 1946. However, Crewe’s association with Rolls-Royce would cease (and become associated with Bentley) after 2002 when the BMW Group acquired full ownership of all elements of the Rolls-Royce brand in 2003.
This development meant that BMW had to provide Rolls-Royce with a new home, certainly in England, and a brand new factory was built at Goodwood in Sussex with an initial investment of £65 million. The site was meaningful as it was just about 15 kms from where the company’s co-founder, Sir Henry Royce, lived and worked for the last 16 years of his long and illustrious life.
Goodwood has announced its decision to make Michelin the official tyre partner for the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival for a further five years. This deal will see the world renowned tyre manufacturer becoming the official tyre brand for its international motoring events until 2022.
Rebeca Nieto, Commercial Director for Car, Van and 4×4 for Michelin in the UK and Ireland, said, “Events like Revival and the Festival of Speed allow us to showcase all those sides of our business – technological breakthroughs that have transformed the motor industry.”
“Everything the Goodwood Estate does is premium, and that reflects our own ethos. From the tyres we make to the restaurants we recommend, Michelin delivers exceptional quality to consumers,” she added.
Michelin is a French tyre maker that has existed since 1889. It is the second largest tyre producer in the world after Bridgestone. Until recently, the duo were bitter rivals in the world of Formula One. For decades, various Formula One teams chose one or the other, depending on which best suited their vehicles.
Due to rule changes that were not favorable to these manufacturers, Pirelli become the sole tyre supplier for all F1 cars in the championship. There’s a possibility that, with the return of more than one brand to the sport, competition between teams could heat up quite a bit.
Contrary to popular belief, Michelin produces tyres for a variety of different vehicles that include space shuttles, aircrafts, cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Tyres that bear its name are of the highest quality and perform on par if not better than that of its rivals with similar specifications.
Several important classics and modern sports cars will go under the hammer at Coys auction, which incidentally will take place not far from Goodwood, in the gardens of Fontwell House on 29th June 2017.
One of the few cars worthy of mention, is a pre-production Ferrari 575M Maranello, a perfect example of an Italian Grand Tourer. It is considered one of the earliest pre-production cars made by Ferrari and carries the chassis number 123761. It was manufactured in 2002 but was never sold by the automaker until much later. In fact, it was kept in storage for a few years after being used for marketing and other promotional purposes.
It was only registered in 2006 and sold a couple of years later as a new car by the automaker to a VIP client. In total, the car has just 13,000km on the odometer and comes with a comprehensive paperwork to support the history of work/maintenance that was conducted on it as well as the original manuals. It is estimated that the car might fetch about £150,000 (RM836,205) to £200,000 (RM1,114,940), which is a lot of cash considering what that same amount of money can get you with newer sports cars.
Speaking of the Ferrari, Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys, said, “Coys are delighted to return to Fontwell House for a now-regular feature in our busy auction calendar. Just miles away from the action at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, enthusiasts and collectors will find at Fontwell House a fabulous selection of classic, sports and racing cars, including this pre-production Ferrari 575MM which represents a piece of Ferrari history and would be a valuable addition to any collection.”
The Ferrari 575M Maranello was the follow up model of the relatively identical 550 Maranello (style wise) safe for minor tweaks by Pininfarina. Compared to the 550, 575M had a different interior, bigger brake discs, a larger and more powerful engine, different weight distribution, improved aerodynamics, adaptive suspension setup, as well as a number of others.
Under the hood was a 5.7-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine that was either mated to a 6 speed manual or 6-speed eletrohydraulic gearbox. That coupled with a 1,853kg kerb weight, allowed the 575M to accelerate to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 325km/h.
The car was produced from 2002 to 2006 and was eventually superseded by the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, which features more sophisticated electronics, bigger and more powerful engine, as well improved driving dynamics.
One of the most valuable Type 2 VW camper vans in existence, which is worth £90,000 or RM490,671 will leave Windrush Car Storage (UK) for Goodwood where it will go under the hammer during the Goodwood Festive of Speed event.
Windrush is known for being a luxury spa for vehicles. There, automobiles are treated with the best care and detail service. Security is tight at the state-of-the-art Cotswold facility to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to these extremely valuable vehicles that are kept in a dehumidified and climate-controlled environment to maintain an optimum condition, which best suit their preservation despite the lengthy storage duration.
This Type 2 VW Camper was subjected to the very same treatment and has been kept in pristine condition at the facility for almost five years after its owner, Steve Quinn completed the vehicle’s meticulous restoration process.
Quinn acquired the rust-free, ex-California VW Camper in 2008. Back then, it didn’t have an engine and was in dire need of a makeover. Now, the vehicle has a new 100bhp 2.0-litre engine as well as a fully reworked interior that features wood paneling for the storage areas and chrome on the bumpers and rims and extensive white and blue paintwork.
There’s also modern tech features that include an Alpine surround sound system, DVD player and an internet connection. Since the completion of the restoration work, the vehicle has only traveled 2,897km, making it an extremely low mileage classic.
Regarding the storage of his beloved VW Camper, Quinn said, “The car was always kept in the very best condition and the team at Windrush even pointed out potential faults to ensure it continued running smoothly. I do love my Camper but it’s time to pass the torch. I’ll certainly be recommending Windrush to whoever is lucky enough to win at the auction!”
The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from 29th June to 2nd July and will play host to a number of spectacular motoring events including a vehicle display that consists of a number of vintage and modern Formula One cars. Till then, take a look at this impressive collection of pictures of Quinn’s VW Camper.
TVR is back, and will be unveiling its first sports car at the upcoming Goodwood Revival, which will take place from September 8th to 10th of this year. Created in conjunction with Gordon Murray design, the 1200kg car is said to be powered by a 5.0-litre Cosworth developed V8 engine.
It will offer 400bhp per tonne and as such, should be able to cover the 0-100km/h dash in under 4 seconds. Little less is known about it for now, but the automaker has gone on to say that it will be a ‘sure-fire’ hit when it is eventually unveiled.
Speaking of the planned public launch, Les Edgar, Chairman of TVR said, “We are incredibly excited to be unveiling the new car at the Goodwood Revival. It’s the first time a global launch of a new car has occurred at the event, and it seems an entirely appropriate place for us to do it, with the marque’s motorsport heritage and an enthusiastic audience of dedicated car fans – and in our 70th anniversary year. After a series of secret private viewings organised for the benefit of existing customers for the new car, we know that we have a sure-fire hit on our hands, and very much look forward to seeing the public reaction in September.”
The new TVR, when launched at Goodwood, will be showcased along with a number of special classics from the glory days of the brand. The launch celebration is being carried out in September to commemorate the marque’s 70th anniversary, that’s right, TVR is now 70 years old.
This news has us excited because TVR has always been known as a sports car maker that loves to defy convention. It’s sole purpose of existence is to create absurdly powerful driver-focused cars that require serious concentration and lightening quick reflexes to tame.
Stay tuned, and we will let you know more about the car as soon as we find out.
