Hi everyone, it’s Alistair

I’m a little late with this week’s newsletter because I wanted to share my Goodwood experiences with you all.

What an event the Festival of Speed has become. Now in its 33rd year, the Duke of Richmond’s car-themed garden party has grown to become one of the world’s greatest car shows – and the de facto British motor show, too.

I was very kindly hosted by Porsche this year, with dinner and a night at their accommodation on Thursday, followed by a morning of driving heritage cars on Friday, and access to the Festival of Speed itself. Brutally hot, dry, sunny and dusty, this year’s Festival of Speed was a very warm one, but still totally sold out and packed with tens of thousands of car fans.

Personal highlights include driving a visit to Drvn House on Thursday – basically a scene from Forza Horizon, complete with a brace of Koenigseggs in a pub car park – driving a 1967 911 L from Porsche’s museum on Friday morning, and seeing the trio of Ford GT40s that filled the podium of the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours.

It’s also always a pleasure to see the ‘Beast of Turin’ in the paddocks, followed by a fleet of Ferrari F1 cars blasting up the Goodwood hill, and a collection of six Lamborghini Miuras on the Cartier lawn. I loved the central statue too, which this year celebrated Singer, the Porsche restomod specialist.

I should also thank McLaren for access to their VIP hospitality area, complete with a very welcome glass of champagne and a tub of ice cream; I could have sat there all day.

As I write this I’m watching Goodwood’s live coverage on YouTube (link below, with all the best action from Sunday) and wishing I could be there for another day.

It’s become such a big show that you really need two days (or even three!) to see everything – and my top tip is to arrive as early as you can. Get there at 7am on Thursday or Friday and walk around before the crowds arrive, then sit down with a cold drink and enjoy interviews in the fan zone, or catch some of the action on a big screen.

See you there next year?

Have you seen our latest video yet? It’s a first-drive review of the new Volvo ES90, an all-electric luxury saloon that borrows its tech and platform from the EX90 SUV, but wraps it in a lower, sleeker body.

There’s always a stunning collection of museum pieces at Porsche’s Goodwood accommodation, and this year was especially impressive. Alongside a bunch of cars from Porsche GB’s current press fleet, the company had shipped in some rarities from its museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

Literally museum pieces, these cars even have ‘Porsche Museum’ on their side and are of course in immaculate condition. I grabbed the keys to the 1967 911 L for a quick drive, but the star was surely the 911 ‘Pink Pig’ racer. This wasn’t available to drive, of course, but sat proudly beside the tepee and barbecue. The Pink Pig livery first appeared on a Porsche 917 in 1971, and appeared on this 911 RSR at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it won the GTE Pro class in the hands of Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.

I love how casual Porsche is about all this. To be sat in a field, eating a burger and chatting to colleagues over a beer, while a Le Mans-winning Porsche in a unique livery is sat a few metres away, reminds me why I love this industry. A friend of mine has a poster of that very car on his wall, and its popularity is still such that Porsche fans spotting photos on Instagram worked out where the Pig was parked, and had already found it by Friday afternoon.

Are you looking for a new car too? Perhaps you just want to show off your daily drive? Or maybe you’ve simply spotted something cool in the classifieds - get in touch and let me know what you’ve found.

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I’ll feature the best spots and stories in future newsletters.

As I mentioned earlier, Goodwood Festival of Speed is streamed live on YouTube. The coverage gets better and better every year, with a team of roving presenters and commentators working all day, Thursday to Sunday. It’s the sort of coverage you can leave on all day, serving as the background to your weekend, or revisit for the highlights whenever you like.

Thanks for reading The Next Drive. Catch you here next week!

Until then,

Alistair