Shop Online 4 - UK

Goodwood tell us all about the upcoming Goodwood Revival festival of retro motoring and clothing. We find the best retro outfits online to help you prepare for this fiesta of post-war regalia.

History

The Goodwood Revival came to life in the autumn of 1998 - a dream come true for the Earl of March, whose grandfather - the ninth Duke of Richmond - had first opened the motor circuit at Goodwood in 1948.

The aim of the event is to relive the glory days of Goodwood Motor Circuit, which - along with Silverstone - was Britain’s leading racing venue during its active years between 1948 and 1966. During this time it hosted contemporary racing of all kinds, including Formula One, the famous Goodwood Nine Hours race and the celebrated Tourist Trophy sports car race. This year’s event takes place on 19th-21st September 2008.

Dedicated to Nostalgia

No modern vehicles are allowed within the circuit perimeter throughout the weekend. Period vehicles provide all essential services and competitor support. The Revival’s Period Transport Corps supplies a unique taxi service for competitors and VIPs. In 2006 around 250 pre-1966 vehicles serviced the site, from fleets of WW2 Jeeps and 1950s trucks and vans to an array of classic passenger cars and Rolls-Royce limousines. A fleet of classic tractors tow passenger-carrying trailers around the perimeter road, taking visitors to the prime viewing locations all around the circuit……

…All circuit staff dress in appropriate period clothing from the 1940s and 1950s, and each year more spectators and competitors get into the effervescent Goodwood spirit by dressing the part, considering it all part of the fun. In the paddock you may even encounter all kinds of period characters, from ‘spivs’ selling nylons and watches from beneath their coats, to Mods and Rockers and even the Dad’s Army Home Guard. Bands play authentic 1950s music, the food outlets sell fish and chips wrapped in reprints of 1950s newspapers, and even the corn stooks on the circuit infield are made from a specially-grown crop with extra-long stalks for hand cutting rather than combine harvesting. Goodwood circuit is also unique for its planted borders, with around 4,000 hydrangeas bringing beautiful florid colour to the track. There are even flowers on the top of the chicane, just as there always used to be.

Air Show

Aside from the intoxicating entertainment on the track, there is breathtaking action in the skies above this former Battle of Britain airfield as Spitfires, Hurricanes and Mustangs perform elaborate swoops and dives over the circuit. There are also flying demonstrations from a host of other period aircraft, making the Revival almost as revered for its glorious air shows as its thrilling motor racing. The Freddie March ‘Spirit of Aviation’ concourse d’elegance, held for the first time last year, will again take place with an every-growing number of aeronautical beauties on show.

Goodwood at Earl’s Court

Goodwood’s Earls Court facility will add an exciting new element to the annual Goodwood Revival meeting. The Goodwood Earls Court Motor Show exhibition area will take its inspiration from the celebrated London Motor Shows, with an original Art Deco frontage reminiscent of the glory days of exhibitions of the past. This spacious new area will give the expected 115,000 Goodwood Revival visitors an insight into how motoring of the future might look from a pre-1966 perspective, with a display of ‘futuristic’ 21st century cars.

Externally Earls Court looks like the entrance to a 1950s Motor Show, promising to display ‘cars of the future’ inside. As no post-1966 vehicles are ordinarily allowed on site during the Goodwood Revival, the Earls Court Motor Show will enable the event to break out of its ‘period’ timeframe and display post-1966 vehicles. The effect will be like walking into a Tardis, offering other-worldly futuristic new cars to see, right up to and including manufacturers’ latest products.

Each stand will be presented in the style of a traditional Motor Show of the 1950s or 1960s. Car manufacturers confirmed to be exhibiting at this ‘motor show of the future’ will include Maserati, Jaguar, BMW, Ford and Rolls-Royce.

Looking the Part

The Goodwood Revival has a fairly relaxed dress code - in keeping with the fancy dress element of the spectacle, unless visitors qualify for central Paddock access, in which case a jacket and tie is necessary for gentlemen, and a dress or suit for ladies. In the main, effort in poured into looking like a genuine 1940’s, 1950’s or 1960’s throwback.

Click here for ladies’ fashion at Goodwood Revival

Click here for men’s fashion at Goodwood Revival

Click here for children’s fashion at Goodwood Revival

If you can’t make it to the Goodwood Revival itself, try out the Goodwood “slick and spokes day”, which, at £365 means that “You could be behind the controls of a svelte E-Type Jaguar, a rumbling V8 AC Cobra, a majestic Aston Martin or a scintillating Porsche 911 RS”.