Event Report

london exudes a self-confident air of quiet importance, unlike New York, which is impelled to shout its glories from the tallest skyscrapers. It is only natural that one of England’s premier automotive events, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, should have the same understated grandeur. London and Goodwood now hold a unique place in my heart.

I have been living in London during June and July attending a seven-week study-abroad program, loosely affiliated with my academic pursuits at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. On the last full weekend in June, I left the grand old capital behind and caught a southbound train to the English countryside for Goodwood. I arrived at around 10:30 am and was immediately taken aback at the scale of the event. Goodwood’s Festival of Speed is made up of several distinct areas of interest: the main hillclimb acts as the center of attention, with other venues and activities arrayed around it. The paddock consists of long lines of matching white tents filled with everything from blower Bentleys and 1930s Auto Union F1 cars to current Le Mans Aston Martins and Audis (shown in race condition from weeks before Goodwood). There was also a host of cars offered for the Cartier and Bonham auctions. These cars were arranged on the lawn, in front of the manor house, with a live jazz band playing amongst the cars. Moving to the hill, I heard the distinctive scream of F1 cars as they challenged the narrow and relatively short hillclimb. Modern F1 cars know how to drive up a hill quickly! The sound of 19,000 rpms is indescribable—television hardily does it justice.

The famous hill, which on television looks level, is in reality a good incline, especially past the old stone wall and up the remainder of the course. Set back thirty feet from the road is the ubiquitous line of hay bales, behind which spectators stand arrayed along a rope barrier. The hilltop has a collecting area for cars completing the climb, along with another paddock and a separate dirt course for World Rally cars. The rally course meanders through a stand of trees parallel to the hillclimb’s finish line. Standing at the top of the hill, I was treated to the oddest paring of engine notes: Colin McRae in a 2007 Subaru WRX and the 2006 Ferrari F1 car, both at full throttle. Goodwood is full of automotive paradoxes, like these two equally well-respected cars racing, fully engrossed in their element just feet from each other. Regardless of what I was doing at any given time, I was missing something equally interesting occurring elsewhere. Goodwood compresses the entire automotive world into four days of concentrated mayhem in the south of England.

Coming down the hill, I turned away from the track and headed toward the car company area to find Alfa Romeo’s display. Tucked between Audi and Ford, like a giant summer sun umbrella, was the Alfa Romeo tent, surrounded by fluttering flags. Gently poking out from each side were new Alfa Romeos, the Spider and the Brera getting prominent exterior spots, while the 159 and 147 occupied the tent’s center. Inside, on a rotating platform, was a new black 8C, emitting a radiant, confident glow that attracted people like moths to a lamp. As the crowd ebbed and flowed, I managed to sit in every Alfa, except for the 8C. My favorite, the 147, had everything perfectly sized and appointed to be the modern equivalent of my Giulia Sprint GT. The seats were deeply bolstered and clad in leather, while the gearshift and pedals were finished in brushed aluminum. The exterior styling was pure Alfa: clean and direct, yet sensuous and light-handed. After adjusting the seat, the car felt ready for the road. Unfortunately, my love affair had to end there for the time being. I beseeched the salesmen, telling him that US Alfisti drive BMWs and Subarus because they have no modern Alfas. After taking too many pictures and cleaning out the promotional literature, I moved on.

The vendor area offered the standard merchandise; Wal-Mart and Home Depot have nothing on Goodwood as far as quantity of merchandise is concerned. I found some reprints of advertisement for my 1966 Giulia Sprint GT and 1991 BMW 318is (daily driver at home in Seattle). Satisfied, I headed to the BMW tent, which was practically a dealership with glass windows, two stories, and lots of cars. They had a few BMW Mobile Tradition cars, like a 1989 DERKA E30 M3 racecar. As I left the tent, the heavens opened and English rain came down in a surfeit, drenching me even beyond normal Seattle standards. Spectators dashed for tents, crowding into them like commuters into subway cars at rush hour. I ran for the Goodwood souvenir tent.

Despite being soaked and freezing, I noticed that the man standing next to me was wearing an Alfa Romeo sweater. During a crash of lighting and a hailstorm, I shouted to him, "What sort of an Alfa do you have?". He said, in English, "I work for Alfa Romeo, as their Marketing Communication Manager." I told him I was from the United States and owned a 1966 Giulia Sprint GT. He smiled an Alfista smile and pulled out an Alfa Romeo emblem lapel pin and handed it to me with a wink. I thanked him for the gift; he introduced himself as Alberto Costa and we talked as the storm raged. After a few minutes, Alberto pulled out his cell phone and gave me the numbers for some of the Alfa Romeo Museum staff in Milano. He strongly encouraged me to fly to Italy and go to the Museum. After the rain abated, he invited me to the Alfa Romeo paddock to see a row of beautiful Alfa Romeo Museum cars including: P2, P3 driven by Nuvolari; 159 Alfetta driven by Fangio; Daytona Tipo 33/2; Tipo 33/3 TT12 (winner of the 1975 world championship); and an Alfa 75 Turbo Imsa. Alberto called ahead to Stefano Agazzi, from the Automobilismo Storico Museo, informing him that a young American Alfista was coming over to the paddock. As we walked, Alberto told me not to be shy. He asked if I wanted to have my picture taken in any of the Alfas. My head was reeling with amazement, since these are some of the most famous racecars Alfa Romeo ever built. We arrived and I was introduced to each of the museum staff tending the cars. Stefano slipped me an Autodelta lapel pin to match the Alfa Romeo pin. After the introductions, Alberto asked which Alfa I wanted to sit in. I had been mentally laboring over this question, but in my heart I had already decided. I chose the 159 Alfetta because it represents the crowning post-war glory to Alfa’s pre-war racing program and the starting point for the great cars, like the TZ and GTA. Besides being a turning point for Alfa Romeo, this is the exact car that Fangio drove in the 1951 Formula 1 season and won the World Championship with that year. The interior is unrestored, so this is the fabric seat, pedals, gear shift, steering wheel, and everything that Fangio used when he drove the car. I imagined that the cockpit, like most European cars from the 1950s, would be small, confined, and uncomfortable, with pedals angled at the wrong direction, an awkward gearshift knob, and a steering wheel that would not accommodate my knees and chest. To my amazement, the Alfetta was perfectly sized and proportioned, with everything elegantly arranged. By modern standards, the wheel was large, but not by 1950s standards—it was smaller than that of an XK 120 Jaguar. The pedals were sized and proportioned for easy shifting, while the gearshift was directly below the bodywork on the left. I would have preferred it be to the right, but it was in the perfect spot for someone used to left-hand shifting. Just from sitting in the car, I understood why it was a World Champion F1 car, regardless of Fangio’s skill as a driver and the fantastically powerful engine. In typical Alfa Romeo fashion, the 159 Alfetta blends each element into a racecar that is undeniably alluring in its total perfection.

After exchanging email addresses and taking more photos, I bid farewell to Alberto and the other Alfisti, and continued to take in Goodwood. However, all I could think about was the Alfetta and meeting Alberto. I had a grin on my face for days following Goodwood, and I dreamed about the Alfetta. If you are ever presented with the opportunity to attend a Goodwood event, DO IT, because it is truly amazing. Goodwood is a quick train ride from London and tickets are only 43 pounds. Grandstands are more expensive, but don’t bother, since there are better places to see the hill, and most of the fun is walking around in the paddock.

Alfa ownership is an amazing thing. My Alfa introduced me to the man who offered me my first job; it provided a club where I made friends when I moved across the country for college; it offered me a memorable summer of driving last year; and it presented an opportunity to sit in Fangio’s 159 Alfetta, not to mention my new Alfa Romeo friends in Italy. All of this happened because I talk about my Alfa Romeo. When I thanked Alberto for all he had done for me, he responded, "As a matter of fact, I didn’t have any other choice, did I? I mean, a young American talking Alfas with such competence and driving such a beautiful car!" Those parting lines underscore Alfa Romeo’s keen interest in the US market. Alberto concluded by telling me, "Keep the Alfa flame alive, we’ll be back soon!"!

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	A late 1960s Ferrari Le Mans car returning from its run
	The crowd looking down the hill from just past the old stone wall; this is just a fraction of the people in attendance
	The famous XJ13 Jaguar Le Mans prototype going for a rainy afternoon run up the hill
	The splendidly tantalizing Alfa Romeo tent in the mid-afternoon, with ominous storm clouds building overhead
	Joe and Alberto Costa between a 1924 P2 and a 1932 Tipo B
	The Alfa Romeo Spider with its nose gently protruding from the Alfa Romeo tent; among all the Alfas, the Spider always garners universal approval
	Joe reveling in sheer bliss while sitting behind the wheel of the 159 Alfetta
	The 8C Competizione sitting on a rotating platform in the middle of the Alfa Romeo dealer tent
	A modern 2006 Ferrari Formula One car turning onto the hillclimb from the paddock
	An SS100 Jaguar sitting in front of the Goodwood Estate Library along with other cars up for auction
	A 2006 Ferrari warming up for its run up the hill
	Joe standing with an Alfa Romeo Museum mechanic in front of the 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 ‘Daytona’
	The Goodwood organizers do an exceptional job ensuring the safety and comfort of spectators and participants at the Festival of Speed