Motoring: Manufacturers rev up for Goodwood showcase

THE Goodwood Festival of Speed has always been a magnet for motoring fans of a particular vintage and this year is no exception.

However, increasingly more manufacturers are cottoning on to the fact that they have a captive audience at the event and a demograph which is ideal to market their products at.

Therefore, nearly all of the big boys will have some new product on display and most will be savvy enough to showcase it next to their historic race-winning cars so they can bask in the glow of reflected glory.
Jaguar is a case in point.

The company is pulling out all the stops for the event, which starts on Thursday and runs until Sunday.

Its brand new Special Operations division will be in attendance and will be presenting the first ever new product on a Jaguar stand at famous motoring festival. Part of the JLR skunk works is to promote the new lightweight E-Types models which have been produced as part of the company’s new Heritage Collection. The cars are the first new E-Types made for almost 40 years.

So what else is there?

Jaguar’s theme for the event is ‘Addicted to Winning’ and it will have an extensive selection of its past, present and near-future models at the event, including victorious examples of the racing D-type, XJS TWR and XJR-9.

Two of the Jaguar Heritage Trust’s significant D-types will be in action – the original 1954 D-type prototype and the later 1956 ‘Long Nose’ model, the latter being driven by ex-Grand Prix racer Bruno Senna. Senna, nephew of Ayrton, recently covered over 1,000 miles in this car at the 2014 Mille Miglia, with co-driver and fellow Formula 1 star, now TV commentator Martin Brundle.

Other Jaguar Heritage competition racers in action at Goodwood will include the iconic ‘Group 44’ E-type, the Group-A XJS TWR and the 1988 Le Mans-winning XJR-9 LM, the latter being reunited with one of its victorious team drivers; Andy Wallace.  

So, what looks good in this kind of company? Well how about a high performance version of Jaguar’s new sports car – and spiritual successor to both the D and E-Types – the F-Type.

Jaguar is using the event to give a public debut to the F-Type R Coupé, which will be joined for the famous 1.16-mile hillclimb by the XFR-S Sportbrake.

Bound to turn a few heads I should imagine.

But they won’t be the only ones clamouring for the attention of the crowds.

A group of Honda winners past and present will be roaring around the Sussex circuit and first out of the paddock on Friday morning will be touring car stalwart Gabriele Tarquini behind the wheel of the RA272; the iconic car in which Richie Ginther scooped Honda’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory in Mexico in 1965.

Senna will also be taking the wheel of the car that powered his uncle to a championship-winning eight GP victories in the 1988 season. The McLaren Honda MP4/4 is one of the most successful F1 cars ever built; winning 15 of the 16 Grand Prix in 1988.

Away from the track, the Civic Type R and NSX Concept models will make their UK debut as they take centre stage on the Honda stand, ahead of the launch of the production models in 2015.

Renault will parade an array of competition cars of extraordinary pedigree, together with a series of concept cars that shine a glamorous light on the brand’s future.

Landmark vehicles from its sporting 115-year history, include the 1978 Le Mans-winning Alpine A442B, the 1977 Groupe 5 Alpine A310 rally car, the enormous and extraordinary-looking 1926 Renault 40CV ‘des records’, a 1902 Renault Type K that was one of the world’s earliest racing cars, four Formula 1 show cars and the Formula E Spark-Renault SRT_01E. The F1 cars include Alain Prost’s carbonfibre RE40, which won four times during the 1983 season, almost netting him the championship.

The concept vehicles include the Twin’Run concept and the all-new rear-engined Twingo that it inspired, will be making its first UK appearance at the Festival. Also displayed are the DeZir and the Clio that grew from it and the Captur crossover in both its concept and production forms.

While lacking the pedigree of most, what it lacks in heritage Infiniti makes up for in excitement – mainly through its connection with Formula 1 world champions Red Bull.

The Japanese manufacturer will give a UK debut to its Q50 Eau Rouge prototype, while the new Q50, Q70, QX70 and Q60 convertible will all be on display. There will also be Q&A sessions with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and F1 reserve driver Sébastien Buemi.

F1 rival McLaren will give the world debut to its track-focused McLaren GT, while the McLaren P1and 650S will feature in the Supercar Paddock. McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button will be taking the wheel of the latest model as he heads up the famous Goodwood Hill.

Festival goers will also be treated to the first UK appearance of the Lexus RC F high-performance coupe. The coupe, which does not go on sale until next year, boasts the most powerful V8 engine Lexus has yet produced for a road car. The 5.0-litre, 32-valve unit produces more than 450bhp and 520Nm of torque, matched to a specially calibrated, eight-speed Sports Direct Shift transmission.

Petrolhead favourite Alfa Romeo will be giving debuts to its MiTo and Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde, while the £45,000 Alfa Romeo 4C will be featured in the Supercar paddock.

Five historic Alfa Romeo cars will also be taking to the track, including the Tipo 159 Alfetta of grand prix legend Juan Manuel Fangio, considered by many to be the greatest racing driver who ever lived.

Mini owners have Maxi wallets when it comes to servicing

OWNERS of the new Mini, often complimented for their taste, could turn out to have the largest wallets as well – at least according to new research.

The BMW-owned brand said that despite the new Mini Hatch starting at £13,750, many drivers seemed hell-bent on wasting their cash by not using the full value of the TLC servicing packs attached to their cars.

Mini TLC, which the manufacturer says costs from £275 and covers all servicing costs for five years or 50,000 miles, is designed to offer buyers complete peace of mind. BMW say it’s a hugely popular proposition, with more than 97% of buyers selecting the pack when purchasing their new car.

However, Mini has discovered that one in four owners who have value left on their packs are choosing to service their vehicles outside of the Mini dealer network, effectively paying twice to keep their cars in tip-top shape.

In order to address the situation, Mini has launched a new servicing site that enables customers to check if they have any servicing value left on their TLC pack and, if not, to get a fixed-price quote on their next service at a Mini dealer.