Porsche has been chosen as the honoured marque at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place from 13-16 July. It is a year for birthdays, with Goodwood’s 30th anniversary coinciding with the Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s 75th anniversary of the creation of its very first sports car – the 356.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the world’s largest events, with over 210,000 people making their way to West Sussex to celebrate everything automotive against the picturesque backdrop of Goodwood House.

The Duke of Richmond, who created the event after nearly 30 years of no racing at the circuit, praised Porsche saying, “Porsche has been one of our most loyal and enthusiastic partners, supporting the Festival of Speed since 1995, and the Revival since 2010.” He continued, “This year Porsche will become the first manufacturer to create the Centre Feature at the Festival of Speed for the fourth time, underlining the huge success of this iconic manufacturer as we both celebrate a milestone of 75 years.”

Created by Ferry Porsche, son of founder Ferdinand, the 356 was road certified in Austria on June 8 1948 and was entered in a race at Innsbruck, where it won its class. It was certainly influenced in style by its cousin, the Volkswagen Beetle, although the body and chassis were completely new designs. The subsequent success of the 356 in racing competitions led to its increased popularity. Overall, 76,000 of them were made and around half are said to have survived. Production of the 356 continued until 1965, when the 911 eventually took its place, having been in production since September 1964. The legendary 911, in all its various incarnations, is one of the cars most desired by petrolheads and the influence of the 356 in its creation cannot be ignored.

Porsche’s stamp over the event will be obvious to all attending, with a parade of cars that helped define the company’s vision in action on the famous Goodwood Hill. As well as this, there will be static exhibits and immersive displays at the dedicated Porsche stand.

Of course, 1.16-mile hillclimb course running through the middle of the venue is where the most excitement is to be had at the Festival of Speed.  The rarest and most exciting road, race cars and motorbikes, alongside legendary drivers and riders, will be present at the event. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Goodwood 75’, with a dedicated hillclimb showcasing cars and bikes that have appeared at Goodwood since 1948.

To get a flavour of previous Festival of Speed events, you can listen to past Driven Chat podcasts from Goodwood here.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Porsche & Goodwood Motorsport PR