Munich. For the past twenty years, fans of historic
motorsports have anticipated and even longed for an event held in the
south of England in late summer. Memories of the spectacular car and
motorcycle races that were regularly held on the local circuit between
1948 and 1966 will be revived in the grounds of Goodwood House, the
estate of the Duke of Richmond. The Goodwood Revival is regarded as a
particularly stylish classic event at which historic racing cars,
often piloted by well-known drivers, are put to the test once again.
Historic backdrops and an authentic ambience − from the starting grid
to the outfits of the drivers and teams − await visitors at the
Goodwood Revival 2018. BMW Group Classic’s appearance is wholly in
keeping with the 1950s and 1960s. Outstanding classics from the BMW,
MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad brands will be presented in
exhibition halls designed in the style of the time on the weekend of 7
to 9 September 2018. In addition, BMW Group Classic will roll out a
flotilla of racing cars to the starting grid, including two
supercharged motorcycles based on the BMW R 57.
Goodwood House is also a great venue and always worth a visit for
Maria Costello. Just a couple of months ago in July, the successful
British motorcycle racer appeared at the Festival of Speed, which was
also organised by the Duke of Richmond. Together with her compatriot
Mark Wilkes, who is currently leading the Sidecar World Championship
ranking as a passenger, she piloted a BMW racing combo at the
legendary Goodwood Hill Climb. However, Maria Costello will be racing
alone at the Goodwood Revival 2018, as she has been doing on
racetracks around the world since the 1990s.
From the Isle of Man to Goodwood: Maria Costello and the
supercharged BMW.
Maria Costello rose to prominence in 1998 as the fastest rider in the
Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man. This competition for newcomers is
run on the same circuit as the legendary Tourist Trophy, at which the
Brit already appeared for the first time the following year. In 2004
Maria Costello entered the Guinness Book of Records with a new track
record for women on the Isle of Man. And at the Manx Grand Prix the
following year she was the first woman to secure a place on the
winner’s podium.
Maria Costello has regularly ridden a BMW S 1000 RR in endurance
races since 2015. At the Goodwood Revival, she will switch to a
legendary superbike of yore. The supercharged motorcycle based on the
BMW R 57 marked a milestone in the racing history of BMW Motorrad. Its
history is as firmly linked to the long-distance races on the Isle of
Man as is the career of Maria Costello. In 1939, Georg “Schorsch”
Meier won the Senior TT at the Tourist Trophy on a supercharged BMW.
The winning streak of the charged Boxer engine continued into the
post-war period and only ended with a change in regulations that
banned the use of the supercharger in racing. At the Goodwood Revival,
Maria Costello will be accompanied on her journey through time on the
racetrack by top Australian racer Troy Corser. The two-time Superbike
World Champion will be riding the second supercharged BMW on the
Goodwood House circuit.
Success on the racetrack: the classic Mini and the “New Class”.
Among the four-wheeled classics starring at the Goodwood Revival are
two successful machines from the 1960s. Dating back to 1964, the
Austin Mini Cooper S Competition reminds us that the stellar racing
career of the classic Mini is not limited to its three overall
victories in the Monte Carlo Rally. Later Formula 1 champions such
Niki Lauda, James Hunt and Jackie Stewart garnered their first
competition experience at road races in the classic Mini.
The classic Mini is joined by a particularly sporty representative of
BMW’s “New Class”. With the BMW 1800 TI / SA, the series presented in
1961 also caused a sensation in touring car racing. The special
version (SA) of the four-door model is powered by a four-cylinder
engine that generates a maximum output of 130 HP thanks to twin
carburettors and increased compression. Only 200 units of the
exclusive racing variant of this successful model were ever built.
Rarities from the 1950s: Elvis Presley’s BMW 507 and a
Hollywood-style Rolls-Royce.
BMW Group Classic is presenting fascinating rarities not only on the
racetrack. The exhibition halls in the style of the traditional London
car dealership Kevill-Davies March, visitors will experience the
glamorous atmosphere that characterised the show and film business of
the 1950s. The main protagonist of the scene is the BMW 507 that Elvis
Presley drove during his military service in Germany. The roadster of
the “King of Rock’n’Roll” was believed lost for decades. After its
rediscovery it was painstakingly restored and presented to the public
for the first time in 2016 at the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach.
Another emblem representing the new enthusiasm for luxurious
locomotion that was ignited in the 1950s is the BMW 503 Convertible
that will be shown at Goodwood. The four-seater appeared just a few
months after the two-seater BMW 507 and, like its stablemate, was
powered by an eight-cylinder engine. The exhibited motorcycles were
developed by BMW Motorrad for much larger target groups and helped the
brand to build quickly on old successes in the young Federal Republic
of Germany as well as in many other countries.
The classic Rolls-Royce and Mini brands also recall the importance of
British cars for the film industry. For example, visitors will be able
to see an open Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. The fashionable four-seater
played a central role in numerous convertible rides through the
streets of London in the 1966 British film classic Blow-Up.
And the classic Mini, which will be shown at the Goodwood Revival
2008, also has close ties to British film history. The special-edition
Mini that was custom-made to the highest standards both inside and out
by London coachbuilder Harold Radford Co. testifies to the high
esteem the revolutionary compact car enjoyed among film stars and many
others. Actor Peter Sellers, for example, once gave his fellow actor
and partner Britt Ekland a Radford-modified classic Mini.