Speed Showcase
The Blue Oval put its hardware on display at the UK’s Festival of Speed
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Right now in the United Kingdom a bucket list event for automotive enthusiasts is taking place—the Goodwood Festival of Speed. This event, which kicked off yesterday and runs through the weekend, is definitely a destination for Ford enthusiasts and this year’s event will feature a number of Blue Oval highlights, including an appearance by a Ford GT fresh from this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Last weekend the Ford GT made history again and won at the Le Mans 24 Hours race. It was an amazing statement about our passion for performance and innovation,” said Jim Farley, chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. “This weekend, Goodwood will be the perfect venue for us to share our full Ford Performance line-up—from the new Fiesta ST200 all the way up to the Ford GT race car fresh from Le Mans—with so many people who share our passion.”
Here’s a peek inside the Ford display at Goodwood…
[video=youtube;bpEUwwsZ6-k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpEUwwsZ6-k[/video]
[video=youtube;nJ8zFaIZb-c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ8zFaIZb-c[/video]
In addition to display vehicles ranging from Ford’s production vehicles, like the ST-Line, and Ken Block’s Focus RS RX rally racer, there will be a number of celebrity drivers navigating the event’s famed hill climb.
Besides he Hoonigan himself, Ken Block, piloting his 650-horsepower Ford Fiesta ST RX43 on the hill, Vaughn Gittin Jr. made the trip across the pond to drift his supercharged 2016 Mustang RTR demo car. Meanwhile, local sensation Ben Collins, the former Top Gear Stig will muscle a 2017 F-150 Raptor up the hill.
The real headliner on the climb, however, will be the 66 Ford GT, which finished fourth at Le Mans, driven by Marino Franchitti and Dirk Müller.
Here are some highlight videos from the event...
[video=youtube;AOG6trSCCu4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOG6trSCCu4[/video]
[video=youtube;7Hv2RAHjUEo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hv2RAHjUEo[/video]
[video=youtube;Q8q43YFK-ic]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8q43YFK-ic[/video]
[video=youtube;yv37Wkgtru0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv37Wkgtru0[/video]
If you want to see it as it happens, catch the livestream right here…
[video=youtube;CUqUh2YLYoE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUqUh2YLYoE[/video]
If you are fortunate enough to make it out to the event this weekend, there are number activities to hold you interest, from driving experiences to the 10-meter-high Ford Performance stand. You can watch the event action with binoculars from two spots in this three-story facility.
Our pal Vaughn Gittin Jr. flew to the UK to drift his supercharged, 2016 Mustang demo car on the famed Goodwood Hillclimb.
Ken Block will drive the Fiesta ST RX43 that starred in his Gymkhana viral video series.
It should be quite a sight to see former Stig Ben Collins climb the hill in a 2017 F-150 Raptor.
Ford is obviously proud about its successful campaign at Le Mans, so look for several Ford vehicles decked out in the same livery as the Ford GT race cars.
