If you think nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, you’re wrong.
About twenty years ago, I stood on the grass at Goodwood Estate and breathed in the scent of burnt 1950s rubber mixed with freshly pressed tweed. More than 100,000 people had gathered for a weekend devoted to a past most of us had never actually lived through. And yet, for those few days, it felt entirely real.
Back then, the scale of it seemed almost surreal: an entire world meticulously rebuilt somewhere between 1948 and 1966. Not just the cars, but the commitment. Men in Brylcreem and sixpence caps. Women in cinched waists, pearls and gravity-defying hats. Even the press had to dress the part. No modern intrusions allowed.
The sound was disconcertingly cacophonous. When twenty 1960s Formula One cars lined up on the grid, the ground seemed to tense before the flag dropped. Then came the detonation — not the polished, engineered scream of modern racing, but something raw, mechanical, almost animal. The noise didn’t simply fill the air; it seized it. It rattled ribcages and rearranged your heartbeat.
And the cars — despite being worth millions — were driven without mercy.
Rowan Atkinson on the starting grid
Around the circuit, numbers were whispered. A 1929 Mercedes-Benz SSK valued in the millions. A Ferrari sold at auction for more than half a million pounds. Vintage leather trunks fetching sums that could fund a small house deposit. Goodwood was — and remains — a place where romance and serious money coexist without apology.
A circuit reawakened
In the post-war years, Goodwood was one of the world’s most important racing circuits. Then it fell silent. Decades later, it was revived as a historic motorsport celebration. When I attended, it had already become Britain’s most popular motoring event, yet it still felt a tad intimate and eccentric.
I spoke to a couple from the Isle of Wight who had spent months sourcing their outfits. “It’s the atmosphere,” the woman told me, peering out from behind white sunglasses that Marilyn herself might have admired.
They met friends there. They watched people. They evolved their chosen decade — starting in the 1940s, now moving into the 1960s. The races, she implied, were almost incidental.
Nostalgia here wasn’t about longing for the past. It was about playing a role where a romantic version of the past was a backdrop.
Twenty years on, I still remember the seconds before the start. The smell of fuel. The hats. The theatrical devotion to detail.
Not all roads lead to Goodwood.
But that weekend, it felt as if they did.
Facts: Goodwood Revival
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Location: Goodwood Estate near Chichester, West Sussex, England
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First held: 1998, reviving the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit (active 1948–1966)
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When: Annually, typically the first weekend of September
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Attendance: More than 100,000 visitors across the weekend
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Dress code: Period clothing from roughly 1940–1966 strongly encouraged — many guests fully participate
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What happens: Historic motor races, vintage aircraft displays, classic car auctions, fashion, retail and large-scale period installations
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Cars: Original competition cars from motorsport’s golden era, often worth millions — raced competitively, not displayed
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Tickets: Day tickets traditionally priced mid-range for major UK events; weekend passes sell out early
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Part of: A wider Goodwood calendar that also includes the Festival of Speed and major horse-racing events on the estate
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Website: goodwood.com (official information and ticket sales)
