

FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


Our replica of the famous motor show showcases the "cars of the future" in true Revival style




The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection








...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?




Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).












Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!


"En la rose je fleurie" or "Like the rose, I flourish" is part of the Richmond coat of Arms and motto






The stunning fish which adorn the walls of the main corridor are hand crafted and represent the fishing documents from Gordon Castle of 1864-1898.


Easy boy! The charismatic Farnham Flyer loved to celebrate every win with a pint of beer. His Boxer dog, Grogger, did too and had a tendancy to steal sips straight from the glass.


FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


Legend of Goodwood's golden racing era and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori once famously said "give me Goodwood on a summer's day and you can forget the rest".


Legend of Goodwood's golden racing era and Le Mans winner Roy Salvadori once famously said "give me Goodwood on a summer's day and you can forget the rest".


Sir Stirling Moss was one of the founding patrons of the Festival of Speed, and a regular competitor at the Revival.


From 2005 to present there has been a demonstration area for the rally cars at the top of the hill


Nick Heidfelds 1999 (41.6s) hillclimb record was beaten after Max Chilton in his McMurtry Spéirling fan car tore it to shreds at 39.08s in 2022!


FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill










The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection




Whoa Simon! A horse so determined and headstrong, he not only won the 1883 Goodwood Cup by 20 lengths, but couldn't be stopped and carried on running over the top of Trundle hill


The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season


One Summer, King Edward VII turned his back on the traditional morning suit, and donned a linen suit and Panama hat. Thus the Glorious Goodwood trend was born.


The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection


For the last two years, 5,800 bales have been recylced into the biomass energy centre to be used for energy generation


Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998




The iconic spitfire covered almost 43,000 kilometres and visited over 20 countries on its epic journey and currently resides at our Aerodrome.


Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.




Goodwood Motor Circuit was officially opened in September 1948 when Freddie March, the 9th Duke and renowned amateur racer, tore around the track in a Bristol 400


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?


The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.


The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.


The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.


One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.



Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?



...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?



We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.


The Gordon Tartan has been worn by the Dukes and Duchesses over the last 300 years.




...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?




The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection


The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.


Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.




Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!


Just beyond Goodwood House along the Hillclimb, the 2nd Dukes banqueting house was also known as "one of the finest rooms in England" (George Vertue 1747).



Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


Testament to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. The room is richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes, birds and crocodiles.




We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.


Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


Goodwood’s pigs are a mix of two rare breeds (Gloucester Old Spots and Saddlebacks) plus the Large White Boar.


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.


Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.

Our brief enquiries suggest prices for the legendary Spitfire – in flying order, and surely the dream of every overgrown schoolboy of a certain age – appear relatively modest by comparison.
Turns out there’s a reason, of course. Actually quite a few…
Still, fueled by our big idea and in the spirit of naive unbridled optimism, we popped down to Goodwood Aerodrome to find out what it takes to acquire and run a legendary World War 2 fighter.

Yes, compared to the current cost of a number of classic sports and racing cars, acquiring a Spit can be done on a relatively modest budget. Around £1.2 million gets you a ‘bitsa’ (for want of a more elegant description) and you can pay more than double that for an original aircraft with battle history and which may have been flown by a celebrated war-time pilot.
Looking after the undercarriage, propeller, wiring, hinges, key stress points and so on is of course hugely expensive, certainly compared to a road car. Remember that a Mk IX Spitfire was designed for a total flying life of just 200 hours. So far this year, one of ours has racked up 125 hours…

Naturally you wouldn't be looking to thrash your 75 year old fighter across the sky (come on, yes you would… Ed), but nevertheless our experts say it's best not to stray beyond around one-third throttle on the mighty 27 litre Rolls Royce Merlin. Nor is it advisable to pull more than 4.5g whilst manoeuvring; pull 5G and the aircraft has to undergo an expensive inspection.
The Time Before Overhaul (TBO) on the Merlin used to be 250 hours when the engines were in combat mode. Nowadays with more gentle use that figure is closer to 500 hours. However the cost of said overhaul is £120,000, which is a lot when you consider that a complete, ready-to-fly Merlin should cost in the region of £170,000.

We don't want to contemplate the kind of work involved in repairing a damaged Spitfire. Judging by the premium, neither does the insurance company.
Even with your Spitfire successfully acquired you won't be able to fly it safely without the 50 hours required to gain your Private Pilots Licence, plus another 50 hours in a Chipmunk for basic ‘tail-dragger’ experience, and then another 50 hours flying something like a North American Harvard in which you’ll learn about flaps, variable pitch propellers, retracting the undercarriage and flying from the rear of the aircraft. The latter is very important because from the hot seat in a Spitfire you can't actually see where you're going, which makes landings a trifle challenging. 150 hours by the way is an incredibly short amount of time to learn and you would have to have completed all your training with the academy from day one. If you’ve not trained at the Aerodrome, they’ll want to see something more like 1000 hours on your flying log before they'll even consider handing the controls over.

Back in the day when these aircraft were running at full boost and burning 150 octane fuel at up to full throttle they would get through around 90 gallons (409 litres!) per hour. At ‘cruising’ speed and greatly reduced boost a Spitfire nowadays will make-do with 40 gallons (181 litres) per hour of 100 octane fuel.
(Even at the Goodwood Aerodrome price of £1.89 per litre, that’s still quite a lot more than a decent Goodwood Road & Racing lunch.)