Incredible Edwardian machines go head to head in the S.F. Edge Trophy

The Edwardian machines of the S.F. Edge Trophy are the earliest that compete at the Goodwood Motor Circuit and they bring with them variety that was prevalent in the pioneering days of motorsport. Conventions and consensus were a long way off, so there are many different ways of attempting the same thing: going as quickly as possible. Many cars here were built specifically for straight-line speed, so corners were never within their purview.

One such machine is Duncan Pittaway’s Fiat S76, a regular Goodwood crowd-pleaser. Ahead of the race, Duncan described the Beast of Turin as “too fast for its brakes and too fast for its cornering” which gives you some idea of the challenge it poses its driver. Other storied cars on the grid include the Oakland Romano which won the first Pikes Peak hillclimb in 1913. Its driver Rea Lentz collected his prize money and was never heard from again.

If you enjoy watching cars that have very little grip and absolutely no downforce, these early 20^th century machines will be right up your street, and our photographers were trackside to capture the action.

The 80^th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport is live now! You can watch every second of the action right here on GRR.

Photography by Joe Harding.