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 NAFTA 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.
