Montblanc becomes official Festival of Speed Timing Partner

As the Official Timing Partner of the Festival of Speed for the next five years, Montblanc will draw on its Minerva legacy and the presence of its chronographs at some of the most defining moments in 20^th-century automotive history.

The Festival of Speed coincides with the much-anticipated market launch the new TimeWalker collection that captures the spirit and adventure of the early racing drivers seeking victory, their magnificent racing machines, and the passionate officials who meticulously timed them using Minerva’s precision instruments. These timepieces encapsulate the Minerva heritage through superb technology, masculine energy, highest performance and the design cues that evokes the glory of winning.

“Goodwood is the ultimate celebration of the traditions and achievements of automotive racing over the past century, while Montblanc’s heritage is closely tied to the chronographs used during the glory days of motor racing”, says Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc CEO. “This partnership brings together two great traditions – one focused on pushing boundaries in the field of automotive innovation and racing, the other on innovating in the field of timekeeping performance.”

The theme of the Festival of Speed in 2017 is “Peaks of Performance – Motorsport’s Game-Changers”, celebrating racing machines that were so fast, powerful and complicated that the rules had to be changed to rein them in. As a Maison driven by the pioneering spirit with many innovations of its own disrupting the status quo, Montblanc will present the ‘Game Changers’ collection of 10 cars that best epitomise disruption in motor racing from the 1920s to the present day. Each car will carry a ‘Game Changers Presented by Montblanc’ plaque detailing the magnificent history of each one of these iconic automobiles. These spectacular cars will tackle the fabled Goodwood hill climb throughout the weekend.  

In addition to its presence as the timing partner at the races providing the live results across the event through a specific timekeeper on the starting and finishing line, Goodwood and Montblanc will launch ‘Speed and Style’, a new digital channel that will tell the Montblanc story at the Festival of Speed and feature an exclusive collection of the most exceptional cars, objects of desire that are admired and revered around the world because of their unique combination of style, speed and performance.

Photography by Pete Summers and Nigel Harniman.