2023 Festival of Speed Central Feature to celebrate Porsche

This year’s Festival coincides with not just the 75^th anniversary of the creation of Porsche’s very first sportscar – the 356 – but also the 60^th birthday of perhaps the most celebrated performance car in history: the Porsche 911.

Porsche’s year of anniversaries is also perfectly aligned with the Festival of Speed’s theme this year: Goodwood 75, in which we celebrate 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood – since the circuit opened in 1948. As part of our showcase of all things Porsche, daily displays will take place in front of the house, as well as a dedicated parade of cars from the Stuttgart company, that showcase its 75-year history.

In addition to this, and the central display in front of the house, there will be more static exhibits and new immersive displays across the site that will both delight and amaze all fans of Porsche and motoring in general. While Gerry Judah’s latest incredible sculpture, sat in front of the iconic Goodwood House, will no doubt draw the eye, it will be the cars on the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill that really grab the soul. 

Porsche’s history with motoring stretches far beyond its iconic road cars. The marque has won the famous Le Mans 24 Hours more times than any other brand (19), as well as winning the gruelling Dakar rally, the World Sportscar Championship, and F1 races. Expect to see some of the cars that secured these legendary titles, as well as Porsche’s most amazing road machines, strutting their stuff on every day of the event.

The 911 itself, which was showcased at the 80^th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport, has competed in almost every discipline of motorsport outside of single-seater racing. 911s have won Le Mans, the Targa Florio, Daytona 24, and the Dakar Rally.

Speaking about the announcement Festival of Speed founder The Duke of Richmond said: “Porsche has been one of our most loyal and enthusiastic partners, supporting the Festival of Speed since 1995, and the Revival since 2010.

“This year Porsche will become the first manufacturer to create the Central Feature at the Festival of Speed for the fourth time, underlining the huge success of this iconic manufacturer as we both celebrate a milestone of 75 years."

Krishan Bodhani, CEO, Porsche Cars Great Britain, added: “We’re delighted that Goodwood is giving us this brilliant opportunity to share our passion with enthusiasts, Porsche fans and owners here in the UK.

“Some 75 years ago, Ferry Porsche dreamed of a sports car, a dream realised in the 356. In the same way, 30 years ago The Duke first realised his dream of a unique motoring event. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is therefore the perfect setting for us to celebrate our anniversary.”

This will be the fourth time that Porsche has been the celebrated marque at the Festival. The first was as one of the very first Central Features in 1998 – this featured racing sportscar on poles in front of the house. The second was a famous 911 display in 2013, which has since been replicated at the Porsche museum, and the latest was in 2018 with an extraordinary sculpture feature featuring  no fewer than six cars.