Ten stunning sportscars to see at FOS | GRR
The Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard is a hub for cars, from both the road and racetrack, of all eras past, present and future. The great, the good, the bad and the ugly all meet to strut their stuff on the Hill. In few other classes of car is there as much variety of shapes, sizes, powerplants and performance, as in sportscars. From ground-sucking Group C monsters to road cars with stripped cabins and a dusting of aero, these are the sportscars you need to see at the 2021 Festival.
Ferrari 512S
Coming to the Festival with the sound of a howling flat-twelve is the Ferrari 512S, owned by a Mr Nick Mason of Pink Floyd fame. This legendary sportscar was the Scuderia’s answer to the Porsche 917, it’s one side of one of the all-time epic sportscar rivalries. Get ready to shield your ears when this thing takes to the Hill...
Hepworth-Chevrolet GB1
We did say all shapes and sizes, didn’t we? Well, that includes a Can-Am car that appears to have mated with an F1 car. The Hepworth GB1 won’t win any beauty contests but it’s certainly distinctive. Plus, once it fires up that massive Chevrolet V8, you won’t be able to see it properly because your eyeballs will be vibrating. Just Can-Am things.
Porsche 917/30
You can’t talk about Can-Am without giving the Porsche 917 a mention, specifically the open-cabbed, twin-turbocharged 917/30 model. Given that we will be celebrating the life and achievements of Roger Penske at the Festival of Speed this year, the 917/30 was an essential inclusion. Run by Penske Racing in period, the 1,100PS (809kW) 917/30 could honestly be described as the car that kicked McLaren out of Can-Am, such was its domination.
BMW M1 Procar
If there’s a competition for best-sounding car on this list, the BMW M1 Procar might just have it. It’s the 40th anniversary of the famous one-make series of M1s so it’s worth catching this one on its runs up the Hill. It’ll also be taking on the Timed Shootout, which will be a lot of fun to see.
Rondeau-Cosworth M379B
Some cars are beautiful, some are weird, some have a face only a mother could love. The Rondeau-Cosworth M379B is one such unfortunate machine. You know what, though? You don’t need good looks to win. Ask a rugby player after 15 years on the pitch. So yes, challenging to behold as it is, the Rondeau also happens to be a Le Mans winner, in the curious interim years between Group 5 special production and Group C.
Jaguar XJR-12D
Some cars you see quite often, some you could consider their appearance at the Festival a rare occasion. In the case of the Law’s Jaguar XJR-12D, we’re old friends. So why is a car we see so often one not to miss? Well, it’s a multiple Shootout winner. So that means it gets driven extremely hard. Do you want to see an iconic IMSA V12 racer pushed to the absolute limit? Look no further than the Bud Light Jag.
Sauber-Mercedes C9
Like we said, there are Festival regulars like the Jag. Then there’s this, the Sauber-Mercedes C9. We’ve seen a few appearances from the latter-day Silver Arrows over the years. Never, that we can remember at least, has one taken to the Hill flat-out. Yes, that’s right, a Sauber Mercedes C9 will be taking part in the Shootout. Brace for noise and speed – a potential winner this year?
McLaren F1 GTR
As if you thought we might do a list of sportscars not to miss and not include a McLaren F1 GTR. It’s the racing supercar icon, isn’t it? A Le Mans winner first time out, the last road-based racer to win Le Mans outright. It’s also one of the most valuable cars in the world, one of the best-sounding with one of the most incredible engines.
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R
Of course, the racing goes on. The class ‘Sports Racers: Past, Present and Future’ will obviously in addition to the legends of old, contain some of what you’ll find competing today and even a few cars that are due to race in years to come. A very of-the-moment sportscar you’re really going to want to see is the incredible Corvette C8.R. A revolution compared to the C7, it moves its V8 to the middle and switches to a flat-plane crank.
SCG 007 LMH
Then there’s the future. The Le Mans Hypercar class will be taking to the world’s greatest motor race later this summer. Before that, one of the first in the class, the SCG 007, will be coming to Goodwood to strut its stuff on the Hill. Not only that, it’ll be attacking the Hill flat-out in the Shootout. This is our first chance to see an LMH car run in anger and we simply cannot wait.