Five single‑seaters you need to see at #76MM

Lotus 41X

We start on a diminutive but no less cool note. The Gold Leaf Lotus 41X that will be racing in the Derek Bell Cup is a one-off works F3 car and the beginning of the wedge-shaped Lotuses. Fifty years on from the first appearance of the Gold Leaf livery – indeed, any sponsorship livery, as that was the first – this little blighter’s first appearance since an extensive restoration will be at 76MM. How will it fair? In ’68 it won four races with John Miles at the wheel – likely contributing to his selection for the top squad at the wheel of the Gold Leaf Lotus 63 Cosworth the following year. Whether the little 41X will be as effective at 76MM remains to be seen – we’re certainly looking forward to seeing the resplendent red and gold machine in action.

Hornet Racing Special

And the madness begins. We actually hold the Hornet Racing Special in rather high esteem due to its parentage. It was the first project of Goodwood regular, friend and custodian of the Beast of Turin, Duncan Pittaway. It’s rather less exotic than the rest of the machinery on this list, with its underpinnings owing much to a 1924 Citroen chassis that was found in a hedge. It’s widely considered to be the spiritual successor to Bloody Mary – as created by the man after whom the Bolster Cup was named – so we rate it. It utilizes two Harley-Davidson V-twin engines, 11 chains and various spare parts from the Beaulieu autojumble. To be honest it’s slightly redundant to say don’t miss this car. Just don’t miss the Bolster Cup. It’ll be an absolute balmy hoot. We don't have a picture but if you see what is effectively a man hanging off a chassis with something resembling the sting of a hornet up front... Yeah, that's it...

Cooper-Bristol Mk1 T20

These little Cooper-Bristols ought to be the stars of the Hawthorn Trophy at 76MM. Why? They're examples of the car that perhaps made the career of the man after whom the race is named. During the 1952 Formula 1 season Mike Hawthorn piloted one of these to a standard – that includes three race wins at Goodwood – that catapulted him to F1 stardom. His performance was such that Ferrari promptly snapped him up ready for the 1953 season. These cars race at Goodwood this weekend on behalf of the machine that made the career of one of the greats.

McLaren M10B

Now, the rowdy part of the list and it doesn’t get much rowdier than Formula 5000. The McLaren M10B earns its place on this list with sheer brilliance. It’s regarded as one of the best F5000 chassis of all time, winning 1970 US and UK titles and 1971 US & Tasman titles. The M10B that will be running on track as part of our F5000 high-speed demo is the Peter Gethin 1970 British title-winning machine, so a strong sample of the breed indeed. It, along with the other cars in the demo will also be letting rip as part of the moment of fever – the small celebration of our recently departed friend, colleague and all-around motorsport legend, Henry Hope-Frost. It’ll be a poignant and emotional moment to catch this and all the other big-banger V8 beasts opening their lungs.

Lola T400

The Lola T400 is another F5000 front-runner, being widely regarded as the most advanced F5000 chassis ever produced. Chassis HU7, as will be appearing at 76MM for the F5000 demo and the aforementioned moment of fever, was sold to Parnelli Jones’ race team and used as a spare in 1975. It’ll be resplendent in its awesome Viceroy livery and is sure to be a head-turner in a grid of head-turners. As with the Bolster, as much as the individual cars are awesome, just make sure you catch the spectacle of all these things and the thunderous concerto they’ll be filling the circuit with over the course of the weekend.

Photography courtesy of LAT Images