Revival Revealed – Royal Automobile Club TT Celebration

The cars represent the crème de la crème of the final few years before the Goodwood Motor Circuit was closed for play after 1966, the racing versions of the most desirable GTs of the day. The Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy is an annual event that has moved around through its history, being held first on the Isle of Man in 1905 before moving to the Ards Course, a circuit using public roads in Northern Ireland from 1928 to 1936. Purpose-built Donington Park was its last home before World War Two.

From 1950 to 1955, though, it went back to Northern Ireland, this time using the Dundrod road circuit, where dry-stone walls and earth banks proved unyielding for any errant car. Then, from 1958 to 1964, it was Goodwood’s turn to host the Tourist Trophy, drawing the top names from F1 to pitch for honours, as they did back then, taking in as many races as they could across single-seaters, sportscars, GTs and even touring cars to earn their corn.

Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks won for Aston Martin in 1958. Moss would win again in 1959 then again for Ferrari in 1961 and 1962. With three wins at Dundrod, it almost seemed like his own trophy. Innes Ireland then made it three in a row for Ferrari in 1962 before Graham Hill also gave Ferrari reason to smile with victory in 1963 and 1964 before the race moved on to Oulton Park.

The TT Celebration is currently a two-driver race for closed-cockpit GTs from 1960 to 1964, with a pitstop for a driver change during the one-hour duration.

Photography by Drew Gibson