

FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


Spectate from the chicane at the Revival to see plenty of classic cars going sideways as they exit this infamous point of our Motor Circuit.




King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.








...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?


Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


Testament to the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and decorative opulence. The room is richly detailed with gilded cartouches, sphinxes, birds and crocodiles.


The exquisite mirror in the Ballroom of Goodwood House it so big they had to raise the ceiling to get it inside!









As the private clubhouse for all of the Estate’s sporting and social members, it offers personal service and a relaxed atmosphere


Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!






Dido is traditionally for the host, but every single room is designed with personal touches from Cindy Leveson and the Duke & Duchess of Richmond.


Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


The Fiat S76 or "Beast of Turin" is a Goodwood favourite and can usually be heard before it is seen at #FOS


Spectate from the chicane at the Revival to see plenty of classic cars going sideways as they exit this infamous point of our Motor Circuit.


FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!


"En la rose je fleurie" or "Like the rose, I flourish" is part of the Richmond coat of Arms and motto


FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


For safety reasons F1 cars can no longer do official timed runs so instead perform stunning demonstrations!












The first ever horsebox was used from Goodwood to Doncaster for the 1836 St. Leger. Elis arrived fresh and easily won his owner a £12k bet.


The first public race meeting took place in 1802 and, through the nineteenth century, ‘Glorious Goodwood,’ as the press named it, became a highlight of the summer season


The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection


The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection


The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection


King Edward VII (who came almost every year) famously dubbed Glorious Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.


FOS Favourite Mad Mike Whiddett can be caught melting tyres in his incredible collection of cars (and trucks) up the hillclimb


Flying training began at Goodwood in 1940 when pilots were taught operational flying techniques in Hurricanes and Spitfires.


The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.


Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!


The Gordon Tartan has been worn by the Dukes and Duchesses over the last 300 years.




Ray Hanna famously flew straight down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands at the first Revival in 1998


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?




The first ever round of golf played at Goodwood was in 1914 when the 6th Duke of Richmond opened the course on the Downs above Goodwood House.




One of the greatest golfers of all time, James Braid designed Goodwood’s iconic Downland course, opened in 1914.


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.


The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.





...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?



...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?



We have been host to many incredible film crews using Goodwood as a backdrop for shows like Downton Abbey, Hollywood Blockbusters like Venom: let there be Carnage and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.


The replica of the original Axminster carpet is so lavish that the President of Bulgaria came to visit it before its departure!


Ensure you take a little time out together to pause and take in the celebration of all the hard work you put in will be a treasured memory.


...plan strategy in an ancient woodland, enjoy award-winning dining then drive around a racetrack?




The red & yellow of the Racecourse can be traced back hundreds of years, even captured in our stunning Stubbs paintings in the Goodwood Collection




The first thing ever dropped at Goodwood was a cuddly elephant which landed in 1932 just as the 9th Duke of Richmonds passion for flying was taking off.




Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!


The oldest existing rules for the game were drawn up for a match between the 2nd Duke and a neighbour



The Motor Circuit was known as RAF Westhampnett, active from 1940 to 1946 as a Battle of Britain station.


Built in 1787 by celebrated architect James Wyatt to house the third Duke of Richmond’s prized fox hounds, The Kennels was known as one of the most luxurious dog houses in the world!


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.


The famous fighter ace, who flew his last sortie from Goodwood Aerodrome, formerly RAF Westhampnett has a statue in his honor within the airfield.


Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.


Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


Inspired by the legendary racer, Masten Gregory, who famously leapt from the cockpit of his car before impact when approaching Woodcote Corner in 1959.


Our gin uses wild-grown botanicals sourced from the estate, and is distilled with mineral water naturally chalk-filtered through the South Downs.

Our brief enquiries suggest prices for the legendary Spitfire – in flying order, and surely the dream of every overgrown schoolboy of a certain age – appear relatively modest by comparison.
Turns out there’s a reason, of course. Actually quite a few…
Still, fueled by our big idea and in the spirit of naive unbridled optimism, we popped down to Goodwood Aerodrome to find out what it takes to acquire and run a legendary World War 2 fighter.

Yes, compared to the current cost of a number of classic sports and racing cars, acquiring a Spit can be done on a relatively modest budget. Around £1.2 million gets you a ‘bitsa’ (for want of a more elegant description) and you can pay more than double that for an original aircraft with battle history and which may have been flown by a celebrated war-time pilot.
Looking after the undercarriage, propeller, wiring, hinges, key stress points and so on is of course hugely expensive, certainly compared to a road car. Remember that a Mk IX Spitfire was designed for a total flying life of just 200 hours. So far this year, one of ours has racked up 125 hours…

Naturally you wouldn't be looking to thrash your 75 year old fighter across the sky (come on, yes you would… Ed), but nevertheless our experts say it's best not to stray beyond around one-third throttle on the mighty 27 litre Rolls Royce Merlin. Nor is it advisable to pull more than 4.5g whilst manoeuvring; pull 5G and the aircraft has to undergo an expensive inspection.
The Time Before Overhaul (TBO) on the Merlin used to be 250 hours when the engines were in combat mode. Nowadays with more gentle use that figure is closer to 500 hours. However the cost of said overhaul is £120,000, which is a lot when you consider that a complete, ready-to-fly Merlin should cost in the region of £170,000.

We don't want to contemplate the kind of work involved in repairing a damaged Spitfire. Judging by the premium, neither does the insurance company.
Even with your Spitfire successfully acquired you won't be able to fly it safely without the 50 hours required to gain your Private Pilots Licence, plus another 50 hours in a Chipmunk for basic ‘tail-dragger’ experience, and then another 50 hours flying something like a North American Harvard in which you’ll learn about flaps, variable pitch propellers, retracting the undercarriage and flying from the rear of the aircraft. The latter is very important because from the hot seat in a Spitfire you can't actually see where you're going, which makes landings a trifle challenging. 150 hours by the way is an incredibly short amount of time to learn and you would have to have completed all your training with the academy from day one. If you’ve not trained at the Aerodrome, they’ll want to see something more like 1000 hours on your flying log before they'll even consider handing the controls over.

Back in the day when these aircraft were running at full boost and burning 150 octane fuel at up to full throttle they would get through around 90 gallons (409 litres!) per hour. At ‘cruising’ speed and greatly reduced boost a Spitfire nowadays will make-do with 40 gallons (181 litres) per hour of 100 octane fuel.
(Even at the Goodwood Aerodrome price of £1.89 per litre, that’s still quite a lot more than a decent Goodwood Road & Racing lunch.)