Lord March admitted to a “shiver of excitement” at the eve of Revivals past, and for the tenth running of the world’s most popular historic race meeting his team has planned an extravaganza of wheels and wings to maintain the standard of previous events, while refining the meeting yet further with the addition of new concepts and features.

For 2007, regular Revival-goers will be reassured that the ‘Jewels in the Crown’ - the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy Celebration, the St Mary’s Trophy, the Sussex Trophy and the Whitsun Trophy – are present and correct.

The £30million TT will wow spectators as before, with the regular entry of Ferrari 250 GTOs, Aston Martin DB4GTs, AC Cobras et al. Celebrity drivers are expected to include Derek Bell, Jean-Marc Gounon, Hurley Haywood and John Fitzpatrick, while the saloon car race this year is for the later cars so the likes of Jackie Oliver, Warwick Banks, Rowan Atkinson and Rauno Aaltonen will be driving Falcons, Barracudas, Mk II Jaguars and Minis door-handle to door-handle until the poor machines cry enough!



The Sussex Trophy will have Classic Driver’s 2006 joint ‘Driver of the Day’, Jean-Marc Gounon, reunited with the Aston Martin DBR2 in which he so nearly won the last race (from the back of the grid…), and the big-banger Whitsun Trophy should have GT40s, early McLarens and Lola T70 Spiders battling it out under the skilled guidance of Ray Bellm, Frank Sytner and the original Ferrari privateer ‘par excellence', David Piper.

Gounon won’t be the only Gallic driver, some of the fastest drivers at the Revival come from France and this year he’s likely to be joined by Le Mans veteran Henri Pescarolo, occasional Aston Martin Racing works driver Stéphane Sarrazin and another super-quick Frenchman Nicolas Minassian. Just don’t mention bicycles, berets or onions please.



So what’s new for 2007? Quite a lot actually, primarily the arrival of Lotus 26Rs for the re-classified Fordwater Trophy, traditionally a race for production-based machinery and this year the time period is 1963 – 1966 so you can look forward to having a packed grid of (relatively…) mildly modified road cars in the form of the Ferrari 275 GTB, Alfa Romeo TZ1 and very rare TZ2, as well as British sporting cars from Marcos, Sunbeam and TVR.

The Madgwick Cup also features a fresh look, and for 2007 the entry criteria will be for the small-capacity sports-racing cars from the mid-1950s that had their own races in-period, as well as performing sterling service as minor classes at Le Mans, the TT and the Targa Florio where, by the early ‘60s, they were in with a chance of an overall win. Entries are likely to come from Lotus, Elva, Cooper and of course Porsche, with its RSK models.



There have been pre-War cars at Goodwood for quite a while now and 2007’s no exception with the Brooklands Trophy and Goodwood Trophy, while single-seater fans will look forward to Maserati 250Fs, Coopers and Ferrari Dinos in the Richmond Trophy. Later F1 cars are catered for by the Glover Trophy, frequently providing the event’s fastest lap. And it’s not all four-wheeled action – each day will see a close-fought motorcycle race for the Barry Sheene Memorial Trophy.



Racing apart, the Revival is of course all about dressing up in period costume, sampling the quality trade stands and generally experiencing life as it was in the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. So dig out the high heels, fox stole and stockings, and don’t forget the ‘la-di-das’ and cigarette holders – Goodwood is definitely a smoking event (in the safety of the spectator enclosures of course…).

The link between the airfield, itself at the forefront of the Battle of Britain, and the circuit and Revival meeting is a strong one, and this year Lord March has unveiled a concours d’elegance for pre-1967 aircraft, with entrants competing for the inaugural Freddie March Spirit of Aviation award. There will, no doubt, be the usual WW2 machinery and the organisers hope to have the earliest Spitfire in existence flying at this year’s event.



You’ve cursed them enough, but even the most flint-hearted would have to be pretty mean to take exception to some of the vintage and classic caravans that will be descending on the circuit, as part of the Centenary of the Caravan celebrations (for want of a better word).

Bonhams will hold its customary auction on Friday evening, a sale that this year includes a significant rallying Mini and a 1950s Lola sports-racer direct from Lord March’s own collection.

Every year the Revival has a central ‘theme’ that involves lunchtime displays and special tributes. This time two great British institutions will be recognised: 40 years of the ground-breaking Cosworth DFV (you can expect runs from early Lotus 49s and the glorious ‘coke-bottle’ Alan Mann Ford F3L prototype), and one of the hardest men out there on-track – and the most urbane and civilised off it – Roy Salvadori is paid tribute, with many cars from his illustrious past paraded on the track on which he won so many races in the Fifties and Sixties.



And if all that’s got you "shivering" too – book your tickets right now, and join the other 100,000+ spectators for a weekend of racing like no other. Remember, tickets are by advance booking only: tel +44 (0)1243 755055 or see www.goodwood.co.uk.

The website also has the latest news, press releases and a timetable of events. It's updated over the whole event, in real time, so if you can't make the whole weekend, every day's action is recorded for you.

Missing you already? Check out our review of the 2006, 2005, and 2004 Goodwood Revivals.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Classic Driver - Strictly Copyright