The Goodwood Moving Motor Show
Goodwood always features highly on the calendar of any true petrol head, but this year we had two extra reasons to look forward to a trip to Lord March’s front garden.
Firstly, the event would play host to the UK debut of the new Abarth Punto Evo and Abarth 500C.
And secondly, this year saw the introduction of the Moving Motor Show, a new concept billed as a replacement for the now defunct British Motor Show and taking place on the Thursday before the Festival of Speed.
The Moving Motor Show provided an opportunity to preview much of what would be available during the festival, with a fine selection of rare and historic metal, the usual smattering of supercars, and enough trade stands to empty your wallet several times over.
The real appeal, though, came from the ‘Moving’ element of the event. Visitors could climb aboard cars from the likes of Alfa Romeo, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and, of course, Abarth, to experience the vehicles first hand. The cars undertook hundreds of runs on a special evaluation route that included the world famous Goodwood hillclimb, following in the wheel tracks of many celebrated racing drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sir Stirling Moss.
The new Abarth 500C and Abarth Punto Evo were both available to drive at Goodwood
You can read our thoughts on the test drive experience elsewhere in the Abarthisti Magazine.
The Abarth presence at the show generated much interest, and I fielded questions from new-to-the-brand converts and returning-to-the-fold old-timers in almost equal measure.
As with any new concept, there were lessons to be learnt. While the ‘moving’ element of the show added a welcome USP over events such as those at ExCeL in London, it wasn’t perfect. The central roadway through the Moving Motor Show pavilion quickly became saturated with visitors, making it difficult for test drivers to get in or out.
The biggest lesson, however, came around lunchtime. The driver of the Honda Civic Type-R Mugen blacked out soon after starting the engine, leaving the car to roll into two Jaguars (one of which was reportedly the oldest E-Type in existence) and into the pavilion wall. Four bystanders were injured in the incident, although thankfully not seriously, and the pavilion was closed for several hours while an investigation took place.
Honda Civic Type-R Mugen crashes through the pavilion at Goodwood (Photo: Domc)
Two hours later, with the investigation concluded and the damage cleared, the pavilion re-opened. This time, however, under better organisation, with marshals at both ends preventing pedestrian access to the central roadway.
That incident aside, the event proved extremely popular, with Goodwood reporting nearly 30,000 visitors for Thursday’s event alone.
It’s a format that deserves to be repeated next year.
Our sincere thanks to Abarth UK for providing so many Abarthisti with free tickets.
1 Comment
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the day (especially as it was a free ticket!). Lots to do and see and the weather was hot hot HOT! The Abarth stand was very cool however and the new 500C and Punto Evo looked great too…can’t wait for next year!