So as not to pollute the Bizzler's excellent thread with my own rubbish pics. Man, it was not a day for taking photos 
So it was with a bit of excitement I looked forward to the first Goodwood Breakfast Club meet of the year. As usual, I'd been too slack to register my own car but it's always worth a trip anyway. A free car show where you stand a chance of seeing actual million-pound motors nonchalantly parked up, what's not to like? The only drawback is that it's a breakfast club, so by ten o'clock people have usually started drifting away and by twelve it's all over and the circuit's empty. Get there early or miss out, big style.
Needless to say, I was never going to get there early. Working lates and having gone through a patch where every time I touch a bloody train it fails (which is not an admirable trait in a train driver) meant I finished well late the night before, finally slinking into my pit around 2 a.m. The 7 a.m. alarm just served to enrage me without actually troubling my conscious mind. By the time I'd dragged my carcass downstairs and shouted at the kids enough to get them upright it was late... and raining.
Actually, I'll rephrase that, it was RAINING. The sort of rain that would have a rainforest pygmy scowling under a giant leaf and muttering darkly about global warming. On the dual carriageway over to Chichester we'd already seen a couple of Lamborghinis plodding home through the downpour, a phalanx of Porsches and random miscellaneous sportscars. Damn, looks like we might have left it a bit late then. Oh well, we pressed on and got there just in time to see a Pagani and a The Ferrari The Ferrari leaving. Considering this same meeting last year was the record attendance for a Breakfast Club, this one was decidedly sparse. In fact, I ended up with exactly 50% of the photos I took last year. Most of which looked like they were taken through a bucket of soup. Underwater. At night.
Still, I've spent a few hours in Photoshop adding lightness (Colin Chapman would approve) so such as they are, here they are, in no especial order of significance...
As always, the common denominator seemed to be Ferraris ... nasty common vulgar things they are. Weird innit, in any normal context they stop you on the street and make you look, but at these gatherings they almost seem passe in favour of the more esoteric and rare stuff. I guess 430s are old hat now anyway, being supplanted a couple of times by models with dafter names. I liked the fact that this dude didn't mind leaving his engine bay open to the elements for show though. Especially since it was completely lined with carbon fibre. Mmmmm
I seem to have failed to take a photo of the outside of this 456, the Ferrari for all the family. But the interior definitely deserves a pic. It's like a cross between 80s Vauxhall Astra switchgear and expensive hand-trimmed kit car. With cup holders! Awesomes
Less hardy than 430 owners, it seems, were the 458 Italia contingent. I saw just the one, and he was leaving. Like the burgundy colour though, a nice departure from the normal Ferrari red
Speaking of unusual red Italian sporstcars, can you tell what it is yet?
I love these little Alfa 4Cs. They seem to have an unwarranted number of swoops and curves boshed into their bodywork, but somehow this doesn't detract from the squat, purposeful profile of the car. I love the headlights that are apparently modelled on a spider's eyes, sculpted in finest carbon-fibre. I love the modern take on the teledial wheels, with their swoopy line that can be followed all the way round the rim and the hoops like a zany Mobius strip of alloy hypnotic potential. Or maybe I just spent too long sheltering from the rain next to one under the pit canopy. The daffodils were nice, too
There certainly seem to be enough people around down here in leafy Sussex who haven't noticed we've been living under austerity for years now. The proliferation of brand-new hot-poop models is truly amazing. If anything, the new-model Astons outnumber the Ferraris and it seems that more than in previous years, new is everything. No-one apparently wants a three-year old supercar, that would be lame. This does mean that it you want to tick off your I-Spy book then you're winning. It's weird, you almost stop noticing the fact you're surrounded by several hundred grand cars that still had the cellophane on the seats a month ago and stroll past them to look at an eight-grand Dino 308! Still, I guess there are some weird people out there who'd like to see some of the many, many McLarens on offer. Here, have some 650Ss
Plenty of Porsches, too. I guess you'd expect that from the most enduring sportscar evar. Mind you, it's easy to be the most recognisable car brand on the planet if you sell one model for about fifty years and change nothing except the shape of the headlights in all that time. That's a joke, don't write to Stuttgart to get the Teutonic equivalent of a fatwah declared on me. Mind you, the 911 in all its flavours has just never "done it" for me. I don't understand them, I can't tell them apart and they're a funny shape. So sorry for the lack of Porsche pics
In fact, maybe it's just German cars in general. Maybe it's my fault. I did rather like this AMG GTS, mind you. But only from the back. From the front it just looks like any other Merc with too many vents and strakes moulded onto it.
For no obvious reason there were a brace of Nismo special edition Datsuns parked up near the pits, a 370Z and a new GTR. I'm normally quite a fan of the new shape Z-car but I couldn't help but feel this version went a bit wrong. It was kinda OK from the front but round the back... urgh. It's just draped in random creases and lines in the bodywork that do nothing except make it look like putting a tutu on the fattest
since the dancing hippos in Fantasia
Oooer, it's all gone a bit negative, hasn't it? Let's move on to something that never fails to blow my skirt up. A regular at these dos, the AC 378GT is a real one-off. To the best of my knowledge, it's never actually made proper production, and certainly this is the only one I've ever seen. As I understand it, it was designed in South Africa originally as a Perana (just like all those funky hot Capris and such), styled by Zagato and propelled by a Chevy LS lump popping out around 450 bhp. No idea whatsoever how it's ended up badged as an AC, but I mean, what's not to love in that recipe frankly? This car needs to be built! The only things that maybe lets it down are the slightly dull engine bay the surprisingly austere interior, but then again, I often feel that the shock and awe in many modern supercars interiors can only detract from the driving experience. Ever seen a Pagani cockpit? It's like a bad acid trip of conflicting textures, typefaces, shapes and colours. Not a calm place to pick out vital information at 200mph
Plenty of Lamborghinis floating about. I've seen pictures of a Countach, but that had evidently gone by the time I got there. There was one rather special Lambo left, of which more later. For now, have an Aventador to be getting on with
At the time of the launch, I wasn't quite persuaded by the rebirth of MV Agusta and the F4. Underpowered in first versions, it was also a bit too much like the 916 stylistically, and you couldn't shake off the feeling that Tamburini, undeniably one of the greatest Italian vehicle designers of all time, was being a bit lazy and re-treading well worn steps under the auspices of the Castiglioni empire at the Cagiva Research Centre. With time, however, like all the great man's designs, it's grown into itself and really stood the test of the passing years. Dare I say it? Maybe better even than the 916? Especially in pristine whit on such a dismal day, this one really pulled me up short and held my attention for quite a while. Even those organ-pipe exhausts that seemed such a contrivance at the time now seem achingly cool. Funny old thing, time, innit
Some "supercar" owners, it appears, are hardier than others. When many were closing their Aston-branded umbrellas and sinking into plushly carpeted, leather-upholstered, zonal climate-controlled cabins that wouldn't disgrace a boardroom, this fella was zipping up his waterproofs and buckling on his helmet to head home in his Ariel Atom! Not sure it really counts as a supercar, but fair play to the dude. I do love the lighty-uppy LED clockset. I've less love for the huge rusty exhaust collector box that's the first thing and last that I noticed about the car. That would incense me every time I looked at it if it were my car! Get it changed, man!
And speaking of hardcore, the number of TVRs at these dos is always heartwarming. Especially given the torrential rain, complete lack of driver aids and hairy-chested horsepower on offer in a lightweight razor-edged sportscar! God bless the indomitable TVR owners. I once read an internet nugget that the funky dents and light recesses in the front of the Cerbera were "designed" by Peter Wheeler's much-adored dog when it took a bite out of the clay model. No idea if that's true or not, write in if you know. Anyway, here it is, the practical model in the TVR range. LOL
I'm sure I've blethered on about it before, but for me the new Challenger is probably the "best" ie the most true to the original of all the newly resurrected muscle car brands. You can really see how the designers took inspiration from the original and tried to pay homage within the constraints of modern construction and use legislation. And that anoraky weird bloke from Graveyard Carz agrees with me, so it must be true cos he knows everything there is to know about Mopars. Although he doesn't know how to spell "Cars". Anyway, six-litre Hemi. Hell, yeah!
Bentley! Several Bentleys, in fact. There were even some old ones from the wilderness years when they were basically Rollers with a wire grille. This one is basically a VW with a wire grille, I suppose. Shows how bloody wet the day was, though
Strangely, the predominant Lambo that I saw was the Diablo. Or not, given that it had a production run of about eight millennia. But they seem to be the forgotten Lamborghini for some reason. Here's a couple to redress the balance. Normally I'd say the green one was bestest becos of pop-up lights, which normally win any argument. As any fule kno. But I did very much like the pearl baby blue paint on t'other one, so I'll call it a draw for now
Here you go, that aforementioned Dino 308. Funny to see how dated it looks now, and really not in a good way. It's always been a slightly awkward overall shape in my eyes, but this seemed really exaggerated in the company of ultra-modern schmutter. The comedy balloon tyres probably didn't really help. But, y'know, somehow it's got that mysterious x-factor (no, not that kind) that the up to the minute stuff just lacks. Maybe it's because you know it was hewn out of metal and elements by [Al Murray voice] MEN [/Al Murray voice], not computer-rendered and vacuum pressed out of plastic. I dunno. Maybe I'm just old...
There were a couple of guys standing out long-suffering in the rain promoting their new prototype Elemental (nope, me neither). It seems to be one of the modern style of trackday specials, powered by a ubiquitous Ford turbo lump. It certainly looks at least as good as the equivalent KTM or Ariel or whatever, and the fact the entire tub is carbon fibre would sell it to me. Mmmmm, lovely. The dudes were happy to chat about it and good enough to let the kids clamber about and try it out. One of mine seemed to take it rather more seriously than the other...
Another pleasant surprise was the sheer number of Lotusses... um, Lotii? errr Lotus models around. Not just the new Exiges, Elises and Evoras ....um Evorii? Eliseiums... ahhh, whatever... and such, of which there were seemingly thousands, but older ones too. Like this proper fag-packet coloured Esprit. One of several. Awesome. Window louvres rule
...and this gorgeous little breadvan Europa. One of my absolute favourite ever episodes of Overhaulin' was the Europa they did, utterly fantastic job.
And for balance, let's have a brace of what appear to be a Limited Edition ...errr... edition of the Exige. There've been several over the years, and I have to admit I'm not familiar with this LF-1 version but the colourscheme was funky so I took a pic. I'm a hippy at heart, what can I say. I like pretty things in nice colours
Another thing I've banged on about in the past is the current range of Maseratis. They always seem to get a slating in the press and on the telly for not being up to the track handling prowess of a Ferrari or not being able to drift around Rockingham as well as an Aston (yeah, real-world considerations there, thanks Tiff) or not being as fast in a drag race as an AMG Black or not being true to the pure-bred racing vision of the original Maserati brothers... or any other number of spurious comparisons. I think these are all missing the point. Rather than focus on what they're not, surely it's better to focus on what they ARE; and that is that they're extremely handsome and well-appointed GT continent crushers in the old school of loading up your hand-tooled colour co-ordinated luggage, throwing a shapely blonde in the passenger seat (a Golden Retriever will do if you can't find a real blonde), burying your Gucci loafer in the shag and rocking up in Mote Carlo in time for playtime. I love them. They're just as caddish and louche as a proper Jag, just with an Italian-a accent. Not sure what the new Ghibli brings to the picnic that the Quattroporte didn't except for new headlights and slightly different grille, but it is undeniably a fine-looking thing. The Gran Turismo looks fantastic in white. One of few cars I photographed on the day that didn't look like I'd taken the pic through a peat bog
...all of which musings are kinda diametrically opposed to the Ferrari FF take on the long-distance bruiser. Whilst it's probably the fastest, most driver-rewarding, capable shooting brake/GT crossover ever made, sweet baby Jeebus is it goppingly ugly. Especially round the back, where no matter how many swoopy lines and arbitrary folds they creased into the bodywork, no amount of fudging can disguise the fact that its is so humongous all the frills just make it look like a tugboat in knickers. Gruesome. Epic motor, mind
Moar to come after a break for lunch and a fag, lol
So it was with a bit of excitement I looked forward to the first Goodwood Breakfast Club meet of the year. As usual, I'd been too slack to register my own car but it's always worth a trip anyway. A free car show where you stand a chance of seeing actual million-pound motors nonchalantly parked up, what's not to like? The only drawback is that it's a breakfast club, so by ten o'clock people have usually started drifting away and by twelve it's all over and the circuit's empty. Get there early or miss out, big style.
Needless to say, I was never going to get there early. Working lates and having gone through a patch where every time I touch a bloody train it fails (which is not an admirable trait in a train driver) meant I finished well late the night before, finally slinking into my pit around 2 a.m. The 7 a.m. alarm just served to enrage me without actually troubling my conscious mind. By the time I'd dragged my carcass downstairs and shouted at the kids enough to get them upright it was late... and raining.
Actually, I'll rephrase that, it was RAINING. The sort of rain that would have a rainforest pygmy scowling under a giant leaf and muttering darkly about global warming. On the dual carriageway over to Chichester we'd already seen a couple of Lamborghinis plodding home through the downpour, a phalanx of Porsches and random miscellaneous sportscars. Damn, looks like we might have left it a bit late then. Oh well, we pressed on and got there just in time to see a Pagani and a The Ferrari The Ferrari leaving. Considering this same meeting last year was the record attendance for a Breakfast Club, this one was decidedly sparse. In fact, I ended up with exactly 50% of the photos I took last year. Most of which looked like they were taken through a bucket of soup. Underwater. At night.
Still, I've spent a few hours in Photoshop adding lightness (Colin Chapman would approve) so such as they are, here they are, in no especial order of significance...
As always, the common denominator seemed to be Ferraris ... nasty common vulgar things they are. Weird innit, in any normal context they stop you on the street and make you look, but at these gatherings they almost seem passe in favour of the more esoteric and rare stuff. I guess 430s are old hat now anyway, being supplanted a couple of times by models with dafter names. I liked the fact that this dude didn't mind leaving his engine bay open to the elements for show though. Especially since it was completely lined with carbon fibre. Mmmmm
I seem to have failed to take a photo of the outside of this 456, the Ferrari for all the family. But the interior definitely deserves a pic. It's like a cross between 80s Vauxhall Astra switchgear and expensive hand-trimmed kit car. With cup holders! Awesomes
Less hardy than 430 owners, it seems, were the 458 Italia contingent. I saw just the one, and he was leaving. Like the burgundy colour though, a nice departure from the normal Ferrari red
Speaking of unusual red Italian sporstcars, can you tell what it is yet?
I love these little Alfa 4Cs. They seem to have an unwarranted number of swoops and curves boshed into their bodywork, but somehow this doesn't detract from the squat, purposeful profile of the car. I love the headlights that are apparently modelled on a spider's eyes, sculpted in finest carbon-fibre. I love the modern take on the teledial wheels, with their swoopy line that can be followed all the way round the rim and the hoops like a zany Mobius strip of alloy hypnotic potential. Or maybe I just spent too long sheltering from the rain next to one under the pit canopy. The daffodils were nice, too
There certainly seem to be enough people around down here in leafy Sussex who haven't noticed we've been living under austerity for years now. The proliferation of brand-new hot-poop models is truly amazing. If anything, the new-model Astons outnumber the Ferraris and it seems that more than in previous years, new is everything. No-one apparently wants a three-year old supercar, that would be lame. This does mean that it you want to tick off your I-Spy book then you're winning. It's weird, you almost stop noticing the fact you're surrounded by several hundred grand cars that still had the cellophane on the seats a month ago and stroll past them to look at an eight-grand Dino 308! Still, I guess there are some weird people out there who'd like to see some of the many, many McLarens on offer. Here, have some 650Ss
Plenty of Porsches, too. I guess you'd expect that from the most enduring sportscar evar. Mind you, it's easy to be the most recognisable car brand on the planet if you sell one model for about fifty years and change nothing except the shape of the headlights in all that time. That's a joke, don't write to Stuttgart to get the Teutonic equivalent of a fatwah declared on me. Mind you, the 911 in all its flavours has just never "done it" for me. I don't understand them, I can't tell them apart and they're a funny shape. So sorry for the lack of Porsche pics
In fact, maybe it's just German cars in general. Maybe it's my fault. I did rather like this AMG GTS, mind you. But only from the back. From the front it just looks like any other Merc with too many vents and strakes moulded onto it.
For no obvious reason there were a brace of Nismo special edition Datsuns parked up near the pits, a 370Z and a new GTR. I'm normally quite a fan of the new shape Z-car but I couldn't help but feel this version went a bit wrong. It was kinda OK from the front but round the back... urgh. It's just draped in random creases and lines in the bodywork that do nothing except make it look like putting a tutu on the fattest
since the dancing hippos in Fantasia
Oooer, it's all gone a bit negative, hasn't it? Let's move on to something that never fails to blow my skirt up. A regular at these dos, the AC 378GT is a real one-off. To the best of my knowledge, it's never actually made proper production, and certainly this is the only one I've ever seen. As I understand it, it was designed in South Africa originally as a Perana (just like all those funky hot Capris and such), styled by Zagato and propelled by a Chevy LS lump popping out around 450 bhp. No idea whatsoever how it's ended up badged as an AC, but I mean, what's not to love in that recipe frankly? This car needs to be built! The only things that maybe lets it down are the slightly dull engine bay the surprisingly austere interior, but then again, I often feel that the shock and awe in many modern supercars interiors can only detract from the driving experience. Ever seen a Pagani cockpit? It's like a bad acid trip of conflicting textures, typefaces, shapes and colours. Not a calm place to pick out vital information at 200mph
Plenty of Lamborghinis floating about. I've seen pictures of a Countach, but that had evidently gone by the time I got there. There was one rather special Lambo left, of which more later. For now, have an Aventador to be getting on with
At the time of the launch, I wasn't quite persuaded by the rebirth of MV Agusta and the F4. Underpowered in first versions, it was also a bit too much like the 916 stylistically, and you couldn't shake off the feeling that Tamburini, undeniably one of the greatest Italian vehicle designers of all time, was being a bit lazy and re-treading well worn steps under the auspices of the Castiglioni empire at the Cagiva Research Centre. With time, however, like all the great man's designs, it's grown into itself and really stood the test of the passing years. Dare I say it? Maybe better even than the 916? Especially in pristine whit on such a dismal day, this one really pulled me up short and held my attention for quite a while. Even those organ-pipe exhausts that seemed such a contrivance at the time now seem achingly cool. Funny old thing, time, innit
Some "supercar" owners, it appears, are hardier than others. When many were closing their Aston-branded umbrellas and sinking into plushly carpeted, leather-upholstered, zonal climate-controlled cabins that wouldn't disgrace a boardroom, this fella was zipping up his waterproofs and buckling on his helmet to head home in his Ariel Atom! Not sure it really counts as a supercar, but fair play to the dude. I do love the lighty-uppy LED clockset. I've less love for the huge rusty exhaust collector box that's the first thing and last that I noticed about the car. That would incense me every time I looked at it if it were my car! Get it changed, man!
And speaking of hardcore, the number of TVRs at these dos is always heartwarming. Especially given the torrential rain, complete lack of driver aids and hairy-chested horsepower on offer in a lightweight razor-edged sportscar! God bless the indomitable TVR owners. I once read an internet nugget that the funky dents and light recesses in the front of the Cerbera were "designed" by Peter Wheeler's much-adored dog when it took a bite out of the clay model. No idea if that's true or not, write in if you know. Anyway, here it is, the practical model in the TVR range. LOL
I'm sure I've blethered on about it before, but for me the new Challenger is probably the "best" ie the most true to the original of all the newly resurrected muscle car brands. You can really see how the designers took inspiration from the original and tried to pay homage within the constraints of modern construction and use legislation. And that anoraky weird bloke from Graveyard Carz agrees with me, so it must be true cos he knows everything there is to know about Mopars. Although he doesn't know how to spell "Cars". Anyway, six-litre Hemi. Hell, yeah!
Bentley! Several Bentleys, in fact. There were even some old ones from the wilderness years when they were basically Rollers with a wire grille. This one is basically a VW with a wire grille, I suppose. Shows how bloody wet the day was, though
Strangely, the predominant Lambo that I saw was the Diablo. Or not, given that it had a production run of about eight millennia. But they seem to be the forgotten Lamborghini for some reason. Here's a couple to redress the balance. Normally I'd say the green one was bestest becos of pop-up lights, which normally win any argument. As any fule kno. But I did very much like the pearl baby blue paint on t'other one, so I'll call it a draw for now
Here you go, that aforementioned Dino 308. Funny to see how dated it looks now, and really not in a good way. It's always been a slightly awkward overall shape in my eyes, but this seemed really exaggerated in the company of ultra-modern schmutter. The comedy balloon tyres probably didn't really help. But, y'know, somehow it's got that mysterious x-factor (no, not that kind) that the up to the minute stuff just lacks. Maybe it's because you know it was hewn out of metal and elements by [Al Murray voice] MEN [/Al Murray voice], not computer-rendered and vacuum pressed out of plastic. I dunno. Maybe I'm just old...
There were a couple of guys standing out long-suffering in the rain promoting their new prototype Elemental (nope, me neither). It seems to be one of the modern style of trackday specials, powered by a ubiquitous Ford turbo lump. It certainly looks at least as good as the equivalent KTM or Ariel or whatever, and the fact the entire tub is carbon fibre would sell it to me. Mmmmm, lovely. The dudes were happy to chat about it and good enough to let the kids clamber about and try it out. One of mine seemed to take it rather more seriously than the other...
Another pleasant surprise was the sheer number of Lotusses... um, Lotii? errr Lotus models around. Not just the new Exiges, Elises and Evoras ....um Evorii? Eliseiums... ahhh, whatever... and such, of which there were seemingly thousands, but older ones too. Like this proper fag-packet coloured Esprit. One of several. Awesome. Window louvres rule
...and this gorgeous little breadvan Europa. One of my absolute favourite ever episodes of Overhaulin' was the Europa they did, utterly fantastic job.
And for balance, let's have a brace of what appear to be a Limited Edition ...errr... edition of the Exige. There've been several over the years, and I have to admit I'm not familiar with this LF-1 version but the colourscheme was funky so I took a pic. I'm a hippy at heart, what can I say. I like pretty things in nice colours
Another thing I've banged on about in the past is the current range of Maseratis. They always seem to get a slating in the press and on the telly for not being up to the track handling prowess of a Ferrari or not being able to drift around Rockingham as well as an Aston (yeah, real-world considerations there, thanks Tiff) or not being as fast in a drag race as an AMG Black or not being true to the pure-bred racing vision of the original Maserati brothers... or any other number of spurious comparisons. I think these are all missing the point. Rather than focus on what they're not, surely it's better to focus on what they ARE; and that is that they're extremely handsome and well-appointed GT continent crushers in the old school of loading up your hand-tooled colour co-ordinated luggage, throwing a shapely blonde in the passenger seat (a Golden Retriever will do if you can't find a real blonde), burying your Gucci loafer in the shag and rocking up in Mote Carlo in time for playtime. I love them. They're just as caddish and louche as a proper Jag, just with an Italian-a accent. Not sure what the new Ghibli brings to the picnic that the Quattroporte didn't except for new headlights and slightly different grille, but it is undeniably a fine-looking thing. The Gran Turismo looks fantastic in white. One of few cars I photographed on the day that didn't look like I'd taken the pic through a peat bog
...all of which musings are kinda diametrically opposed to the Ferrari FF take on the long-distance bruiser. Whilst it's probably the fastest, most driver-rewarding, capable shooting brake/GT crossover ever made, sweet baby Jeebus is it goppingly ugly. Especially round the back, where no matter how many swoopy lines and arbitrary folds they creased into the bodywork, no amount of fudging can disguise the fact that its
is so humongous all the frills just make it look like a tugboat in knickers. Gruesome. Epic motor, mind
Moar to come after a break for lunch and a fag, lol
