A 2009, and 2023 75th Goodwood Anniversary Photo Medley

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Here was me thinking that I had half a clue about classic cars!  Turns out that the beautiful silver coupe in the centre of the above shot is not a Zagato-bodied Aston Martin, as I'd imagined it to be, but is actually an Abarth 205/A Berlinetta! 

Fortunately, Google Lens was able to put me right, with further research and the simplest process of elimination revealing it to be chassis number 102 of just four examples ever built.  The first three - today's plus chassis numbers 101 and 103 - look much the same, whereas chassis number 104, known as the Sport Ghia Coupe (inset, below), differs markedly in its styling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abarth_205A_Berlinetta, accessed 25 AUG 23). 


The real take-home from all of this is that the Goodwood Festival of Speed - where the opening shot and all the following photos were taken - has boggled my tiny Southern Hemisphere mind through its vastness and the extraordinarily exotic and rare nature of the cars on display.  And I wasn't even there!  Fortunately, the man behind the camera - Goodwood member David T - has included an image of the explanatory plaque accompanying each exhibit, whenever there was one, enabling us to Google away at anything that tickles our particular fancies. 

David’s magnificent pictures are presented here more or less in the order in which I received them.  However, I’ve loosely grouped them together in the following entirely arbitrary categories, just to serve as a sort of index of what readers can expect:

Art on Wheels;

Used in Anger;

Exotica that isn't a Ferrari;

Chris Evans' White Ferraris (four of them, anyway);

Ferraris that Aren't White;

What are Probably Le Mans Type Cars;

Latter Day Bugattis;

Cars that are either Minis or are Mini-based;

Proper Bugattis;

Open-Wheelers;

Closed Wheelers; and

Cars as Art.

Amongst all this auto-exotica, there's one car in particular - a 1934 Bugatti Type 57 Sports Saloon, BGH 716 (a "proper Bugatti") - that I was was extra excited to find amongst David's shots.  Back in 2017, this very car participated in the Bugatti Club Australia's tour of Victoria and Tasmania, during which I photographed it in Port Arthur.  To say that the car gets around a bit would be a huge understatement!  Here's a link to my coverage of that event: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2017/03/bugatti-club-of-australias-victoria.html.

Everything else in this post is David's work.  Please enjoy!

 --- ooo --- OOO --- ooo ---

Art on Wheels












Used in Anger





















Exotica that isn't a Ferrari













Chris Evans' White Ferraris

Ferraris that Aren't White





What are Probably Le Mans Type Cars














Latter Day Bugattis






Cars that are either Minis or are Mini-based















Proper Bugattis






This one!  Last sighted by the author in Tasmania, Australia.



Open-Wheelers
















Technically, yes.

This one, too.







Closed Wheelers









Cars as Art





Did you enjoy this article?  If so, why not browse the rest of the uppermiddlepetrolhead site?  There are loads and loads of classic, sports and performance vehicles featured, as well as stacks of car shows and motorsports events.

Here's just one example: https://uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com/2023/05/upper-middle-petrol-head-drives-john.html, a short piece detailing a double road-test involving a Jensen-Healey and a race-prepped MGB.  It even includes a bonus video of dubious artistic merit but the sounds the cars make does mitigate the woeful editing just a bit! 

And if you do enjoy what you read and see, you can follow either the 'blog itself or do so via Upper Middle Petrol Head's Facebook page.  And please do feel free to like and share!






U M P H

(uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.)

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