If the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the New York Philharmonic of vintage car shows, the Goodwood Revival is Glastonbury. Both are esteemed events, but one is decidedly more geared towards fun than the other. Held at the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit each September, the Goodwood Revival is a lollapalooza of all things vintage and motorized, from 1940s Grand Prix cars to WWII aircraft. Part car show, part costume party, part motorsports event, the weekend-long Revival celebrates the Goodwood Motor Circuit’s heyday between 1948 and 1966 when the West Sussex venue was a mainstay of the international motoring scene.
Founded by Lord March (now the Duke of Richmond) in 1998, the Revival is, along with the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Members’ Meeting, part of a trio of events at the Goodwood Estate each summer. The three-ring atmosphere—which once even included a 1950s-style circus—means constant spectacle but the racetrack remains the centerpiece.
Goodwood Revival 2025
Classic action at the 2025 Goodwood Revival as vintage cars battle on track (Photo: Charlie Brenninkmeijer)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Sir Jackie Stewart in the crowd at Goodwood Revival 2025 (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Young drivers compete in the Settrington Cup pedal car race presented by Ralph Lauren (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Jim Clark parade at Goodwood Revival 2025, honouring the legendary champion’s career (Photo: Rob Cooper)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Alfa Romeo heritage parade at Goodwood Revival 2025, featuring a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ. (Photo: Charlie Brenninkmeijer)
Goodwood Revival 2025
A 1932 Alfa Romeo Spider Touring Gran Sports in the track parade at Goodwood Revival (Photo: Charlie Brenninkmeijer)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Alfa Romeo parade heading from the paddock to the circuit, including a Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Mille Miglia. (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Lined up on the grid ahead of racing at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: Charlie Brenninkmeijer)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Taking off from the start line at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: Charlie Brenninkmeijer)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button together at Goodwood Revival 2025 (Photo: PA Media)
This year’s program included more than a dozen marquee races, with entrants ranging from 1940s motorcycles to 1960s Ferrari 250 GTOs. Among the most prestigious of these is the Freddie March Memorial Trophy, a race in the spirit of the Goodwood Nine Hour races of the 1950s. This year’s competitors included British motorsports champ Jenson Button, who won the race behind the wheel of his own 1952 Jaguar C-Type. The Revival being the Revival, the weekend’s program also included the Settrington Cup, which featured a field of Austin J40 pedal cars driven by kids in vintage racing garb.
Many vintage car shows encourage some element of costume, but Goodwood Revival attendees take it to another level, going all-in on a range of costumes from WWII khakis to three-piece tweed suits. This year opened with a parade of more than 120 VW Type-2 split-window camper vans, their owners dressed in tie-dye, love beads and other essentials of the hippie era.
Goodwood Revival 2025
Visitors admire a unique 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I on display at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Spitfires soar overhead during the air display at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
VE Day celebration at the 2025 Goodwood Revival with period dress and tributes (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Visitors explore the paddock area among vintage cars at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: PA Media)
Goodwood Revival 2025
Visitors gathered by a Spitfire as another roars past overhead at the 2025 Goodwood Revival (Photo: PA Media)
Among this year’s most noteworthy guests was Sir Jackie Stewart, aka “the Flying Scot”, a living legend who won three Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles during his professional career in the 1960s and 1970s. This year marked the 60th anniversary of a historic race in which Stewart and fellow Scottish Formula 1 champ Jim Clark achieved identical lap times of 1 minute 20.4 seconds around the Goodwood Circuit—a feat that remains unchallenged today. To mark this milestone, and in memory of Clark, who was killed during a Formula Two event in 1968, the Duke and Duchess of Richmond presented Sir Jackie with the Goodwood Ton Trophy in honour of his contribution to the motoring world. Between countless vintage automobiles, flyovers of WWII-era planes, a best-dressed competition, and dance floors playing the hits of yesteryear, the Goodwood Revival attracted more than 150,000 motorsports fans. With the help of a somewhat miraculous rain-free forecast, it easily upheld its reputation as the most distinctive vintage motoring event in the world.
