Ahead of next month’s annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, McLaren have announced an iconic line-up of cars which will be going up the famous hill, in recognition of the manufacturer’s sixtieth anniversary.
Goodwood holds an incredibly special place in the heart of all involved with the British manufacturer, given that McLaren founder, the late Bruce McLaren, regarded Goodwood as the company’s test track. To mark the sixtieth anniversary of McLaren, all McLaren cars present at the festival will parade up the hill together, in what’ll be a spectacular sight for the fans to behold.
Given how significant this year’s festival is to McLaren, they’ll be taking a series of cars to recognise their achievements since being founded by Bruce, meaning a selection of Formula 1 machinery will be present. Two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen will be driving his 1999 title-winning MP4/14A, whilst JJ Lehto will be driving Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4/23A-05, which the seven-time World Champion drove to his first world title.
Two-time World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi will drive his legendary 1974 M23-05, whilst Emanuele Pirro will drive Alain Prost‘s and the late Niki Lauda’s MP4/2B-03. As well as this, NEOM McLaren Extreme E driver Emma Gilmour will be completing a run up the hill in the iconic papaya 1970 Can-Am M8D-01.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown recognises how important Goodwood is to the British company and how it’s somewhat where McLaren’s “story began”, filling the American with excitement for next month’s event.
“Goodwood and the Festival of Speed have such an important place in McLaren’s history. It is the place our story began in many ways, so a fitting place to mark our 60th.
“I’m excited to be able to bring such an impressive selection of cars and drivers to celebrate our anniversary in a big way. Our fans are such a huge part of our history; what better way to honour them than giving them the opportunity for a closer look at these icons. It’s going to be a fantastic four days.”
The Duke of Richmond, Founder, Goodwood Festival of Speed, is “honoured” for McLaren to be celebrating their Diamond anniversary at the festival, where “another chapter” will be written.
“We’re honoured that McLaren will be joining us at the Festival of Speed this summer to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
“In such a special year for the brand, I know our fans will be thrilled to see the greatest-ever collection of cars and drivers from McLaren’s history. As we celebrate 30 years of the Festival of Speed and 75 years of motorsport at Goodwood, we look forward to welcoming McLaren and writing another chapter in our long and shared history.”
This year’s festival takes place July 13-16.