In 2006 the Festival of Speed celebrates 100 years of legendary sporting accolades and ‘grand prizes’ in motor sport, to which competitors have always aspired. It’s 100 years since the French governing body for motor sport coined a phrase by staging the first ‘Grand Prix’ race at Le Mans in 1906. Over the years this name has become synonymous with the highest level of world motor racing and winning at this level the ultimate goal for many drivers.

However, other competitions have achieved similar status as the ultimate in their particular discipline, and the Festival will recognise the legendary performers in each. Notably, it’s 100 years since the birth of arguably the greatest and certainly the longest-running road race – the Targa Florio. Similarly, it’s 40 years since the great TransAm and CanAm series were founded, establishing the USA as the heartland of extreme sports and GT racing. The World Rally Championship continues to pit drivers against the challenge of racing over unfamiliar and ‘natural’ terrain, while the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race provides the ultimate test of endurance. On two wheels, Grand Prix and Superbike championships defining circuit racing and the Paris-Dakar rally the ultimate off-road test. All of these genres and more will be highlighted at the Festival, and it should be another truly exciting and memorable weekend.

100 Years of Grand Prix racing: The selection of machinery on the hill will include a spectacular array of Grand Prix cars, representing everything from the first winning Renault in 1906 to last season’s championship winner from the same company. Representing the earliest years of the sport is a 1906 Mercedes GP car that has not been seen running for a generation, plus a thundering chain-drive FIAT from 1911. From Grand Prix racing’s first golden era is the staggering spectacle of four fabulous Auto Union and three Mercedes-Benz ‘Silver Arrows’ of the 1930s. Many of the iconic World Championship-winning models from 1950 onwards will also be in action, including Ferrari 500; Vanwall; 1964 Ferrari 158; ground-breaking Lotus 49 and 79; all-conquering McLaren-Honda MP4/4; 1990s Williams-Renault and a dominant ex-Michael Schumacher Ferrari. Other significant cars making a rare appearance in the UK include Stirling Moss’ fabled Argentine GP-winning Cooper T43; a BRM V16; a fabulous Lancia-Ferrari recreation; rakish Eagle-Weslake T1G; and a wonderful-sounding Ligier-Matra V12 – and many more.

Great names from the history of F1: In addition to the cars, a galaxy of great drivers will be at the event to drive them. World Champions Sir Jack Brabham, John Surtees and Emerson Fittipaldi are joined by GP winners Sir Stirling Moss, Jacky Ickx, Dan Gurney, Jochen Mass, René Arnoux, Jacques Lafitte, Olivier Panis and Jean Alesi. Others expected to drive include Jenson Button, David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Martin Brundle, Mark Webber, Allan McNish, and hopefully World Champion Fernando Alonso.

The 100th Anniversary of the first Targa Florio: Count Vincenzo Florio’s idea for a madcap race around the streets of Sicily created one of motor sport’s most evocative and enduring contests, with thundering sports-prototype cars careering along tortuous grafitti-covered roads and small-town piazzas lined with fanatically enthusiastic race fans. The event was staged more than 50 times, with the last World Championship round in 1973 and the last race a few years later in 1977. Such was its renown that an annual retrospective event developed a few short years after the main event stopped. At the Festival Targa Florio legends Nino Vaccarella, Arturo Merzario, Vic Elford, Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep will drive the cars with which they are synonymous. Among the cars taking to the hill will be Itala, Fiat and Ballot cars from the earliest events; evocative pre-war icons such as the Alfa Romeo RL and Bugatti Type 35; 1950s classics such as the Lancia D24, Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa and Porsche 550A Spyder; plus the famous Porsche 908/3 and 911 RSR, as well as the Alfa Romeo 33 TT 12, that dominated the latter events.

40 Years of TransAm: The daddy of all thundering GT racing – the American TransAm series – is 40 years old. From the first essentially road-based cars – such as Jochen Rindt’s Sebring-winning Alfa Romeo 1600 GTA – to the iconic Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Plymouth Barracuda of the early 1970s and the highly modified Jaguar XJS that followed, many of the important cars will be at Goodwood to mark the occasion. One of the greatest teams in TransAm history, Roush Racing, will send both its title-winning 1985 Mercury Capri and 1997 Ford Mustang, while Audi sends the incredible Audi 200 Quattro that used technology left over from the defunct Group B rally cars to dominate the series in 1988/89. TransAm champions Bob Tullius and Hurley Haywood will both take to the hill in their title-winning Jaguar and Audi cars.

40th Anniversary of CanAm: It’s 40 years since the birth of the earth-trembling CanAm series for sports cars of unrestricted engine capacity, and the Festival has always featured a gathering of these mighty machines. This year sees the magnificent Lola T70 Spyder in which John Surtees won the inaugural championship make it to the Festival, fresh from a meticulous restoration. Joining it will be Ferrari’s incredible 712, and a brace of gigantic orange McLarens that proved the class of the field in the late 1960s – an ex-Jo Bonnier M6B and an ex-Bruce McLaren M8F. Also promised is the extraordinary Porsche 1000bhp 917/30, with which Mark Donohue proved an unstoppable force shortly before the series was disbanded due to spiralling costs and a recession in North America. The series was revived in 1977 using chassis from the recently cancelled Formula 5000 single seater series, rebodied into full-width centre-seat sports cars. A rarely-seen ex-Danny Sullivan March-Chevrolet 817 will recall these unusual cars at Goodwood.

To order advance tickets, please contact the Ticket Hotline by telephone on +44 1243 755055, fax on +44 1243 755058 or email via: bookings@goodwood.co.uk

Noble Automotive has today staked its claim to a place amongst the highest echelon of the world’s sportscar manufacturers with the launch of the new M15.

Building on the success of the no-compromise M12, the M15 is a more mature Noble with luxuries including Satellite Navigation, impeccable ride and 300 litres of luggage space!

“The M12 is a great car, but it’s very focused and I wanted to produce a supercar people could use every day,” said founder Lee Noble. “It was time for Noble to take a big step up in terms of refinement, practicality and style.

“We’re delighted with this new car’s all-round skills and the I reckon there’s not a car in its class to touch it dynamically. After all, it’s still a Noble!”

With a 455bhp version of the tried and trusted three-litre twin turbo engine Noble has come to rely on, this is also the quickest car ever to emerge from Barwell, Leicestershire. With the complementary figure of 455lb/ft of torque, all in a car that weighs slightly more than 1200kg, the M15 is devastatingly fast.

The M15 accelerates from 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds and 10 100mph in less than 8s. It keeps going all the way to 185mph, too, and has been tuned for rapid acceleration throughout the range rather than an easily achievable 200mph top end speed.

Supreme cornering skills and a confidence-inspiring chassis are part the DNA and, in this respect, the M15 promises to be the best yet. The spaceframe chassis with integral rollcage is 57 per cent stiffer than the M12 that has won plaudits throughout the world and intensive development has ensured that the fabled Noble handling on the limit is even better than before.

At £74,950 the M15 pitches straight into battle with the established supercar brands, but Noble is happy to meet them head on. “Hopefully people that test this car will see it as a real alternative to £130,000 exotica, as well as the immediate competition in the price range,” he said. “We know we’re taking on tough opposition, but I’m sure this car is going to take us forward in a big way.”

Lotus announce first Elise-based pickup

Lotus Cars is delighted to announce that its first light commercial vehicle rolls off the production line today.

The Lotus Elise ‘Load Lugga’ is an Elise-derived flatbed that seeks to secure a slice of the ever-growing worldwide market for sportscar-derived pickup trucks.

Utilising a Briggs and Stratton pull-start diesel engine, uniquely supercharged by Lotus’s own engineers, the Elise ‘Load Lugga’ is the first Lotus to marry advanced 4-wheel drive technology with the Lotus design philosophy of ‘performance through lightweight’. A useful 5kg payload, together with an optional towing hitch offering a further 10kg of load-hauling capacity, ensures the new Lotus will be equally at home carrying a small bag of sugar as an expanded polystyrene surfboard.

With carbon fibre roof rails and perforated aluminium bull bars ensuring the new Elise derivative looks the part without compromising performance, hopes are high that 0-60mph acceleration is less than 3 seconds, and will have flatbed fans reaching for their chequebooks.

An active payload management system, linked to the engine’s oil pressure control module, optimises ride and handling round even the sharpest bend, while big chunky tyres increase ground clearance to an all-terrain-conquering 4 inches.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, Lotus Head of Commercial Operations looked to the future ‘The Elise ‘Load Lugga’ is our first move into the lucrative LCV market and certainly lives up to the Lotus philosophy of ‘change the rules’. We like trucking and we like to truck!’

Mark O’Shaughnessy, Lotus USA Sales and Marketing Director commented, ‘We can no longer ignore Lotus’s big opportunity in the pickup market - we want a slice of the action and are gunning for a 0.0026% market share this year and 0.0027% next. The Elise ‘Load Lugga’ will be known as the F1.50 stateside and we are set to take the market by storm. 200 Lotus Elise F1.50’s in the first year? Bring them on………’