I’ve just begun to sort through the more than 8,000 images Oli, Frank, Dan and myself shot over the three days at the Festival of Speed at Goodwood House in the United Kingdom.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be working to sort, retouch, catalog and upload as many of the photos as we can. (As many as are worth passing along to you.) As always, if you’re one of the owners, drivers or teams in the images, please drop us a line and we’ll provide the full resolution image for your use, free of charge.

In the meantime, please enjoy the following images:

More updates will be forthcoming!

Just a few highlights, including this year’s WRC Scooby, some awesome action shots (including the “hush hush” Jag that you can’t get close to) and some arty shots of random automobile details. At the moment though with three days straight with little to no sleep I’m not at my best to write up great blocks of text so I’ll leave it at this for now…

While it won’t be an exact case of deja vu, fans at this year’s Festival of Speed will once again get to see the Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR9 tackle the hill at Goodwood.

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Frank just sent this in for us to post, so here you go!

Porsche just released information about the 2009 edition of its legendary 911, sporting improved good looks and some serious mechanical tweaks designed to keep it at the head of the pack. Although the styling changes might seem minor, Porsche has switched to LED lighting front and back, and has made daytime driving lights and bi-xenon headlights standard across the Carrera range. Besides that,Porsche will also start offering what they call Dynamic Bending Lights on all models. Think nighttime cornering and lights that point into a turn. While those changes may be the first you notice, it will take a twist of the Le Mans-start-left-of-the-steering-wheel key to fully appreciate the 2009 911s. (more…)

Just got this through from our friend (and contributor) Frank Filipponio:

As a fitting tribute to racing legend Jim Clark, Lotus has just released information on its first special edition supercharged Elise, which they have named the Clark Type 25 Elise SC. The special edition green and yellow supercharged car is being built to honor the late, legendary Formula 1 driver, Jim Clark. The color combination emulates that of Clark’s Type 25 F1 car which he piloted to a world championship in 1963. Other features that distinguish this Elise from run-of-the-mill models are a standard hardtop, black and silver Lotus racing wheels, black leather seats, red trim and a wooden shift knob. No mechanical changes were announced, however, meaning buyers get the same 218 hp and 156 lb.-ft. of torque from the Elise’s supercharged 1.8-liter, straight-4. Only 25 units are to be sold, matching Clark’s racing number. The�Clark Type 25 Elise SC will only be available in the UK and Ireland at an asking price of £35,995. Full press release following:

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ALPINA look back on a long and successful history in international motorsport.  Well-known F1 and Touring Car drivers such as Niki Lauda, Jacky Ickx, Hans Stuck and Dieter Quester gripped an ALPINA steering wheel on their way to winning three European Touring Car Championships.  ALPINA pilots also won the Nürburgring 24 Hours numerous times, as well as the 24 Hours of Spa in 1970.

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Aston Martin’s V8 Vantage – originally launched to widespread critical acclaim at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 – is to receive significant technical enhancements, reaffirming the car’s position as one of the world’s most desirable and exhilarating sports cars.

While the universally distinctive and award-winning shape of the V8 Vantage is retained, the car benefits from a number of technical changes which include significantly up-rated engine performance from a new 4.7 litre power unit in both Coupe and Roadster variants. Other changes include revised dynamics to take full advantage of increased power and torque availability, improved Sportshift™ transmission software and a new sports suspension option. (more…)

Two Aston Martin DBR9s will look to emulate Gulf’s first victory at the 24 hour race 40 years on.

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At the official opening of Aston Martin’s first ever dedicated design centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, on Tuesday 11 December, Dr Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive Officer, thrilled an audience of more than seven hundred VIP guests with a surprise unveiling of a stunning new 600bhp performance concept car; the V12 Vantage RS.

The V12 Vantage RS concept is based on Aston Martin’s critically acclaimed V8 Vantage coupe, but the company’s design and engineering team have fully exploited the design flexibility of their unique VH architecture and the motor sport development of their 6.0 litre V12 engine to create a dramatic and production feasible concept car focussed on extreme performance and dynamics.

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Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is presenting the new Boxster RS 60 Spyder in Germany. From April 4, the most recent model in the successful Boxster series will be celebrating its first home appearance at the 18th Auto Mobil International (AMI) in Leipzig. The city is home to Porsche’s second production location, complementing the main factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. At the motor show there are other highlights to be appreciated, too: the innovative power train of the future Cayenne, with its Full Parallel Hybrid drive giving particularly low fuel consumption, and the Porsche RS Spyder racing car.

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