Unfortunately, Radian encountered issues and could not show their cars today.
I’d say the Prince’s run wasn’t too slow for having less than 60 horsepower, though I’ll admit that it’s certainly to be just about the slowest car up the hill-climb we’re going to see.
#2018 Toronto 705 LS
The 2018 Toronto 705, shown here in LS trim painted Quicksilver Mica, will be officially released to the public in the spring of 2018. It is an entirely aluminium, 2+2 high performance grand tourer powered by the latest iteration of Canada Motors’ V12 engine.
The 6.5L AlSi V12 in the 705 makes use of 4-valve DOHC with VVL and VVT technology to produce 600 HP and 478 ft-lb of torque while revving up to 7800 RPM. This can propel the 705 from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and to a top speed of 331 km/h. The Goodwood hill climb is achieved in 56.32 seconds.
The interior makes full use of leather, alcantara, wool carpeting, machined aluminium, wood or carbon fibre accents, and all entirely customisable by the buyer.
While the production run won’t be limited by a set number, the 705 will make best use of automated and manual labour in order to produce the finest automobile for our clients. With this in mind, production will take a long time and so we will be opening a waitlist on the 7th of July 2017 for the first six months of tailored production, while after that some models will be produced with various combinations of options for dealers at a lower price while the customised models will still be available for a premium.
Prices will vary based on options, but we can announce that the dealer versions of the 705 LS will have a price tag just under $150,000.
######Excuse me for not having the time to do fancy Photoshops of it.
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Well, I was half expecting this to do at a moderately satisfactory pace.
Eau Rouge Rennsport (actually just managed to tip over 300kph at the first straight) I do not think such speeds were ever available to this track, so there’s probably something off with it
Mistral GT, while revving up to 10k rpm (I forgot how high we revved those AMWEC spec engines, actually)
Augusta is pretty slow though, but for 35k retail, what do you expect. Lot’s of turbo noises though.
And the Brooklands R also does a laptime, which is about all I can say about it 
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It’s nice to see that you have revealed the Toronto 705 LS on Canada Day, especially since this year marks 150 years of independence - a shrewd choice on your part indeed. It’s so attractive, I would buy one with my own money if I had the chance!
18’ Spaziale S
Powered by a 4.5 litre v8, the Spaziale sits right in the middle of the Cornaldie range of performance cars. It features a lightweight all aluminum construction, with wishbone suspension all round, and 604 horsepower while still maintaining over 20 mpg. MSRP starting at $82,000 @ 160% markup.
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After the ATCC, Zenshi and ZMD decided to move it’s curiousity around participating in Le Mans in the future. This time, instead of pursuing the LMP1 class like it usually had before, they decided to explore the world of LMGTE class.
To convert ZMD’s pure performance into a form of expression, the Grandea GTR wasn’t used this time around. Instead, it was the Raizan X1.
Zenshi [color=cyan]Raizan X1 LMGTE Prototype '17[/color]
quick editing props to @titleguy1
The Raizan X1 is selected to be Zenshi’s LMGTE fighter for the next 24 hours of Le Mans season. While more tame in power compared to it’s “domestic” counterpart, it still is much more hardcore than it, with the lack of SM-AWS and much fewer luxurious materials present, as it is (obviously) meant for LMGTE racing.
Powering the Raizan X1 LMGTE is an ACO regulated, ZMD engineered 5.5L Naturally Aspirated V8 known as the RSA55GDA, which makes approximately 525-530 HP, mated to a magnesium cased 6-Speed sequential manual gearbox, which is shifted with paddle shifters. The removal of multiple materials, as well as the lack of an AWD system made the car much lighter, weighing in at 1247 kg, enough to bypass the LMGTE weight limitations (1245 kg is minimum acceptable weight).
The prototype monster, coated in a beloved shade of blue similar to that of a Japanese soft drink, is sure to wow viewers in the future when it takes part in the LMGTE series once the final livery is created. ZMD is confident that their beautiful monster of a Zenshi masterpiece will turn heads in Goodwood.
The driver of the Raizan X1 LMGTE is none other than Miyoko Sakurai, winner of the controversial 1997 Japanese Grand Masters Prototype Championship (JGMPC) with the Zenshi XSS, who will be making a comeback in the Japanese racing scene with this exact vehicle.
The FoS “lap” time of the Raizan X1 LMGTE is:
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And there’s your main carthrottle meme for the next week or so.
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Introducing(finally)… The Radian Sorena!
(I know, my designs suck)
This car packs a punch under the hood, with a 6.3 liter NA V8 pushing 515 horsepower, and an optional turbo bumping it up to 592. With optional AWD, this car is very quick!
And now, the times.
Sedan RWD NA
Sedan RWD Turbo
Sedan AWD NA
Sedan AWD Turbo
Ute RWD NA
Ute RWD Turbo
Ute AWD NA
Ute AWD Turbo
Wagon RWD NA
Wagon RWD Turbo
Wagon AWD NA
Wagon AWD Turbo
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#Shromet makes their appearance at Goodwood.
To show our motorsport prowess and technical superiority, we’ve put the Shromet Dragon toe to toe against world famous track cars, and showed it can hold it’s own. Ascending the Hill in 55.13 Seconds.
####As Always, credit to @titleguy1
But our showcase doesn’t end there. Starting in the fall of 2017, A brand new performance version of the Mystic will be avalible for purchase. The Mystic Limited,
The Turbocharged V6 Makes 400 Horsepower and 400 Pound feet of Torque, allowing it to accelerate from 0-60 in Under 5 Seconds, utilizing for the first time, Our Advanced 7 Speed Dual Clutch Transmission.
But it isn’t all about Straight line performance, either. Despite it being a full size car, it can climb the hill in a minute and two seconds.
And none of this performance is out of reach, as the Mystic Limited will retail for 30,000$*.
For more information on the Mystic Limited, Visit our Company, where more information on the car will be debuting soon.
#####*Manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
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MMS Goshawk R 1000+: Australia Strikes Back
15 years ago, Brisbane-based Mason Motor Sports (MMS) launched its first-ever car, the Goshawk. It was fitted with a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged version of Albury Motors’ 6.2-litre New Universal V8, and was hailed as a spiritual successor to the Ferrari F40 due to its analog feel and blistering performance, enough to go toe-to-toe with contemporary rivals such as the Macale Mantella.
The current Goshawk R superseded the original in 2013, and to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the company’s establishment, it has replaced all prior variants with the most extreme version yet, the 1000+. Now packing well over 1000 horsepower from its 6.4-litre, direct-injected V8 (hence the name), it is one of the few old-school hypercars still in production, dispensing with new-fangled components such as bulky hybrid hardware or a complicated sequential gearbox.
Included in the production run is a 15th Anniversary edition, of which only 15 examples will be built. These cars are distinguished by their six-spoke carbon-fiber wheels and the option of an exposed carbon-fiber body, but all of them have been spoken for well before Goodwood 2017, as has much of the current production run. With most other Australian manufacturers sourcing their models from overseas, the Goshawk will be among the best specialist cars developed, engineered and assembled exclusively in Australia for years to come.
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Bamtech fronted up to the Festival of Speed as they have done so for the last 24 years but to the Whittlebury-based supercar builder the FoS has quickly become a testing session for the Revival meet and a chance to run some cars that can’t be raced in September.
As an example, Bamtech have brought 3 car transporters to Goodwood and one transporter is full of old British touring cars that aren’t going anywhere near the hillclimb track.
Pictured is the Bamford/Bamtech tent, located somewhere near the back of Goodwood and just out of the way of most Festival attendees, Sitting outside is the 1976 BRC losing Shark GT. After years of historic racing, the 6L V8 powered lead sled is being restored, with the FoS it’s last public outing for the foreseeable future.
Bamford/Teuton Shark GT
1976
Teuton 6L V8 - 541hp @ 6500rpm
1298kg
293km/h top speed
0:00:57:92 Hillclimb
Inside the tent are the 3 new Bamtech Supercars, the 2016 AC-D-E Shark range.
(L - R)
AC Shark
Modern version of 1965 AA Shark Road Car
Bamford Halifax 202 - 353hp @ 9300rpm
958kg
278km/h top speed
0:00:55:10 Hillclimb
AD Shark
Turbocharged Supercar variant
Bamford Halifax 202 Turbo - 805hp @ 9000rpm
1186kg
335km/h top speed
0:00:51:55 Hillclimb
(And even with 395 rear tyres this thing still spends most of it’s time coping with it’s own wheelspin)
AE Shark
Modern Version of AA Shark Race Car
Bamford Halifax 202 - 353hp @ 9300rpm
814kg
284km/h top speed
0:00:52:66 Hillclimb
Bamtech brought four more cars to the FoS for display, the first being a resto-mod of a 1993 IA Advance, with the car being converted from a V6 Auto to a V8 Manual from the 1995 “Tetto Meno” model, this Advance in particular was bought by a Bamtech staff member to drive across America in and was rebuilt over a two month period.
The car was rolled on the Thursday and was hidden behind the Bamtech tent on the Friday with all reports being another rebuild in store for the car.
IA Advance V8
Bamtech 300 V8 - 463hp @ 8100rpm
2152kg
268km/h top speed
0:00:00:00 Hillclimb
The last 3 cars were all significant and successful race cars from Bamford’s history.
The Bamford/Volkswagen HA Shark won LeMans in the 1990’s and in convertible form became a long standing starwalt of the 90’s-00’s sportscar racing scene, the car on show at Goodwood, Number 8 was one of two road cars built for Homologation purposes and comes with a road-tune of the 1976 Teuton 6L V8 which is almost the same engine as the 1976 BRC entry.
Bamford/Volkswagen HA Shark
Teuton 6L V8 - 850hp-7900rpm
1200kg
352km/h top speed
0:00:50:04 Hillclimb
The final two cars had been air freighted from India to attend the FoS.
The Teuton 301 Grp. B was an AWD version of the Teuton 300 from Teuton in India, which was run by ex-Bamford engineer Ranvir Bhatt. Built as friendly competition to Bamford’s Grp. B program, the car was piloted to a 2nd place at Monte Carlo by Paul Meagher and Winston O’ Donnell who were re-united with the car and gave it a blast up the hillclimb track once more for old times sake.
Belching amazing amounts of smoke, the car (which hadn’t been driven for 8 years) was thrown up the hillclimb wearing a borrowed set of worn radials and made a respectable time, though the 301 was built with Tarmac rallying in mind, time had been cruel to the car and it seems to be the next car in-line for restoration after the IA and Shark GT were restored.
Teuton 301 Grp. B
Mongoose V8 Turbo - 715hp-7600rpm
1245kg
281km/h top speed
0:00:58:74 Hillclimb
The car on the other side of the ocean, the Bamford Controller was looked after much better during it’s time in India and the car was seen lapping Goodwood circuit
Derek MacKenzie and Pamela Sales ran the Controller alongside the Teuton and once won a round in Corsica. They too came to the FoS to run the car, with Derek staying on to get some laps in driving his fathers 1967 BRM around Goodwood circuit.
Bamford Controller Grp. B
Bamtech 202 V6 Turbo - 635hp-7300rpm
1193kg
260km/h top speed
0:00:57:75 Hillclimb
Bamtech’s display continued at the Circuit with old Cortinas and Mustangs cutting laps in-between the Supercar testing.
While the non-historic racing employees of Bamtech man the stand and are taking the new Sharks for runs on the hill.
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Oh, you… devil you! I know who you’re gunning for 
@BailsMackenzie - good show, lots of effort. nice.
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Love the rollover, that takes a degree of talent it does.
Am struggling to get anything done this weekend, sorry for letting you do the heavy lifting @Rk38! Promise I’ll have something to show for myself by Monday AEST 
p.s. hey @BailsMackenzie maybe you can take some tips from this vendor:
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Day 2: Contendiente launches a missile strike.
Contendiente did not only come to the Goodwood Festival Of Speed only to reveal the '18 Enemigo. They also wanted to conduct an experiment. That’s right.
During day 2, Contendiente revealed what the 2018 Misil looks like, but also announced one thing: the unit showed here is not what the street legal Misil will perform like, but it is what it will look like. It is an experimental car, made to try and claim the best time this year.
Contendiente did not reveal any details: curb weight, power curve, peak torque and power…they kept it all a secret. Only thing they revealed is that the powerplant this car mounted was a flatplane V8.
Heckler Kraut got into the machine and took it out for a run.
The Misil completed the track in:
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Orchid:
MK1 Jespar RR
Jespar RR:
534bhp @8100rpm
483nm @7500rpm
1229KG
The 1994 Orchid Jespar RR roared as it was hurtled up the hill-climb with turbo intake and straight six scream echoing through the festival. Its circuit racing days are over but with 534bhp on tap and a lot of tire smoke it most certainly put on a show, coming onto boost mid corner it gave the driver a bit of a fright.The 2.8 litre engine had not been given such a spanking since 1997 and was certainly no better off for it with a more than warm turbo at the end of the run.
Standard 1992 Jespar:
303bhp @7000rpm
349nm @3500rpm
1295KG
[spoiler]The lack of photo shop is due to a lack of talent I may request some help soon with some images. [/spoiler]
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Maesima presented a full display at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Maesima have made full display showcase all their lastest models as well as free test drive demos on selection models. Performances by the Maesima Prova ST-R, Maesima MRZ-3 STX-R as well as from the Maesima Prova MS-R01 ATCC racing car driven by Anikatian racer Sobong Yeong-ho. The Maesima heritage racing models will make a brief appearance with legendary Group-B Maesima NRZ-976 B-238 making a showcase run. In addition, Maesima’s 1985 NRX-085B Le Mans racer will be making a display.
Hillclimb
2017 Maesima Prova ST-R Hatch - 1:04.45
2017 Maesima MRZ STX-R - 1:00.35
2017 Maesima Prova MS-R01 ATCC - 1:00.92
1982 Maesima NRZ-976 B-238 - 1:03.34
1985 Maesima NRX-085B - 0:56.83
Sachiuri put on a show at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Sachiuri the luxury division of Maesima will be showcasing all their lastest models as well as free test drive demos on the all-new Sagitta sportcar. Just head down to the Sachiuri stand to book in. In addition making its world debut, the all-new Sagitta GTE racing car will be making a timed run up the hill. It will be driven by Anikatian veteran racing legend Choi Ji-hun.
Hillclimb
2017 Sachiuri sL200 Sports Touring - 1:01.34
2018 Sachiuri Sagitta 4.4 - 0:52.75
2018 Sachiuri Sagitta GTE Prototype- 0:52.29
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changed one thing because of you fekin discord le mans nerds
Welcome to our stand!
We have always been visiting Goodwood. Not every year with a stand like today, but after all, we’re here and, instead of showing anything new (because we don’t have anything new that could be soon released), we’ll show five cars from our racing heritage.
Let’s begin from the oldest to newest.
1965 LM65
LM65. Airborne’s first attempt into Le Mans racing. It wasn’t very powerful, yet it wasn’t also very quick. It kept up with most sports cars, muscle cars and even early supercars of the era. It has modified 2.3 litre V6 engine from Mirage S2 tweaked to generate 180 hp, and in a car that weighs slightly above 900 kilograms this is a deadly mix. Combined with short ratios and excellent cornering possibilities made it great choice for twisty sections of the track. Sadly, due to short ratios it could only reach 220 km/h which basicly made this car weak on straights.
But, it had one advantage: reliability. When in 1965 Le Mans competitors broke down, needed to pit stop and such, LM65 was stopping only to refuel and, sometime, change tires.
Also, there was a short run of street-legal LM65, and the car you see is the first one out of 30 made. However, people had to wait for fully street-legal Airborne supercar to 1967, when Rome had appeared.
1987 GSX
Group B was a great possibility to create mind-blowing cars without really any limitations. Companies like Lancia, Peugeot or Audi used that possibility. Airborne did not miss that opportunity too - it had a car coded as Gruppe B in works from 1984. However, when the car was almost finished in 1986 Group B had collapsed due to series of tragic incidents. When FIA informed that something called Group S could be founded, and the only real limitation would be company’s budget and 300 hp maximum power limit, Airborne quickly converted two of the Gruppe B prototypes to be another car: the GSX.
GSX name came from “Group S Experimental” and was meant to compete in so-called Group S. Final goal was meant to be AWD mid engined monster with performance comparable to Porsche 959 and 300 hp of power. Two of those goals were reached: mid engined monster and 300 hp. Sadly, in the prototype you see there’s only RWD. It does not mean that the car isn’t quick, because it is: After official presentation in 1987 during Geneva Motor Show FIA cancelled any plans with Group S and therefore Airborne aborted GSX project, leaving it only in form of single RWD prototype (AWD one got totaled during testing).
1990 F90 Stage II
Sadly we can’t bring the car to Goodwood run because it uncontrollably throws flames from engine, therefore it’s dangerous to drive it unless we solve the issue (and if we will solve anyway). However, you can freely go to our paddock and see that car!
F90. Our entrance into short-lived revival of Formula Automation in 1990. Original F90 had raced only in one race of the competition series and with Norbert Nowicki behind the wheel got pretty good 3rd place. In hope of continuation of the series, Nowicki with Airborne Formula Team created continuation of F90: he named it Stage II.
The differences were seen even in exterior: Nowicki replaced characteristic F90 front with more streamlined one, he also got rid of wing of normal racer and replaced it with something that he was even surprised (his rememberable quote about the wing: Kurwa mać ale to wielkie) - from minor modifications there could be also two “exhaust boxes” sticking out of the body preventing it to catch fire, rear cover with more ventilation.
Engine and suspension mods covered replacing the suspension with pushrod one bought from unknown to this day tuning company (probably from Germany) and boosting the engine from 664 hp to values between 800 and 900 hp.
Sadly, F90 Stage II was never raced due to fact that Formula Automation got cancelled just after one race and AFT focused on preparing modified version for endurance racing called F91E (which failed anyway).
##1998 Synth GT1 Stradale
Airborne’s greatest motorsport success to date. During qualifying sessions to Le Mans race race-spec Synth GT1 was so quick that it doubled several 911 GTs, one R390 and plenty of other racers.
Sadly, and luckily enough it was considered by both Airborne and FIA as too good for actual racing on track and got banned. Race spec Synth GT1 (chassis GT1-00000) was transformed into street legal car you can see here on Goodwood.
There are 12 GT1 Stradales ever made (including Chassis Zero). All of them are basicly race spec models tuned down to meet street legal regulations. While still being blisteringly quick with power of 674 hp, Synth GT1 could go 330 km/h (350 km/h in race spec) and has ~3.5 seconds to 100 km/h (race spec - below 3.0). Actually, the car presented still has it’s driver racing seat mounted into the car. The car is so legendary that there were rumors back in 2010-2011 that Airborne may prepare a successor for it, but those rumors were false.
2015 F15 Patricia
F15 Patricia, Airborne’s currently last entry in endurance racing. It raced in 2015 season of Automation Motorsports World Endurance Championship and got 18th place overall. It wasn’t successful, however we revised this car after the final race.
Currently the car you see (it raced in AMWEC with this livery) has about 650 hp of power and is slightly quicker than before. It’s painted in special color called Devil Red, which we save only for best of the best from Airborne. It’s maybe not the best, but at least it won the opinion of the prettiest car in 2015 season of AMWEC.
All the cars are available to view to public and except F90 you can ask for a test drive or just diving inside them. Also, don’t miss our bonus car which is Madoka Matsusaka’s Seishi SR that she raced recently in Gunma prefecture on legendary Mount Haruna. Search for a purple Seishi with AIRJAP bodykit with fixed headlights and license plate with localization indicator of Osaka and 31-92 numbers.
Gordon Anderson (born: 1937) today.
Also, don’t miss one guest from the past: another legend, Gordon Anderson! He’s Gavin Anderson’s grandfather, his most famous journalistic cover was 1960 Earls Court Show and after 15 year hiatus he came back to public life. Also, he’s like Edward Khil of automotive industry, so you can get trolled out (you have been warned). You can see him on our stand or talking on Bonham Classic exposition.
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#Day 3
The sun shone on the south of England today as this year’s Festival of Speed entered its third day.
Canadian marque Toronto kicked off Saturday with a new 2+2 GT Coupe called the 705. Simple naming meets clean but bold design, perhaps only tainted by the odd chrome lines on the rear of this thing. Still, with a 6.5 V12 under the bonnet, you can hardly say this thing isn’t meeting all the GT cruiser requirements, and it’s pretty damn quick for such a big car, wafting up the climb in a smidgen over 56 seconds. We’ll be seeing it again sometime next year when it’s launched for real.
Cornaldie gave their display next with the, er, ‘Spaziale’, the name of which was taken with some odd glances from the British general public and a few “that sounds a little offensive” from some of the more upper class visitors at the show. That said, it did impress on the run up the climb; this 604 hp mid-engined coupe was very flat through all the corners and very nippy. Prices start at $82k, making it awfully cheap for a 600 hp mid-engined supercar. This is a one to watch if you’re looking for a proper budget supercar.
Zenshi ran a new GTE-spec version of the stunning Raizan X1, and somehow they’ve managed to make the rear of this thing look even better. I had to go to the Zenshi tent afterwards just to oggle at this thing. It also happens to be very fast, and even built specifically to the current GTE standards and being quite limited in its power, it’s one of the fastest cars of this year’s show so far. The dream of a new endurance series where we might get to see this and many other cars like it lives on.
A quick run to the burger van for lunch and I was back again for the Shromet Dragon’s run up the climb. The stylish coupe was revealed earlier this year, and its fair to say that any new sports coupe gets its christening by appearing here. It was shortly followed by a tuned version of their mid-size Mystic. What with 400 hp under the bonnet and a price of $30k brand new, it has the potential to be a real bargain, and was certainly quick for what it is on the climb.
Manson Motor Sport gave us an odd showing by not actually running anything up the climb and instead only showing us the side of two cars. Still, they were keen to point out that one of them was the 2002 MMS Goshawk, which was supposedly heralded as a “spiritual successor to the Ferrari F40” (though a flick through the S.A.M. archives reveals no such claims being made by this publication). Yet they showed us very little in the way of performance specs; odd. Still, 15 years later and they’re celebrating the company’s founding with a side profile of a very green, supposedly 1000 hp “old school” hypercar that doesn’t even have a sequential gearbox. Apparently, this new version of the Goshawk will be “the last few cars developed, engineered and assembled exclusively in Australia for years to come”. Apparently, MMS haven’t heard of DSD, ANZ, Gryphon Gear, or even the cars own engine manafacturer, Albury.
Bamford and Bamtech made their main showing today, having given us a plethora of classic racers to behold as they drive up the climb. Another BRC classic, the Shark GT made an excellent run, though the same could not be said for the modified IA Advance which rolled over on one of the last bends. The Bam/VW HA Shark, a former Le Mans winner, shouted its way up the course in glorious fashion before rounding off their display with a Teuton 301 Grp. B, which made a whole lot of noise and a whole lot of smoke. It did make it up though - just - sadly not posting the best of times. Still, plenty of drama.
Contendiente were back at it with its new experimental hyper thing, the Misil. The Spanish car maker have kept the details of this creation very quiet, and it blitzed the course in just under 46 seconds, making it a very strong contender for this years fastest time.
Orchid were also back again send the Jespar RR flying up the course. There’s been a bit of a deficit in the 90s cars department this year the RR made up for it, packing 534 hp under the bonnet and posting a decent time.
With the day drawing to a close, Maesima and Sachiuri took centre stage for some properly special runs up the climb. The Anikatian duo have two of the biggest stands at this year’s show, and they’re well worth a visit (though do try to avoid the people in smart clothes trying to sell you a new Maesima Devina), and both companies have sent some great cars up the climb this year, including the Prova MS-R01, fresh from the ATCC. But, they truly saved the best 'til last; a gorgeous NRX-085, B-spec, in full original MRD livery, certainly one of the 80s prettiest endurance racers, which was then followed by the gorgeous Sachiuri Sagitta GTE Prototype. In its simple, colour-only livery and rocking full aero packs and what not, it looked stunning. But not as stunning as the stunned look on the Sachiuri team’s faces when their GTE prototype wasn’t as fast as Zenshi’s. I’m sure there are already phonecalls being made to sort out an extensive tuning program for the Sagitta GTE right now.
The penultimate act today was Airborne, who’s stand has been frequented by many the automotive historian due to the range in age of cars on display. The company’s first prototype racer, the LM65, was on display, which owned the P 5.0 class that year. Also on show was a very special car from a sadly never-to-be-seen part of motorsport history, the GSX. Made to enter into the fated Group S category (the successor to Group B), this GSX is a RWD only model, after its AWD sister test car was ruined in a crash. Few other Group S prototypes remain, and to see one out on display like this is particularly special. Out on the climb, the Synth GT1 Stradale tore up the track and brought some much needed 90s GT1 action to the track, and it was followed by its younger relative the F15 Patricia, Airborne’s AMWEC 15 entrant.
Closing the show were newcomers Raidan who went up with a specially organised run of every single new trim of the Sorena midsize sedan. It is the single most un-designed car I’ve ever seen, with the coupe version looking a Chinese knock-off of an original Audi TT that came out of a fax machine poorly. And I’m sorry, but a 6.3l V8 pumping out 515hp and it can’t even push the fastest AWD variant below 57 seconds? Their turbo option isn’t exactly much better, with that extra 77 hp barely getting it up the climb any faster. So no, this car is not “very quick”. But what’s worst of all about this thing is that it has no passion. The Festival of Speed is a festival of speed. It’s about car makers and car enthusiasts showing off their love for automotive performance, and we’ve already seen just how much passion there is for making fast cars and displaying them here already. It’s what the show has always showcased so well. And that, as a result, makes the Sorena more than anything else, a shame. It is an unloved car that hasn’t been given the treatment and devotion to creating something brilliant that it deserves, unlike every other vehicle here.
And with that, another day closes. It’s the last day of the show tomorrow, and I’ve got a date with destiny; meeting the Bonham Owners Club and low and behold, my grandfather. What joy.
See you then!
- Gavin Anderson
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