Classic car mechanic’s weekly motoring – Bring the noise

‘In the corner of the workshop, Olli Ragbin sits watching events unfold before him’

Another year and another Festival of Speed passes by. This is by far my favourite day out in the calendar and this year, I took the Silver Shadow. I’d been nervous that a significant downpour of rain could mean getting bogged down in a muddy field, which has happened to me before at Goodwood. The outcome however was just fine. No rain and a warm day, grandstand passes purchased, so we could wander around the various vantage points to watch interesting stuff go up to hill.

In the last few years, EVs have become a thing and even Goodwood has given them space to shine on ‘Electric Avenue’. Whilst the FoS represents a day of walking around and looking at incredible machinery, I still struggle to gain any enthusiasm to even go into Electric Avenue. This feels short-sighted, even ignorant to current technology. And it is a little. I find it difficult to muster much enthusiasm for electric as the main form of propulsion and the reasons are long-standing.

As a child growing up I loved everything about cars and motorbikes. In particular engine size and power played a big part in desire. The bigger the engine, the better the car. And big-engined cars sound incredible.

Sitting in the grandstand watching a V10 F1 car drive up, slow down, then do a massive burnout with the engine screaming before wheel spinning up the hill, never, ever gets boring. The noise is outrageous. The driver is doing what all petrolheads would love to do…. Just enjoying the magic of exquisite machinery, engineered to the finest of tolerances, sounding like the world is about to end. And every time I hear it, I think ‘this is what I came for’.

No doubt in time I’ll come around…. In fact, I love a big saloon and to me they feel made for EV. If Jaguar ever revisit the XJ range, then It’ll be with electric and it will likely suit the car. The truth is though, I’m always going to have a soft spot for making a loud noise with petrol. It’s part of the joy. EV is transport. Petrol is pleasure.

Workshop pics and FoS memories follow.

Enjoy July folks… happy motoring.

Olli

The late 70's Lamborghini Silhouette designed by Bertoné - There is something very right about this care

Keithy baby demonstrates the size of the fish that got away. Carp he thinks. A monster apparently

Walking around the 'supercar parking' often is the highlight of the day. So many amazing cars come to the show

A happy wizard. The SD1 is making progress and progress always makes Duncan happy

Alfie, Keith & the front bit of an E-type

Supercar parking again, this time a lovely Gen 1 996. This has been very subtly modified (I think) and it looks absolutely spot on to me

This was possibly my favourite car of the day. A 'Liberty Walk' bodied Ferrari F430, air suspension and very tasteful mods (white leather with Tiffany blue highlights). Ferrari purists will hate it.... I loved it. It looked just so perfectly right

Adrian Newy's daily driver. The Aston Valkyrie. Good lord I don't think I've ever seen such extreme design. That rear defuser is simply astonishing

..... I think it's like 4 foot tall or something.... what a piece of functional engineering

As we'd driven to the FoS in an old Roller, we had to go and look at the new ones. This one was circa £600k in this spec. I decided not to flash the keys to our one....

Beautiful contrasting baby blue interior on this Rolls Ghost. They are definitely trying to go for a younger (than me) generation

212 Horsepower and about the weight of my left leg. I can't begin to imagine the madness a twist of the throttle would bring

Mk I Fiesta in the shop this week. Loved them in this colour

My fav new car of the show, this gently body-kitted M2. Such a squat and punchy look...

... and its spiritual ancestor. A superb E30M3 in white. Love the wheels

At some point I'd love to own the E60 M5. V10 madness and 15 mpg..... which is significantly more than we get from the Roller, so an economic plus then... must remember to out this on Eric's radar.... probably not whilst Ingrid is within earshot mind....