Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019: the best of Aston Martin

2019 marks 70 years since Aston Martin first made its Goodwood debut

The 2019 edition of Goodwood’s Festival of Speed is an important occasion for Aston Martin. Not only is it 70 years since the Gaydon manufacturer first raced at Goodwood Circuit, but also 60 years since Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby took their legendary DBR1 racers to a historic one-two finish at Le Mans – a victory that paved the way to countless motorsport successes in the years since.

To commemorate these landmark achievements, Aston Martin’s presence in West Sussex is bigger than ever. An example of nearly every road and race model to ever leave the company’s Solihull factory is here, and Goodwood’s central sculpture is a tribute to the firm’s continued success on the track.

Join us for a look at everything Aston’s brought to Goodwood, from spritely 1960s racers to the fearsome Vantage GTE that the company currently fields in the World Endurance Championship.

Aston Martin DP214 (1963)

Built to compete at Le Mans, Project 214 is a DB4 GT-based prototype racer with a chequered past. Just two were built, and both suffered terminal engine failure in their first outing at La Sarthe, before one was destroyed in a crash at the Nurburgring 1000km a year later.

Aston Martin Vulcan (2015)

The Vulcan is an 800bhp 7.0-litre V12-powered track car, of which just 25 were made. At its 2015 launch, it was lauded as the most powerful naturally aspirated car ever built, a title that it will soon relinquish to the forthcoming Valkyrie hybrid hypercar.

Aston Martin DB3S (1953)

Packing a 2.9-litre straight-six, the DBS took part in one of the most infamous motorsport events of all time. The car claimed second place at Le Mans in 1955, with Belgian Paul Frère at the wheel. The race was remembered for a terrible mid-race crash that killed dozens of people on the home straight.

Aston Martin Rapide E (2019)

The Rapide E is Aston’s first all-electric production car, but won’t be made in big numbers. The company claims a sub-4.0sec 0-60mph time, a 50-70mph time of 1.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph, but the really competitive performance figure is its claimed range of more than 200mph. Just 150 will be made at the company’s St Athan plant in Wales.

Aston Martin and Zagato

Italian coachbuilder Zagato has a long relationship with Aston Martin that stretches right back to the 1960s, with numerous standout models. Earlier this year, Aston Martin began work on a run of 15 DB4 GT Zagato Continuation models, which are nut-and-bolt faithful to the 1964 original, the first of which appeared at Le Mans last month.

Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (2018)

With a naturally aspirated V12 pumping out 600bhp, Aston’s 2018 GT3-spec racer was up against a raft of more advanced machinery in its Blancpain and British GT campaigns, but still managed to put in some very impressive performances.

Aston Martin DBR1 (1956)

Perhaps the best known of Aston Martin’s historic racers, the DBR1 is responsible for the most significant motorsport victory in the company’s history. Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby claimed the top spot at Le Mans in 1959 at the helm of the two-seater, a victory that is memorialised in 2019’s Goodwood Festival of Speed Central Sculpture.

Aston martin DBR9 (2007)

Aston Martin made quite a splash in the motorsport world when it returned to competing in top-level events with its DB9-based DBR9 GT car in 2005. The car won at Sebring and Silverstone before taking a class win at Le Mans, earning itself a place in the company’s racing hall of fame. Aston Martin would later move up to the prototype ranks to bid for an outright victory, but the move was not a success and it soon returned to the GTE ranks.

Aston Martin Vantage (2019)

Aston Martin’s bespoke development arm – Q by Aston Martin – has created six limited edition Vantage sports cars, with each paying tribute to one of the brand’s successful race cars. Just ten of each will be produced, with all sporting a carbon fibre rear wing, dive planes and extended front splitter. Livery choices are inspired by 1923’s Razor Blade racer, the Group C AMR1 and the DBR9 Le Mans participant and others.

Aston Martin DBX (2020)

The company’s first SUV has just gone into pre-production at Aston’s St Athan plant, ahead of the first customer deliveries next summer. It will be an important car for the brand, widening its customer base significantly.

Aston has run a lengthy teaser campaign for the car, with disguised prototype models having been spotted in various locations ahead of launch.

Aston Martin DBR4 (1959)

The mechanicals for this Formula One entry were based on the DBS3, but the engine was significantly downsized to 2.5-litres. The front-mounted straight six came at a time when rivals were finding success with mid-engined designs, and a disappointing two sixth place finishes were all it could bring home.

Aston Martin Nimrod C2B (1983)

This Group C prototype was entered in Le Mans and the World endurance championship that year where it produced some good, if mid-field, results. Power came from a Tickford-tuned version of Aston’s V8, producing some 570bhp from 5.3 litres.

Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake (2019)

The Zagato Shooting Brake is a restyled version of Aston’s Vanquish sports car, built in partnership with its Italian long-term design collaborator. Just 99 are confirmed for production, and all had been sold even before its reveal last year.

Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Speedster (2019)

The Zagato Speedster is even more exclusive than its Shooting Brake sibling, with a production run of just 28 units. Like 2003’s DB AR1, the Speedster goes without a roof, and features styling influences from the One-77 supercar, CC-100 concept and DB7 Zagato.

Aston Martin Speed 'Red Dragon' (1936)

For the 1936 running of Le Mans, Two Speed models were readied with 2.0-litre engines, up from the 1.5-litre found in previous Aston racers. However, the race was called off because of a general strike. Aston Martin pulled out, but found another race to enter: the 1936 Tourist Trophy in Ards, Ulster. Dick Seaman led the race for Aston until engine failure forced his retirement.

Aston Martin Vantage GTE (2019)

With a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 instead of the V12 used in the previous generation, the new GT3 has proven both on the pace and reliable in endurance racing. It competed in the 2018-2019 WEC ‘super season’, where it claimed Pro victories in Shanghai and Spa, and an Am win at last year’s season opener. But it was hampered by a Balance of Performance adjustment at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

The future of Aston Martin

While the brand may now be known for its supercars, it will be the DBX SUV that will be the firm's most important car heading into Aston’s next hundred years. The DBX will then be joined by other new launches, including the ‘son of Valkyrie’ Valhalla, a mid-engined hypercar with a starring role in the next Bond film.