Goodwood Festival of Speed: the greatest show on wheels ever invented?

It's Thursday morning, bright and early. The gates have just opened for the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed here in England. I'm standing in front of Goodwood House for the first time, looking up at the stunning Porsche central display. Suddenly, I notice the Duke of Richmond heading towards me. We exchange a pleasant "Good morning" and he heads off towards the hill climb course.

It suddenly hits me that he started this, back in June 1993. Because of a passion for the motor car. Ironically, that's why Automobilia Store began - pure passion for the motor car.

This is our first visit to the FOS, but it clearly has grown into a behemoth. This isn't just a showcase of historic motorsport vehicles from World Superbikes to steam powered cars to the latest EVs - it's the creme of the crop. Every car here is iconic, certainly from the motorsport side. The value of the paddocks is astronomical. 

The whole set up screams money - from the car manufacturers like Mini and BYD trying to out do each other with the largest stand to the luxury consumer brands like Tag Heuer and Veuve Clicquot going all out - it's as classy as it is busy. It's very well organised and run, although it gets so busy you can barely move at times - and they could sell tickets for the shaded areas!

The highlights for me? Seeing the 'Beast of Turin' (if you know, you know) and the 1993 McLaren MP4/8 Lamborghini spec in the flesh certainly, but if I'm honest, there are too many highlights. You can't imagine anywhere in the world having more iconic machines in one place, yet the show is just as much about the future as it is the past.

It was nice to see fellow F1 memorabilia and even Indycar memorabilia collectors attending, many who tried to get items signed by the various drivers who attended over the three days, from Damon Hill to Derek Bell. Keep an eye on our F1 memorabilia page for some of the items were got signed at Goodwood over the coming weeks.

So...to answer the question in the title...it is the best show on wheels. Probably.