Autoblog UK

Here's a lesson for the motor manufacturers - be wary who you lend your cars to.

Hannu Mikkola drove a Ford Escort MkI 16,000 miles to win the 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally in 1970. Sure, it got some dents and bruises along the way but it still reached its destination and the Finn was reacquainted with the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend to give it a run out up the hillclimb.

The final day at Goodwood once again provided some spectacular sights. Jubilees and centenaries were also prominent on the agenda, with Bugatti, Audi, Morgan, Mini and the Daytona International Speedway all celebrating one round-numbered birthday or another. The remarkable aspect of this event staged in the grounds of the stately home of Goodwood is the proximity of the fans who have free access to the paddock where they can get up close to their two-legged (and four-wheeled) idols. We've compiled a third photo gallery for anyone who missed out on Sunday's action.

Many motor manufacturers are taking the opportunity of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to showcase both their current and their classic models. And there are also plenty of driver celebrities on the invitation list: Jackie Stewart, Mick Doohan, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Loeb, Jackie Ickx, Eddie Irvine and Stirling Moss are just a few of the big names expected to attend. We have put together some pictures from the second day of the festival in the gallery below.

The crème de la crème of motor racing will be attending an event to be held at the traditional home of the sport over the weekend of 3rd - 5th July. The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a jamboree for racing drivers and their cars, both classic and modern. We'll be dropping in there on each of the three days and presenting the four-wheeled stars of the show in our extensive photo galleries. Starting with today...

The Festival of Speed (3rd - 5th July) at Goodwood is to receive a superfast visitor: the record-breaking 'Bonneville' Jaguar XFR. The fastest big cat of all times has been booked as one of the stars of the show and will be appearing in the First Glance category. The modified XFR achieved a stunning maximum speed of 225mph (363km/h) on the Bonneville Flats in Utah. At Goodwood, we will be able to admire a special version in toxic green with graphite highlights. The official name for the colour scheme is, however, 'lime green'. Jaguar are also using the Goodwood Festival to celebrate the history of the marque with the one-off XJ13 prototype and further D-Types and C-Types.

The Festival of Speed is to be regarded more as a tribute to motorsport than as a serious race, even though this forms the backdrop to the whole occasion. It is perhaps best described as a cross between the Monaco Grand Prix and Royal Ascot. Over the weekend of the 3rd to 5th July, the Earl of March will play host to the 17th such event at his Goodwood Park estate. This year's special theme is 'True Grit - Epic Feats of Endurance'.

At the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, main sponsor Mercedes-Benz will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows. The Mercedes-Benz museum will be sending across several original Grand Prix racing cars from its collection. These will include the W 25 which Manfred von Brauchitsch drove in the 1934 Eifel Race and last year's McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 in which Lewis Hamilton won the F1 World Championship. Goodwood is one of the finest celebrations of motorsport heritage, indeed of motorsport in general, as you can see for yourself from the highlights of last year's show in the gallery below.