10 years of groundbreaking Goodwood art sculptures
Every year British artist Gerry Judah takes 40 tonnes of steel, some racing cars and the odd submarine, and pulls off something amazing. We salute a decade of incredible installations created for the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The largest motoring garden party in the world has arrived at Goodwood for the annual Festival of Speed event. But it's not all about cars and motorbikes. One of the biggest talking points of the event is, as ever, its giant sculpture centrepiece.
Each year, the Earl of March, who manages the 12,000-acre Goodwood estate, commissions a piece of artwork centring on an automotive theme. The first art installation was in 1997, when British artist and designer Gerry Judah created an Italian garden and prancing horse piece for Ferrari. He’s remained the man behind the iconic, oversized Goodwood designs ever since.
Here we take a look the awesome temporary sculptures that have graced Goodwood's grounds over the last ten years...
2002: Renault's return
The 2002, Renault sponsored this giant white and blue feather sculpture, showcasing seven of its Formula 1 racing cars and marking its return to the sport. The final design was the result of a collaboration between Judah and Thierry Metroz, Renault's head of road car design.
2003: Ford's 100th anniversary
The 2003 sculpture celebrated Ford's 100th anniversary in style, depicting three Ford Le Mans cars racing on a stunning silver racetrack. This particular scene was chosen to celebrate the finish of the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours, in which Ford GT40s took first, second and third positions. The piece was the largest constructed for Goodwood's festival up to that point.
2004: Rolls-Royce centenary
Judah's 2004 sculpture celebrated Rolls-Royce's centenary and the brand's heritage by showcasing its vehicles for use on land, sea and air. And no, your eyes do not deceive you: that is a submarine.
2005: 40 years of Honda success
The 2005 Honda sculpture was unique in that it was the only one to move. The piece, Goodwood's biggest yet, featured six racing cars suspended on sticks, swaying in the wind. The 50m high, 30m wide work of art took more than a year to design and build.
2006: Renault's centenary
Renault celebrated 100 years of Renault Grand Prix with this 28m-high 'infinity loop' sculpture, which gave many in the crowd a sudden appetite for Pringles. The structure was specially designed to channel sound and played host to a special rendition of God Save the Queen using an F1 engine.
2007: Toyota
This sculpture created for Toyota incorporated a series of arches based on the Torii, a traditional gate that marks the entrance of a Japanese Shinto shrine. The tallest arch was 35m high and the procession of racing cars swinging from it wowed the crowds.
2008: Land Rover
Eschewing the sleek lines and polished look of previous years' sculptures, 2008's sculpture was an eye-catching diversion into crazy town. The huge 40ft (12m) raw steel 'rock' structure featured five Land Rovers (one of each model in the range) to celebrate of the company's 60th anniversary.
2009: Audi celebrates its centenary
This 2009 sculpture saw a giant piece of race track with a 1937 Auto Union Streamliner and a new Audi R8 suspended at each end. The 135ft tall, 40-tonne piece was made entirely of steel.
2010: Alfa Romeo
The 2010 sculpture was inspired by Alfa Romeo’s Quadrifoglio badge and the red livery of its racing cars. The 18.5m-tall creation was made from 12 tonnes of steel in 32 sections, and incorporated an Alfa Romeo P2 and a 2003 8C Competizione.
2011: 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type
Last year, Jaguar celebrated the 50th anniversary of its iconic E-Type sports car. In its honour, the Goodwood sculpture was a simple (but huge) replica of one of the world's most-loved sports cars, which soared almost 92ft high and weighed in at 160 tonnes.
The piece was created out of steel pipes, with some of the metal used donated by Tata Steel, a subsidiary of Jaguar's parent company Tata.
2012: Half a century of Lotus
Judah's latest creation is this awesome 60-tonne sculpture for Lotus. Marking 50 years of the automaker's racing history, the gorgeous white piece features six Lotus F1 racing cars that span the company's history.
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