Defender’s high-riding wagon is exactly the sort of car you expect to find on a magnificent property such as the Goodwood Estate in England.
It’s easy to imagine the Duke of Richmond climbing aboard his British four-wheel-drive to survey neatly manicured grounds.
But our Defender feels incongruous today, surrounded by a snarling pack of Skittle-coloured supercars and vivid racing machines clad with spoilers and sponsorship.
Because this tour takes place during the Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the world’s greatest demonstrations of high-performance motoring.
My chauffeur is Sara Price, a champion driver who stood on the podium at this year’s Dakar Rally.
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And our chariot is a twin-turbo V8-powered Defender Octa transformed into “D7X-R” competition spec to win the production class of the world’s toughest rally. Its plush interior has been replaced by raw carbon fibre, deep racing buckets, a re-angled driving position, and a purposeful array of rally meters and heavy-duty switches.
Waiting at the start line is surreal.
The enormous Defender looks out of place beside tiny, fragile-looking hypercars waiting for their moment in the sun.
One by one, they vanish in clouds of tyre smoke between hay bales at the start of a 1.86 kilometre-long hill climb course on the Duke’s driveway.
Then it’s our turn. Pulling up to the start line, Sara is locked in on the starting light. Seconds stretched into an eternity. Then, bang.
We are off. The two-and-a-half-tonne Defender roared to life as it tries to launch itself into Goodwood House. Price buries the throttle as my stomach swallows itself from the brutal force exerted by the Defender.
Then we hit the opening straight, where thousands of spectators line the track, every eye drawn to the wild machine carrying us up the hill.
The atmosphere crashes over me like a wave, slowing time in a feeling I won’t easily forget.
As the course narrows near the top, the challenge only intensifies.
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The Defender we were sitting in isn’t a nimble supercar – it’s a bull thundering down an alleyway, and keeping it composed requires great skill. Price leans on her vast and varied experience to keep it in check. A frontrunner in everything from rallying to motocross and powerboat racing, she knows when to deploy the Defender’s power, and when to play it cool.
The course tightens between stone walls and hay bales infamous for punishing the smallest mistake. Her laser-precise racing line flirts with the edge of disaster, forcing a small squeal that might have come from the tyres, or me.
I exhale with relief across the finish line, and our chariot snorts with delight as Sara brakes and drops back through the gears at the end of a successful run.
There is a reason every car lover and their dog wants to come to Goodwood. It is so much more than “just another car show”. This 11,000-acre estate transforms into one of the best motoring events on the planet each year, drawing fans from across the globe for a chance to see ultra-rare machines put through their paces.
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The point isn’t just to compete and to complete the hill sprint in blistering times. It gives museums and collectors a chance to bring heritage models, championship-winning race cars and vintage classics to celebrate the wonderful world of automotive history.
At the same time, it also offers manufacturers an option to reveal their newest metal, some still wrapped in camouflage with secrets yet to be revealed.
Down in the paddock, fans can get remarkably close to their dream machines.
On the Jaguar Land Rover stand, a Defender D7X-R driven by 14-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel took centre stage. This one didn’t win, but it bears the battle scars of a brutal event designed to push man – or woman – and machines to the limit.
Like Dakar, the Goodwood hill climb is no gimmick. It’s a demanding stretch of tarmac that commands respect, which I can only appreciate more having experienced it from inside the car.
If you ever get the chance to attend this incredible event, I encourage you to do so. It’s a rare chance to experience ultra-rare machines, meet the people behind some of the most incredible cars, and soak up an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the world.
You won’t be disappointed.
