I’ve just returned from Goodwood’s ‘Moving Motor Show’ which leads up to the Festival of Speed this coming weekend and where punters get the opportunity to drive or be driven up the hill in a variety of cars supplied by manufacturers.
I had two runs in a new Focus Estate powered by the latest 1.6-liter 179 bhp EcoBoost engine (more of which later) followed by a Mondeo wagon powered by the 237 bhp two-liter version of Ford’s EcoBoost powertrain line up.
But dominating the grounds was this take on the Jaguar E-Type to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Made out of steel tubes, the sculpture soars nearly 92 feet into the air in front of Goodwood House. At 147 tons the installation weighs the same as 122 Series 1 E-types and took 10 days to install by a firm specializing in bridge building.
Echoing the curved fuselage of the car itself, the sculpture has been created 1640 feet of painted steel tubes 47 inches in diameter. Originally intended for use in gas pipelines, these are constructed from half inch thick steel machined to very high tolerances. Much of the metal was donated by Tata Steel, a subsidiary of Jaguar’s parent company.
Appropriately for the car that earned itself a permanent place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the E-type’s sensual shape has been recreated and transformed into a work of art itself by sculptor Gerry Judah. The design process began in January and was followed by detailed engineering calculations and planning stages that lasted four months.
Previous Goodwood installations have incorporated cars into the design but Judah explains why this year was different: “The E-type is famous for its shape but too small and delicate to hoist into the air. I thought I would like to express the form of the car itself without any embellishments. Everyone recognizes the E-type, the shape speaks for itself. You can’t compete with it, you can’t digress from it.”
As well as the sculpture, visitors to the event will be able to see an array of Jaguars past and present. Naturally the E-type will be taking centre-stage but also taking to the Goodwood Hillclimb course will be its famous C and D-Type racing forebears and the XK120 that founded the Jaguar sports car lineage.
Related posts:
- Electric-Powered Smart Fortwo to Debut at 2010 Essen Motor Show
- Up the Hill at Goodwood in a… Taxi!
- Goodwood: Getting There is Half the Fun
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