The beautiful BMW 507 will open the Goodwood festival of Speed, with Lord March driving it up the 1.16 mile hill.

Goodwood Festival of Speed founder, Lord March, will open this year’s event by driving up the hillclimb course formed by his driveway in a beautiful 1957 BMW 507 sportscar.

BMW is this year’s Honoured Marque and the central theme of the 2016 edition of the Festival of Speed will celebrate the German manufacturer’s centenary.

Lord March will complete the very first run up the 1.16-mile hillclimb at the start of the Moving Motor Show, part of the new Press & Preview day on Thursday, June 23.

The 3.2-litre V8-engined BMW 507 was driven by Hollywood stars Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley in its heyday but only 252 were ever built.

With a top speed of 122mph, the 507 was beautifully hand-built and, while it was priced £3,200 when it was first built in ’57, the rarity of the model now means that the example Lord March will drive up the hill is estimated to be worth around £2 million.

Lord March said: “I’m delighted that BMW has chosen to mark its centenary with us. Our magnificent central feature sculpture outside Goodwood House will celebrate BMW’s sporting success and I will be honoured to drive one of the rarest, and most beautiful, BMWs ever built to open what promises to be a terrific show.”

The BMW 507 and Lord March will take to the hillclimb track to open this year’s Festival of Speed at 9am on Thursday, June 23.

Bentley Motors opens it's first Mountain Lodge, Luxury to get there, and luxury living in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Bentley Motors today announces the opening of its first ever mountain lodge in Kitzbühel, Austria. This new concept of living the Bentley essence in Europe opens its doors for the first time to welcome the European dealers and a selected group of VIPs and local residents.

Surrounded by breathtaking peaks and valleys while being nestled in one of the most exclusive Alpine hot spots, the full-serviced and luxuriously furnished chalet offers an unrivalled hideaway amid Kitzbühel and is now available for private bookings for customers and friends of the brand. Robert Engstler, Regional Director Europe at Bentley Motors, comments: ‘The Bentley Lodge Kitzbühel has everything to become a class-of-its-own destination. 

One of the latest Bentley models will be available at all times for the guests and we are glad to offer various bespoke experiences such as fishing, hunting, horseback riding, skiing, tennis, golf and spa treatments.’

The Bentley lodge Kitzbühel is inspired by the techniques, the materials and the finishes that characterise Bentley’s renowned car interiors. The designers and architects combined regional, traditional and modernist designs and materials, injecting a little of the spirit of the British gentleman driver. 

The wood throughout the lodge is traditional Tyrolean stone pine wood while the natural stone comes from the Upper Tauern region.

‘Every Bentley motor car is created, not merely assembled,’ Robert Engstler continues. 

‘The interior of each car is trimmed with the finest supple leather, hand-finished wood veneers, gleaming metals and deep-pile carpets and at the Bentley Lodge Kitzbühel we give our customers the opportunity to experience these materials first hand and commission their very own Bentley.’

The historic building was originally the forester’s lodge and dates back to 1919, the same year that Bentley Motors was founded, and is now managed by Bentley Motors in partnership with hotelier Richard Hauser. 

It is available to book for customers and friends of the brand, being an ideal spot for private celebrations and especially during international events such as the Hahnenkammrace, the Alpenrallye, the ATP Tennis Tournament and many more. 

The Bentley Lodge is located right at the foot of the famous Ski-Downhill Race, the Hahnenkammrennen at the ‘Streif’ and only 500 meters away from the Kitzbühel City Centre. 

The Bentley Lodge Kitzbuehl can now be booked on www.bentleymotorslodge.com.