Vauxhall to have a major presence at this years Goodwood festival of Speed.

• Popular Vauxhall Family Experience area makes welcome return to 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed
• Free Vauxhall Crèche – unique at this event
• Huge variety of family-friendly activities available + Vauxhall Drivers’ Lounge
• UK debut of Vauxhall GT Concept + rare and seldom-seen heritage concepts
• Iconic and rare Vauxhall racers on display with mix of new and old road cars
• UK debut of 544HP Vauxhall Maloo LSA
• Magnificent display of pre-war Vauxhall 30-98s grace Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance

Vauxhall Motors has recently announced that it will return to this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) with its unique Family Experience area that will captivate children and adults alike with a mix of fun-filled challenges and more than 30 exciting old and new cars to see.

The area, which features a large, free crèche and hospitality area, is the only one of its kind at the event and is guaranteed to be an instant hit with families.

While parents can enjoy refreshments (free, if you’re a Vauxhall owner) and browse some rare and fast Vauxhalls, children can get their own car-fix. The ADAM Pedal Car Derby and Vauxhall race simulators will appeal to budding GP drivers, while a zip line, ball-pond and face painting add even more variety. There are even special ADAM push cars for toddlers, and Crazy Football, Speed Kick and ‘Beat the Goalie’ challenges for all ages.

Making life even easier for parents who visit the Vauxhall Family Experience will be a buggy park, Child Wagon hire, baby change and a picnic area.

But visitors of all ages can look forward to a fascinating insight into Vauxhall’s design process on the stand, and fronting this will be the Vauxhall GT Concept, making its UK debut after being unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The one-off car will be in a display which cleverly shows the evolution of Vauxhall’s design heritage. Joining it will be two important concept vehicles from the Sixties, and opportunities during the event for guests to meet one of our senior designers.

And fitting in with the Festival’s theme this year – ‘Full Throttle – the Endless Pursuit of Power’ – Vauxhall will have two more very special displays on its stand. Full Throttle Competition Cars will showcase iconic race cars from the past, including Gerry Marshall’s Baby Bertha and the very latest Vauxhall Motorsport ADAM R2 rally car. And the Full Throttle Road Cars display will include the 376bhp Lotus Carlton and supercharged Monaro VXR500.

There will also be the chance to see the all-new 544PS Vauxhall Maloo LSA as it makes its UK show debut at Goodwood. Billed as ‘The UK’s Fastest Commercial Vehicle’, the Maloo LSA will be available on the stand for guests to pore over, while a second car will be driven in the hotly-contested First Glance class throughout the event.

Of course, the Maloo won’t be the only new Vauxhall for show-goers to see. Still basking in its success after being named 2016 European Car of the Year, the all-new Astra will be a highlight of Vauxhall’s stand, along with all six of the models which preceded it. Naturally, the new Astra will be joined by many other current models from Vauxhall’s new-car range.

Last but not least, Vauxhall will be causing a stir at the exclusive Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance, on the Cartier lawn near Cathedral Paddock. Fitting perfectly with the Festival’s ‘Full-Throttle’ theme, six rare versions of the Vauxhall 30-98 – Britain’s first 100mph production car – will be on display. Each car has a different style, from pared-down track racer to the elegance of a Wensum-bodied open two-seater, but all represent perhaps one of the greatest sporting motor cars from the pre-war period.

The Vauxhall Family Experience is located near Gate 1 in the in-field section of the event, near to the Goodwood Action Sports Arena (GAS) and a short walk from the hillclimb’s main start-line.

Vauxhall will be joined as part of GM’s presence by Chevrolet, with the popular Chevrolet Café, at Festival of Speed.

A special pre-war Fiat 500 Topolino with a fascinating history will be auctioned by Classic Car Auctions (CCA).

A special pre-war Fiat 500 Topolino with a fascinating history will be auctioned by Classic Car Auctions (CCA) on Saturday 19^th March at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre.

This particular example, with silver paintwork and a blue leather interior, was ordered new by one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, the second Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, way back on 14th September 1939. It was registered to the Westminster ancestral country estate, Eaton Hall, in Cheshire.

Now for sale seven decades after it was bought by its first owner, this Topolino will be offered at auction with an estimate of between £12,000 and £15,000.

The Topolino, which translates as ‘Little Mouse’, was one of the smallest cars in the world at the time of its production, and was the predecessor to the iconic Nuova 500 of the 1950s and 60s, as well as today’s popular model.

The Duke ordered his car with a 569L straight four side valve engine, with a manual gear box and in right-hand drive. Amazingly, the car has covered a total of just 1,593 miles in 77 years.

During World War II, the Topolino was transferred to the Duke’s Dublin estate while Eaton Hall was used as a hospital, as well as a temporary facility for the Britannia Royal Naval College. It was then shipped to back to Eaton Hall after the war. Upon the Duke's death in 1953, the car was transferred to the Dowager Duchess and remained part of the family until 1986 when the current vendor came across it.

“This is a remarkable little car with a fascinating past”, comments Guy Lees-Milne, general manager of Classic Car Auction. “Not only does it have ducal provenance, it has an extremely low mileage for a car of its age, making it a very rare find indeed.”

Having been with its current owner for 30 years, this special little car has benefitted from a lengthy and careful restoration, including a rebuild of the engine and a new leather interior.

“It’s amazing that one of the world’s wealthiest men would order such a modest little vehicle and a car of the people,” continues Guy Lees-Milne. “With its amazing story, and just two owners from new, we’re bound to have plenty of interest in its sale.”

Classic cars do battle on the Paris to Peking Motor Challenge

After two days of driving from the Great Wall of China, the competitive element of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge kicked in as the entrants reached the remote plains of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. With two days of Time Trials ahead of them, some drivers came into their own while others were left playing in the sand.

In the Vintageants group of pre-war cars, Mike Reeves and BBC World Service presenter Michelle Jana Chan head the results in their ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ 1940 Ford V8 Coupe after the first event. Having completed the long test-section with a blistering pace, the British pair chalked up a three minute lead over their rivals, fellow Brits Phil Garratt and Kieron Brown in their red 1937 Chevy Fangio Coupe, and Denmark’s Lars and Annette Rolner, in the 1928 Bentley four-and-a-half.

The trio battled it out over a vast undulating plain of sandy, dusty, gritty, gravel tracks for the second event with the growling Ford V8 keeping its lead and ending with the second placed Chevy breathing down its neck. The Ford completed the Time Trial in 66m 12s, the Chevy chalking up 67m 47s, helping the Ford consolidate its lead, which now stands overall at 37h 9m 21s, compared with the Chevy crew’s 37h 16m 25s.

In third place, the Rolner’s Bentley has a total of 37h 17m 42s, just over a minute off the pace of the Chevy. A surprise fourth is the Swiss team of Mani Dubs and Robi Huber in the 1932 Rockne Six 75. This American saloon has excellent long-travel suspension that rides the bumps and crests most impressively. The British crew of Bill Cleyndert and Mark Van Hees in a 1929 Ford Model A Speedster hold an excellent fifth place among the Vintageants.

Meanwhile in the Classics division, the lead has become the battle of the Aussies as the ex-1974 World Cup Rally winning Citroen DS23¸ driven by Robbie Sherrard and Peter Washington, races for the top spot against 81-year-old Gerry Crown and teammate Matt Bryson in their 1973 Leyland P76.

In the first trial, the Leyland was victorious. In the second, the Citroen took the lead. The total overall was 7h 34m 15s for the Citroen, with the Leyland on 7h 36m 17s, with two VW Beetles close behind. The 1970 Beetle of American’s John and Brett Layzell is third, over a minute adrift, with Garrick Staples and Hayden Burvill and their 1969 marque in fourth with a total of 7h 38m 11s - a minute and a half ahead of the 1965 Porsche 911 of Peter Lovett and Tim Smith. Car 100, the 1973 Holden pick-up, crewed by Peter St George and David Gainer is fifth.

While some drivers and cars are focused on winning, others just want to survive the day let alone the 33-day long challenge, with newcomer-crews getting to grips with the complexities of navigating by GPS using their Garmins, combined with the Tulip-style route book and excellently illustrated map book.

The rare Chevrolet Stylemaster suffered a broken half-shaft in the axle, requiring a truck, while the big Mercury Park Ward was side-lined with gearbox and axle problems, collecting maximum penalties. The Bentley of car 11 stopped early into the Time Trial with a blown clutch but fortunately had a spare. The big La France stopped a few kilometres into the second Time Trial with the enormous rear axle moving on its spring mountings, which with some fettling and axle-straps, was brought back to life.

For more results, rally reports and exclusive picture galleries of the Peking to Paris Rally and information on future Endurance Rally Association events, visit www.endurorally.com.