BMW TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT GOODWOOD

The 2022 Festival of Speed was dominated by the fanfare of BMW Motorsport's 50th anniversary

- CHARLIE CALDERWOOD

A selection of icons from BMW M's 50 years of sporting excellence took to the Goodwood hillclimb for the Festival of Speed from 23-26 June, including 3.0 CSL 'Batmobiles', a DTM E30 M3 and a brace of M1s. 'M' projects from other marques also took part, including two 'Longtail' McLaren F1 GTRs and the Brabham-BMW BT52 Formula One car.

The link continued elsewhere, not only with the global premier of the first M3 Touring, but also in the Cartier Style et Luxe concourse. Here, the 30th anniversary of the McLaren F1 was commemorated with its own class, including the first road-legal F1 GTR Longtail - originally prepared for road use by engineering firm Lanzante and Gordon Murray Design.

The centenary of the Austin Seven, which was BMW's first car when built under licence as the Dixi, also featured as a class: 10 variants of the little car included one of two examples bodied by Maythorn & Son. Built in the Biggleswade coachworks, both were sent to America, with the car n display having covered just 6000 miles since 1927, used primarily to drive around the owner's estate. The other was delivered to Joseph Pulitzer, of Pulitzer Prize fame.