Ferrari Daytona (Very) Long term test Update 8 - Goodwood Revival

If you're at all interested in classic cars it will not have escaped your notice that it was the Goodwood Revival meeting this past weekend,  it was also the perfect opportunity to stretch the Daytona's legs on the country roads down to Goodwood.

I've not used the Daytona much since the Le Mans Classic mainly due to work and trips overseas, and I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. The lack of use did mean a slight reluctance to start first thing on a surprisingly chilly morning, the fuel pumps and carbs taking their time to provide enough fuel to fire the twelve pots. 

I set off reasonably early with the intention of getting to Goodwood before the bulk of the traffic and then tucking into a hearty breakfast at the Goodwood Road Racing Club (GRRC) tent. Unfortunately I wasn't the only person with the same idea (setting off early that is) and the traffic while moving all the way was frustratingly slow. The frustration was tempered by some of the other classic cars on the route including a brief moment of running in convoy with a Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS  one of the Daytona's sales rivals in 1973.

Being a 1973 Daytona it is not eligible for the Pre 1973 parking area at the front of the car park (not to mention that the Government charges me for the privilege of using it's potholed roads), so instead I tucked the Daytona away in the GRRC parking area. and after experimenting with black and white photography (see the banner picture), headed off for the day at the Revival.

I'll write a full report on the Revival in due course, for now suffice to say it was as always an amazing day  with the highlight being the victory for the Ferrari 250GTO/64 in the TT retrospective.   

I left a little before the end in order to get away before the traffic. As is usual with the Revival many of the pubs on the return route had gatherings of people outside watching the parade of classic cars making their way home, it's always nice to see the enthusiasm for the old cars even beyond the spectators at the event.

The traffic coming out of the circuit was mercifully light (the GRRC parking affords an easy route back to the road), but as I headed towards Petworth it was beginning to thicken up so rather than battle through the town I took a right turn off the main road and headed down one of the Sussex's many country lanes. The road was excellent and the perfect way to give the Daytona a thorough test while remaining within the speed limit (unlike many of the roads in that area, it is still a national 60mph road). Dropping down through the gears the Daytona came alive and launched itself down the road with considerable aplomb. The retrofitted power steering can sometimes make the steering go a little light but yesterday it felt absolutely perfect giving just the right amount of feedback. The gearbox oil was thoroughly warm and the gears snicked home with a precision if as always not that quickly, and the V12 punched the car out of the corners nicely.

The road met up with the A272 between Petworth and Billingshurst, and I took this for a few miles before cutting off and heading up towards Guildford via Dunsford (yes the home of Top Gear). I'm less familiar with this piece of road and the number of small villages meant some sections of down to a required 30mph, but even so the journey was still one of the best drives that I have had in the Daytona here in the UK, I was enjoying myself so much that rather than head through Guildford, I headed down towards Shire and up over the Surrey Hills before heading home. When I closed the garage doors on the car at end of the journey it slowly ticked as it cooled down, a sign of a great drive and one that will stick in the memory during the Daytona's winter hibernation.

In other news the Daytona has lost one of it's garage mate's as Dad's 330GTS has been sold. Not sure if he is planning a replacement but his head was buried in classic car auction catalogues and websites when I popped round to see him on Saturday.   This week, the Grifo should be back from being blasted and the rust removed. It should be heading off to have the bodywork to be started sometime the following week.

Back to the Daytona and as the nights draw in I'm hoping to get some more use out it before the roads get salted for winter, watch this space.