Retro Rides 2023: Show Gallery

Finally, the sunshine was out in West Sussex, and fans of automotive nostalgia flocked to Goodwood Race Circuit for the Retro Rides Weekender. Cars that no one would have given a second glance to twenty years ago had now become the stars of the show for those in the know. Steph went along and grabbed these great snaps for us. 

We're really lucky being based in Shoreham-by-Sea, we're less than an hour away from Goodwood, an enthusiast's mecca for all things motorised. Being so close, it was only a matter of minutes before we bumped into some familiar faces and Heretics regulars.

It's a hidden gem of a show, and we're not the kind to share a secret, so keep that to yourselves! Find out more about Retro Rides here. 

DDK had a great display of early air cooled Porsches, in and around the Porsche canopy. Elsewhere in the paddock, there was plenty more pork on offer. Whether you prefer a hot rod 911 or an EV 914 you could get your fix here. Our congratulations to Jonny from Classic RetroFit for winning the 'best of show' in said electric Porsche. You may have seen it in person, or photos of it before when he's been along to Heretics in it. 

Taking a leaf out of events like Luftgekühlt, the show organisers had followed an artistic direction and arranged colour-coded parking areas for white cars, which was really cool. Maybe they'll change the colour theme for future years, or roll out additional sorted paddock parking.  

There was an abundance of water cooled VWs from early Mk1s through to Mk3, Mk4 Golf and Corrado on display. We've not seen a set of three spokes on a VW for quite some time, but this Vento fronted Mk3 Golf Estate made them work great! 

Elsewhere, there was a Mk1 Scirocco Storm, a Polo G40, Golf G60 and numerous Caddys. The bright green/gold Caddy being a firm favourite of Stephs, who appreciated how well it had been finished and the owner's bold colour choice. 

For fans of the aircooled VW scene, there was a paddock area reserved for you too. A wonderful line up of Beetles in all styles and colours, from Cal Look to German look with some patina and drag strip inspired builds too. Great to see DJ Kenny's Beetle back on the road sporting a lurid pink paint job, and matching teledial wheels. Hopefully, we'll see that next month at Heretics. 

It was the perfect day for beach buggies, and there were a couple of stunning metalflake examples for all to enjoy. A Razor Edge Ghia looked fantastic parked on the edge of the track, and there were VW busses mixed in almost everywhere you looked. 

It wasn't all Porsche and VW at Retro Rides, honest! There was plenty of metal from other marques on display too... Including a lovely Land Rover! You know we've started doing Land Rover parts, right?!

So, is this one for the diary then? Absolutely! Many of the friends Steph bumped into choose this event every year over specific VW or Porsche shows for its laid-back atmosphere and sheer volume and variety of vehicles on display. Pop a reminder in your calendar for 2024 now, you won't regret it!

Andy/ Steph