Well, after almost 3000 miles around Europe in the Dutch Challenger SRT8, I can think of no better place to end our journey than right here, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Behind me is an extraordinary sculpture, celebrating 60 years of Land Rover and behind that is the equally extraordinary house of Charles, the Earl of March. We're standing in his front garden. This is a garden party like no other. You will see here more machinery, race cars, drag cars, rally cars, old cars, new cars than you would see at any other than venue anywhere else in the world. We're going to have a great time here.
We're getting the chance to drive the Challenger up the 1.2 mile hill climb at Goodwood, 6 times out of the next three days. Ours is by far the least expensive vehicle in the super car run, the category for high performance production cars and concepts. There were three big Audi verons, a bunch of Ferrari's, Maseratis and Lambos and a gorgeous Alpha R 8C Competizione, driven by Pink Floyd drummer, Nick Mason, but in terms of attracting attention, the Challenger is punching well about it's weight. Everywhere we go with the Hemi Orange coupe, it turns heads and cameras. The course looks deceptively simple, but it's narrow, slippery and the sidelines are tricky. You don't want to slide the car into the hay bales in front of 50000 people.
Waiting for the Marshall to give me the go ahead and he is looking up the track and we're off. Second, third, I came into the first corner, and the second, squeeze it around and another. Third, last track in, I want to break it up in. Second turning, come up the flop pole, straighten and looking through the big tunnel. Strike again and sweep around, and we are coming up to the finish, first of the time now.
For most of the past couple of weeks, we've lived and breathed this Hemi Orange Challenger SRT8. We've taken it places no one ever expected to see it taken, and had a ball doing it. But by far the best part of the whole trip has been the goodwill this car has generated. Not once, anywhere has it been anything other than genuine delight and admiration for the Challenger. There is an extravagance, but also an uncomplicated honesty about the car, that is clearly resonated with the Europeans. America might have invented the term muscle car, but Europe clearly understands exactly what it means.
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