We Do The Time Warp Again With Vintage Cars, Vintage Bikes, And Vintage Clothes At Goodwood

Photographer Amy Shore captures the past in the present

A Le Mans start means the race starts before the engines do—riders run across the track, then climb aboard to thunder back in time.Amy Shore

The feeling that you’ve walked back in time hits you the moment you pass through the gates. High heels walking past vintage cars, riders stretching out in their leathers ­before races, and tweed as far as the eye can see. The people and the machines often wear a similar sheen of time and oil.

Old streetbikes clatter in and around the paddock too, valves shaking almost as loose as the wallet chains. Every way you turn takes you further into a different era.

It’s a magical event to visit, but especially if you are a motorcyclist, when understanding the beauty of the machines and feeling the companionship of the other riders will be second nature. The noises and smells illustrate the roots of our pastime. Even surrounded by strangers—from the mods to the rockers, ’60s girls to Army boys—you will feel in some way that you have arrived at a home you never knew you had. And if you bring your camera, you will find there is more to absorb than one lens can capture.

Young meets old, as an electric roller spins a dry clutch and a lap-time transponder rides next to a drum brake.Amy Shore
The vintage feeling goes beyond just the bikes and into the paddock itself.Amy Shore
The anticipation, heels, and hemlines are all high in the assembly area before a race.Amy Shore
Wherever there are air-cooled cylinders and carburetors, there will be a mechanic peering underneath. This is at least as important a tradition as the racing.Amy Shore
It’s not just about racers but rockabillies too. You’ll find another kind of vintage in Gasoline Alley, reaching for only a slightly different flavor of a bygone era.Amy Shore
All riders, regardless of level, are shoulder to shoulder with the public as they push their bikes toward the pre-grid.Amy Shore

The roar of air-cooled engines at full song is arguably the nucleus of what people loved about racing in the past and what brings people back to Goodwood.

Team talks, tactics, and tunings will often be sketched out in the gravel of the paddock floor.Amy Shore
Machines need fluids, carefully measured and ­crafted—and so too do the people who keep them alive.Amy Shore

Anyone who attends [Goodwood](/goodwood speed festival) will likely always have a special place in their heart for this event—going back in time can be jarring, but by the end of the weekend you’ll be wondering why we can’t just stay like this forever.