The Prodrive Collection

Prodrive is bringing a collection of its iconic race and rally cars from the past 40 years to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July, with many being driven up the hill by some of the most famous names in motorsport, including World Rally champions Sebastien Loeb and Ari Vatanen.

The cars range from the 1981 World Rally Championship-winning Ford Escort RS1800 MkII of Vatanen and Prodrive chairman David Richards, to the latest Aston Martin Vantage GTE, which won the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2020, the Prodrive Hunter T1, which made its debut on the Dakar in January, as well as Subaru Impreza Group A and World Rally Cars of Colin McRae and Richard Burns.

Nine-time World Rally champion, Sebastien Loeb, who competes for the Prodrive-run Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, will drive the Prodrive Hunter for the first time since the Dakar. Ari Vatanen and David Richards will be reunited for the first time with one of the MkII Escorts which helped them win their World Rally title 40 years ago.  Aston Martin Racing works driver, Marco Sorensen, will drive the Vantage GTE in which he and Nicki Thiim won the FIA WEC GTE drivers’ title last year, while Jimmy McRae will get behind the wheel of Colin McRae’s 1996 Rally Catalunya-winning Impreza Group A.

Richards has just had the MkII Escort full restored - two years of meticulous work - and it will run in anger for the first time at Goodwood.  He said: “The last time Ari saw this car was 40 years ago on the San Remo Rally, where we hit a wall! I hope he doesn’t drive it quite as hard as he did back in 1981.”

The Prodrive collection of cars will be in the main paddock right next to the F1 paddock. Photos © Prodrive