Sometimes, on a weekend, you’re torn between sleeping in and getting up early to do something fun.

I mean early like 6 am. Sometimes a lot earlier, like if you had to catch the 5 am train to London so as to maximise your time there.

But it was for 6 am on Sunday when I sacrificed sleep in the name of adventure. Not adventure in the traditional sense of the word, but more in terms of interesting and fun.

Sunday, I agreed to visit the home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in the prestigious estate of Goodwood because its doors rarely open for the public.

 

 

It wasn’t just about getting a peek inside the factory that produces the most expensive luxury cars in the world, it was also about getting together with hundreds of sports cars and their owners, who would congregate on the massive grounds of Goodwood.

Sounded like fun.

We left home at 7:20 am to meet up with Piers’ cousin, Simon, who drives a red Ferrari 355 Spider, and Simon’s friend, Badger, who drives a TVR Griffith 500.

Here are their three cars parked side by side in Goodwood. (There’s Olive in the middle.)

 

 

It was fun driving there together, a journey that took a bit over an hour even with a lot of speed bursts on the highway. By the time we arrived, there was a line forming outside the gates because each car had to be checked against the invite list.

 

 

This event was organised by PistonHeads, a leading automotive website in the UK with a huge online community, and 400 cars were given a pass to the event, called the Rolls-Royce Sunday Service.

All PistonHeads events and meets are called Sunday Service, apparently, although I don’t know why because it just makes me think of church.

Anyway, the morning went something like this: Arrive at Goodwood and park. Drool at everyone else’s beautiful sports cars. Have breakfast. Play around with the few Rolls-Royces displayed on the grounds. Drool at more cars. Tour the Rolls-Royce factory. Go back out to drool at yet more cars.

Not an epic adventure but quite good fun.

 

 

Photography isn’t allowed inside the actual manufacturing plant but, well, they look just like the insides of manufacturing plants, so you can imagine for yourself.

We learnt interesting bits of trivia, like how clients would fly all the way to the premises to look at their cars. Some rich guy had visited the plant regularly for a year to witness his Rolls-Royce being built from scratch.

I didn’t know that Rolls-Royce made convertibles. They’re gorgeous.

Here’s one.

 

 

A very very old one. LOL.

Okay, I’m going to stop yabbering and do photos now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loads and loads of cars!

We were done by 11 am, so that’s when we left the premises, although the gates would only close at 1 pm.

It was interesting, the event, certainly worthy of sacrificing my sleep-in.