Goodwood Festival of Speed Showcase for SMITHS Instruments
The history of the SMITHS instruments brand was clearly apparent at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, appearing in the dashboards of classic and new cars and motorcycles across the show. CAI's SMITHS Instruments stand attracted a steady flow of visitors looking for replacement gauges or to discuss larger projects for bespoke designed instrumentation.
"It has been a hectic four days," said Gavin Roberts, CAI's Managing Director. "The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an important event where we get the chance to meet and talk with so many existing and potential customers."
The weather was perfect for the thousands of motoring enthusiasts who flocked to this year's event. The show was opened by the new Land Rover Defender prototype being driven up the iconic hill by the Duke of Richmond. The changing face of motoring was never more apparent than when the all-electric Volkswagon ID.R beat the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hillclimb record. The new record time is 39.90 seconds, beating the previous time set by McLaren in 1999 by 1.7 seconds.
SMITHS History on Show
SMITHS branded instruments feature in cars dating back over 100 years. Therefore, it was no surprise that SMITHS gauges were present right across the Goodwood grounds.
Caterham Cars
As in previous years, the Caterham Cars stand attracted a great amount of interest. There was a constant flow of visitors taking the opportunity to sit in the driver's eat of a Seven or Seven Sprint sports car. Each was fitted with bespoke gauges designed and manufactured by CAI.
Cobra
The original Shelby Cobra sports cars featured SMITHS instrumentation as do many of the modern replicas. The best display could be seen on the Total Headturners stand, with a number of classic and replica Cobra cars on show.
Classic Motorcycles
The National Motorcycle Museum stand featured three classic motorcycles; a 1977 Triumph Trident, 1956 Ariel Red Hunter, and 1969 Dunstall Commando 750. All featured SMITHS gauges on their handlebars.
Classic Cars
The classic car exhibition arena featured some amazingly well-preserved examples of motoring history. The cars included a 1990 Aston Martin V8 Zagato Volante, 1958/60 Bristol 406 GT Zagato, and a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupe. All featured SMITHS gauges in their dashboards.
Singer Vehicle Design
In the Michelin Supercar Paddock, Singer Vehicle Design displayed the DLS Porsche 911 featuring the gold-plated SMITHS tachometer. Alongside the silver DLS was a petrol-blue modified and restored Porsche 911, also featuring SMITHS instrumentation.
Old and New Gauges
As well as re-developing and manufacturing classic SMITHS gauges, CAI also work on many projects for bespoke instrumentation such as for Singer Vehicle Design. The Wardill4 antique motorcycle from the Wardill Motorcycle Company Ltd displayed on the stand featured a bespoke speedometer, attracting a great deal of interest.
"At Goodwood, we are able to speak with car and motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world," said Gavin. "This helps us decide what classic SMITHS gauges to develop and reintroduce. This sits alongside the growing number of bespoke gauges projects. We want to thank everyone who visited our stand."
For more information on classic SMITHS instruments or details on designing bespoke gauges, please contact us via:
Via our website
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 1639 732200
All photographs taken by Paul Fears Photography
You can also follow us on social media for regular news updates, photographs and technical information:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Posted by Paul Fears on
9 July 2019 at 12:00 AM
Tags:
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Categories:
Events