Championship-winning race and rally cars returned in force for the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2004, plus there was a UK debut for the rare and beautiful 1968 Shelby-Toyota 2000GT SCCA sports car.
Though the 2000GT was not originally designed for competition, it had gained a measure of success in Japanese endurance races in the mid-1960s. In a bid to develop the company’s motorsport profile in the USA, Toyota commissioned Carroll Shelby to prepare three cars for entry in the 1968 SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) season.
Shelby’s preparation focused on tyres, suspension setup, an over-bored block, and a new twin-can alloy head.
Thanks to their successful appearances the previous year, Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta were at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2004 with the Panasonic Toyota Racing TF103, just a few days before competing in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. At the event, Cristiano was also reunited with his 2002 championship-winning Toyota-powered Lola Champ Car, in which he claimed seven race victories on his way to securing the drivers’ title.
Finally, Toyota used this event as an opportunity to celebrate the unmatched combination of Juha Kankunnen and the mighty ST185 Celica GT-Four rally car. This was a car that delivered Juha five victories en route to his fourth World Rally Championship and earned Toyota its first WRC manufacturers’ title.
