One of the stars of the last year’s Bonhams historic motor vehicle auction at the 2011 Festival Speed is set to return to the event this summer (29 June – 1 July) and run up the famous 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb.
Forty years after winning the 1972 Special Saloon Championship, ‘Old Nail’ - the beloved Vauxhall Firenza driven with aplomb by DTV (Dealer Team Vauxhall) racing hero Gerry Marshall – will be seen in action once more at the Festival of Speed. Old Nail was the most successful racing saloon of its era in the UK, winning 60 overall victories and four class wins between September 1971 and February 1978.
Now owned by Paul Chase-Gardener, Old Nail will run as part of a fascinating batch of big-banger saloons at Goodwood. This class is set to include other examples of General Motors European products, including Gerry Marshall’s celebrated DTV ‘Baby Bertha’ Firenza, plus the 1980s racing Vauxhall Carlton Thunder Saloon and ‘stars and stripes’ Opel Manta V8
