Birch at Goodwood Revival: Where Preservation Meets Performance

The Goodwood Revival has always been a theatre of contrasts. On one hand, it’s a celebration of motoring’s golden age: tweed jackets, 1950s dresses, and cars that shaped the history of racing. On the other, it’s uncompromising competition. Priceless machinery is pushed to its limits, sideways through fast corners, in conditions that would test any driver – or car.

For Birch Commercial Director Tom Chilton, the 2025 Revival was a perfect example of that balance. This year, the Sussex skies couldn’t make up their minds. One minute the track was dry, the next it was soaked by rain. Lightning flickered on the horizon, and the surface became greasy with oil from historic cars and motorcycles. In those conditions, driving became an art of improvisation – and of trust in machines that were built more than 60 years ago.

Tom’s weekend featured two standout cars. The first was the Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight once raced by Roy Salvadori, a car with real pedigree. In period, it famously went head-to-head with Stirling Moss, even leading races before finishing runner-up to the great man. To climb into that car today is to step into the shoes of legends.

“It was a privilege,” Tom explained. “The Jordan Racing Team prepared it beautifully, and Max and I drove it flat out. We wanted to crack the top ten, but the truth is that times have moved on. Still, racing that car in the rain, sideways, against Cobras and E-types – it was everything the Revival is about.”

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Alongside the Aston came something completely different: a1960s Alfa Romeo in the St Mary’s Trophy. Touring cars of the era are scrappy,unpredictable, and endlessly entertaining. The Alfa was no exception.

“It’s rear-wheel drive, five-speed, and on the skinniest tyres of all,” Tom recalled. “At one point we were wheel-spinning in fifth gear. They’ve only got 180 horsepower, but in those greasy conditions itfelt like double. I was out there with Jenson Button and Chris Buncombe – and the beauty of it is you’re on the absolute knife edge, drifting together corner after corner. There aren’t many categories of racing left where that’s still possible.”

Revival racing is pure theatre – but it’s also a paradox.These cars are among the most valuable and significant in the world. At onestage Tom found himself alongside Joe Macari’s Ferrari 250 SWB, a car with a value probably north of £15 million.

“There are 15 million reasons not to make a mistake,”Tom joked. “You do wonder whether these should be stored at Birch and only taken out on sunny days. But that’s the beauty of it – they’re works of art,but they’re also meant to be driven.”

That’s where Birch comes in. Away from the mud, rain and sideways slides, Birch provides the conditions that keep these machines at their best. Our facility is discreetly secured, immaculately presented, and – crucially – climate monitored. Not frozen in artificial perfection, but carefully regulated to avoid the damp, humidity, and temperature swings that can damage rare metals, leathers, and paintwork. It’s preservation without sterilisation – keeping a car alive, ready to perform again when called upon.

The Aston and the Alfa illustrate that contrast perfectly.One is an elegant GT, a piece of motorsport history, raced by Salvadori himself. The other is a plucky touring car, scrapping door-to-door and trading drifts. Both emerged from Revival carrying mud, rubber, and the stories only racing can give. Both, after weekends like this, need a home where their heritage is respected and their condition preserved for the next adventure.

Tom himself recognises the fine line. “These cars are beautiful pieces of art, but if you do have a tangle, it’s just panel beating. They’re one-of-one, they still hold their value, and the stories of racing add to their character. The key is racing with your eyes wide open, and then having somewhere to look after them afterwards.”

That’s the essence of Birch. Revival reminds us why these cars are so important to preserve – not because they belong behind glass, but because they’re living, breathing artefacts. They should be driven in anger, sideways in the rain, and then cherished in calm, climate-monitored surroundings until the next time. The cycle of preservation and performance is what gives them meaning.

For Tom and Birch, that balance is more than a metaphor. It’s the daily reality: keeping cars safe, so that when the chance comes to put on the overalls and drive alongside legends, they’re ready to create history all over again.