McLaren P1 and Sergio Perez

Each year, one hundred and fifty thousand petrolheads flock to the mecca of motorsport, Goodwood's Festival of Speed. Held over three days, the show (unlike any other) lets fans get up close and personal with iconic cars and celebrities as they hurtle up Lord March's 1.16 mile driveway.

This year saw the FoS celebrate it's 20th Anniversary, whilst McLaren looked back over 50 years of remarkable achievements. From one legendary icon, to McLaren's next? Sergio Perez climbs out of Ayrton Senna's MP4-4 and into the eagerly awaited McLaren P1 hypercar, making it the car's first public debut. 

McLaren P1 Sergio Perez Checo F1 Formula One Racing Driver Celebrity Portrait Goodwood Festival of Speed Blog

Behind closed doors and with exclusive access, I'm given three minutes to shoot portraits of Checo. Gates unlocked, the car would then weave its way through a sea of spectators before catapulting CAR Magazine's Mark Walton up the hill with McLaren's test driver, Chris Goodwin.

McLaren P1 Sergio Perez F1 Formula One Driver Hypercar Goodwood Festival Of Speed Amethyst Black

Despite covering 373 miles in two days (most of which before dawn) and spending two full days at the show for just three minutes with famed Formula One driver Sergio Perez, it will remain a career highlight.

Sergio Perez Checo McLaren F1 Driver Formula One Racing Driver Celebrity Portrait

The P1 up close is breath-taking, especially in "Amethyst Black" with more exposed carbon fibre than you can shake a stick at.

A mass of intricate details, numerous tell-tale signs show that McLaren's F1 background has engineered the P1 to be a race car for the road. From it's indented nose that channels clean air into the roof-scoop, to the lightweight titanium-alloy wire mesh that surrounds the exhaust. Awesome! To read about Mark's experience in the P1 and see further images, check out October's issue of CAR Magazine.

The Greatest Alfas...

If you haven't picked up a copy of September's CAR Magazine then you only have a week left to do so.

Alfa Romeo Greatest Alfas Montreal 8C SZ Disco 155 Racer Giulia Spider Cloverleaf Autodelta

Cars that define a legend, we flew out to Balocco, Italy to re-unite Alfa Romeo's legendary sports cars. From the TZ 'comeback racer' which sounded glorious echoing through the forests of 'misto Alfa':

Alfa Romeo TZ Autodelta Racer Balocco Italy Lightweight Zagato

To the 4.7 V8, 450bhp 8C Competizione which succeeded in shredding it's tyres in a spectacular fashion: 

Alfa Romeo 8C Supercar Sideways Drift CAR Magazine Editorial

And how could you possibly forget the 12,000rpm screaming 155 V6 TI which enabled Alfa to lay claim of being the only non-German marque to win the DTM title:

Alfa Romeo DTM Touring Car 155 VT TI Championship Winning

The 24 page feature contains 18 of Alfa's greatest cars, including the eagerly anticipated 4C; a supercar for £47k? Be sure to check it out! 

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante 8C Supercar 33TT 12 Championship Winning Car

Mercedes Benz S Class

Car of the moment, or car of the year? When it comes to being at the forefront of technology, Mercedes Benz's S Class could easily (in my opinion) lay claim to being unsurpassed by any other manufacturer. 

Mercedes Benz S Class S500 2013

Step inside the car and a single bulb won't be found. Over 300 LEDs make up this lavish interior, with a 43.5 degree reclining rear seat boasting hot stone massage options. 

2013 Mercedes Benz S Class Interior LED Reclining Rear Seat Blue

Mercedes made a pretty bold statement by naming one of their functions 'Magic Comfort Ride'. It's probably something you should experience first hand, as it literally is mind-boggling. The ability to seemingly eradicate speedbumps from the road in front is extremely surreal!

Mercedes Benz S Class S500 Magic Comfort Ride AMG

Packed full of cutting-edge technology, to catch a glimpse into the future of motoring, pick up septembers issue of CAR Magazine and read Ben Oliver's article on what sets this car apart from every other. 

Mercedes Benz S Class Interior S500 Future of Motoring

Lotus Cortina's Golden Anniversary

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic race-bred saloon that is the Lotus Cortina. Classic Cars gathered together five examples, each uniquely different, with one even laying claim to having had the great Jim Clark himself behind the wheel.

Lotus Cortina 50th Anniversary Golden Mk1 Mk2 Race Bred Saloon Classic CARS

Shot for the cover, pick up a copy of Septembers Classic Cars Magazine to read the 12 page celebration with every evolution of Cortina track tested and rated:

Classic CARS September 2013 Magazine Lotus Cortina Cover Feature Richard Pardon Photographer

Silverstone Young Driver Test

The thought of spending £20 for an 8 hour symphony of V8's hurtling around Silverstone is an exciting prospect for any F1 fan.

Sesbastian Vettel's RB9 exciting Luffield at the Silverstone Young Driver Test.

With the 'Young Driver Test' also being confirmed as a Pirelli tyre test, it meant names such as Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa could be seen tackling the 3.66 mile circuit. 

Susie Wolff makes the most of Copse Corner at the Silverstone Young Driver Test.

Susie Wolff was out in force with the Williams F1 FW35, seen above making the most of the available tarmac at Copse Corner.

Gary Paffett in the McLaren MP4-28 exiting Luffield at the Silverstone Young Driver Test

Despite a technical difficulty in the morning, Gary Paffett's McLaren MP4-28 still managed to lap the Northamptonshire based circuit ~80 times.  

That said, the Silverstone Young Driver Test has to be one of the cheapest ways to experience the atmosphere these F1 cars create at speed. If you didn't manage to attend this year, make sure you keep an eye out for the next!

Portfolio update: DB9, S3, Caterham 7 and a 512BB

In June's issue of CAR Magazine, a Cobalt Blue Aston Martin DB9 joined the fleet of long termers. I challenge anyone to think of a better way of welcoming a car than heading to the hills of North Wales:

Aston Martin DB9 Wales Road Sunset Richard Pardon Automotive Photographer Car Magazine Cobalt Blue.jpg

Collecting the car from Aston Martin's factory in Gaydon, the production line filled was with a plethora of expensive metal. Not to mention this menacing Vanquish which sat in the final inspection bay:  

Aston Martin Vanquish Gaydon Factory Production Line.jpg

Will the 2013 Audi S3 make it into the hot-hatch hall of fame? The 300bhp Quattro packs enough punch to keep up with a 911, how will it fare against the Fiesta ST or Renault Clio? Pick up Issue 611 to find out. Photographed on location in Munich:

Audi S3 Rig Shot Munich Germany Car Magazine.jpg
Audi S3 Munich Launch Richard Pardon Car Photographer Automotive.jpg
Audi S3 Driving Munich Car Magazine Photographer.jpg

Ben Oliver gives us seven reasons why we love the Caterham 7, as the iconic car turns 40. Great to photograph in this lurid colour:

Caterham 7 Supersport Rig Green Editorial CAR Magazine.jpg
Caterham 7 Supersport Interior Rig Shot Editorial Magazine Car Richard Pardon.jpg

Lastly, in between shooting for CAR Magazine i've been back in the studio, shooting various marques for Studio434. One car in particular stood out, the Ferrari 512BB (Berlinetta Boxer) and it's 12 cylinder engine:

Ferrari 512BB Berlinetta Boxer 12 Cyclinder Engine Bay Studio Cove Infinity Car Photography.jpg

All of these images are now uploaded into the portfolio 'cars' section of my website, be sure to check them out large!

Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo EDC

Last month I flew out to the Sierra Nevada in Southern Spain for CAR Magazine to photograph the launch of the new Renaultsport Clio 200 Turbo EDC.

​Renaultsport Clio Turbo RS EDC Launch 2013

With both Ben (Road Test Editor) and I being a fan of it's predecessor, how would the new Clio RS fair with it's paddleshift dual clutch gearbox and turbocharged lump?

​Renault Clio RS Turbo Spain Car Launch
​Renault Clio Sport RS Turbo EDC Car Launch Spain
​Renault Clio RS Turbo EDC Car Launch 2013 Spain

Find out in May's issue of CAR Magazine (Issue 610) as it's challenged by Peugeot's long awaited 208 GTi.

​CAR Magazine May 2013 Tearsheet Renaultsport Clio 200 EDC Turbo