Players Classic 2023

Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex; the home of prestigious events such as the Goodwood Revival, the exclusive Members Meeting, and a plethora of high-profile track days and charity events. There is a certain high-brow feel to these hallowed grounds during the more ‘traditional’ events held here, but all of these stereotypes are turned on their head for one weekend every year, when the Players Shows team roll into town to host the annual Players Classic show.

Replace racing overalls with graphic tees, overpriced pints of beer with free Monster energy, and Sir Jackie Stewart with Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni, and you’re part of the way towards understanding just how Players Classic is perhaps the least Goodwood-esque event to be held at the legendary motor circuit.

Welcoming a whole new generation of automotive enthusiasts to Goodwood across the weekend, Players Classic showcases the best-of-the-best that the UK and European show car scene has to offer. Held across a full weekend, Saturday sees plenty of on-track action in addition to the static show, whilst on Sunday the barriers to the circuit are flung wide open, and a whole host of additional cars are showcased along the start/finish straight as part of an additional show’n’shine area.

This year, we were reminded that the greatest part of Car Culture is the people. Whether it was watching our friends Chloe and James tear around the track in their Wrigleys-liveried, Berg Cup-kitted MK1 Golf for the first time, taking shelter from Sunday’s rain behind Gael’s R32 GTR whilst we laughed watching people run for cover, or the chilled vibe to the overall show with a group of mates that only really get together in one place for events like these, the cars play second fiddle to the friends, and the memories that are made.

Once again, the Players team knocked it out of the park. Happy 10th Birthday, Players Classic!

Each year, the famed concrete Goodwood pit garages near to Race Control play host to a select handful of ‘star’ cars, with 2023’s most attention-grabbing example being this incredible, frankly outrageous E36 build by JP Performance (@jp.performance)

As has been the case for the last few years, Sunday sees the show’n’shine area expanded to include the start/finish straight, including the pit lane alongside the iconic control tower.

L.T.O are arguably producing some of the best and most eye-catching body kits for BMW enthusiasts at the moment, and it was great to see owner Khyzyl Saleem (@the_kyza) showcasing his personal E36 build. Just look at those arches!

An old favourite on the UK car scene, now owned by husband-and-wife team James and Chloe, this Wrigleys-liveried, 1.8t Berg Cup MK1 made for a great sight on the historic Goodwood circuit.

The track action continued throughout the day on Saturday, with plenty of entertainment courtesy of both modern and classic track weapons taking it in turns to showcase their performance for all to enjoy.

Motorsport-inspired cars - such as this outstanding DTM-inspired E30 M3 - appear to be making quite the stir in the show scene over the last few years, and we’re all for it here at SHIFT.

Yes, that’s static..!

The antithesis of 99% of cars on display, this Volvo Laplander caused quite a stir, and was also owned by James and Chloe (Wrigleys MK1 Golf, above) who also brought along their Audi 100 (seen in the gallery below) - quite the way to make an entrance, we imagine!

Seeing fresh talent come up through the ranks is always great to see, and Archie Sugar-Harmer (AKA CrazyDriftKid) certainly showed he had the skills to play with the big guns during his demonstration runs on Saturday.

Another favourite from the lawn and recent PVW cover car, this stunning MK2 Golf from Meguiars is an absolute masterpiece, with a full custom interior by Max Hawkes of Hawkes Autoworks.

Art cars will always be cool, and this ‘sharknose’ BMW from the Kustom Kolors team is no exception.

And that concludes our coverage from Players Classic 2023. As always, if you’ve never made it to one of these shows, make sure it’s in your calendar for next year. We’re not quite sure how the team will top this year’s event, but they always find a way!