This year's Goodwood Members' Meeting brought together 16 of the 28 McLaren F1 GTRs in existence, including six of the Long Tail cars from 1997. I'll never forget the sight. Or the noise.
Despite its name, the Members' Meeting isn't just for the members of the GRRC. Sure, they have the privilege to purchase their tickets first, but after that, it's an open house until all 18,000 wristbands gets sold. They always do.
The limited number of visitors means the Members' Meeting stays much smaller than either the Revival or the Festival of Speed, which now happens to attract more people than the UK's biggest music festival. That's great, because it means nothing will stand between you and the cars you're interested in.
I'm not saying you'll get the chance to drive them, or even get a passenger ride. You have to know Andy from Goodwood and Dave from McLaren for such treats. But one thing is for sure:
No event grants you more access and freedom to poke around the machinery, talk to the owners and drivers and be as close to the racing action as humanly possible without actually driving.
And once you've spent enough time around them, you realize all McLaren F1 GTRs are slightly different...
Still not convinced? I must direct you to Oppo!
Photo credit: Máté Petrány/Jalopnik