British artist Gerry Judah has created a sculpture with six soaring arms topped with classic Porsche models for the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023.
Judah created the structure to commemorate Porsche's 75th anniversary with road and racing cars that represent milestones in the brand's history.
The steel sculpture features a dodecahedral core connected to three curved hoops and six straight arms that "embody a line of speed leading to the cars themselves," said Judah.
"The inspiration came from wanting to make a sculpture that would be celebratory," Judah said of the sculpture's form.
"Like setting off fireworks to enhance the joy of the piece."
Characteristic of Judah's previous sculptures for Goodwood, this year's model soars above the festival grounds at 28-metres-high and 26-metres-wide. Made of steel and weighing 40 tonnes, the structure is supported by a 290-tonne concrete foundation.
Similar to years prior, the steel structure is coated in white.
"White has always been used because of the amazing light which tends to enhance the shape and more so the details," said Judah
Attached to its longest arm is a Porsche 718 Formula 2, a single-seater sportscar representative of the model's successful debut in the 1960 Formula 2 season.
Just below, the Porsche 963 was suspended in colourful 75th-anniversary livery and its predecessor, the Blaupunkt 962, is completely inverted on a neighbouring spike.
Two generations of the Porsche 911 series were represented by the 992 Carrera, the most current model introduced in 2018, and the 997.2 Sports Classic, which showed off a ducktail spoiler.
The oldest model affixed to the structure is suspended closest to the ground. Manufactured between 1948 and 1965, the Porsche 365 established the rear-engined two-box coupés template used throughout the 911 series.
Judah has designed the central feature sculpture for the Goodwood Festival of Speed every year since 1997, with the exception of Unit 9's tensegrity sculpture in 2021.
The structure stands in front of the Goodwood House, an estate dedicated to motorsports, each year as the festival's central feature. The annual festival celebrates modern and historic racing cars and features a number of events, including stunt driving and demonstrations.
Judah's previous sculptures for the Goodwood Festival of Speed include a 31-metre-high loop showcasing the Aston Martin DBRI car and a celebration of race-car driver Bernie Ecclestone.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed took place from 13 July to 16 July 2023 in West Sussex, England. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
The photography is by David Barbour.