Celebrating 100 years of success, Alfa Romeo has chosen the Goodwood Festival of Speed as the location to mark its reputation for being “one of the world’s most revered automotive Marques”, according to CarPages.co.uk. The festival is expected to include a Central Feature art installation, which is set to be one of the most “stylish and memorable sculptures ever constructed for the Festival”, reports CarPages.co.uk.

If you don’t want to miss the annual Goodwood festival, make sure you pencil the 2nd to the 4th of July in your diary as an event not to be missed. Like most memorable events there is a theme, and in this case the subject is ‘Vice Veloce’ – the passion for speed. According to RallyBuzz.com, the festival theme celebrates the “all-consuming fascination of motor racing and in particular Italy’s global influence on the sports”.

Having a passion for speed is something that we celebrate regularly, with computer games showing a ‘Need for Speed’ and films demonstrating ‘The Fast and the Furious’, with this event in particular  focusing on Italian racing, which has portrayed “breathtaking fervour, inspiring desire and devotion that transcends national identity”, says a Goodwood spokesperson.

The Telegraph website has reported that Goodwood will also celebrate 60 years of the Formula One Championship, running alongside the central theme, with a gathering of vintage cars and drivers that have shaped the history of classic motorsports most glamorous series.

With construction work due to commence shortly, Alfa have a lot to live up to after claiming that their sculpture will be the most “stylish and memorable” so far. According to Pistonheads, “Alfa ought to have the unique flair (and more importantly the classic portfolio) to live up to it”.

Alfa have revealed that there will be a stunning display of their cars at the Festival, including many never seen in the UK, direct from the marque’s Museo Storico collection in Milan. With more than 50 Alfa Romeo’s expected to attend the show, ranging from examples of the pre-war P3, Monza, 12C-37 and 2900B Le Mans, through to the 159 Alfetta, GTAm, Tipo 33, 185T, 164 Pro Car, and the unique V10-powered SE 048SP Group C prototype.

What better way to celebrate your 100th birthday bash than to invite all classic car and motorsport enthusiasts along to join in the festivities, where they can catch a glimpse of the new Alfa Giulietta, which goes on sale in the UK this summer. CarPages.co.uk have also reported that the Alfa Romeo Giulietta will be displayed as part of the GOODWOOD ‘Moving Motor Show’ on Thursday 1st July, giving British motorists their very first opportunity to see the car and drive it up the famous Goodwood Hill.

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With their dazzling good looks and super speed ability, the young boys might think they measure up to their elder predecessors but in fact they could do with learning a thing or two from them. “Modern cars are now so fast and capable that you really need to be doing very silly speeds to experience the sensation”, according to the Telegraph website, which is why the unhurried glide of a classic car wins over the hearts of many car enthusiasts.

A rather unusual first choice is the Citroen DS, which was technologically well ahead of the opposition, with “hydropneumatic suspension that gave a magic-carpet ride”, reports the Independent website. What makes a car a classic, other than its age, is its distinctive features, which unarguably the DS has in abundance. With its swoopy, sexy chic shape and wrap-around front screen the dynamic DS easily deserves its classic status.

British motoring history wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the legendary Aston Martin marque, and in particular the DB5 – made famous by Sean Connery in the James Bond film, Goldfinger. This classic was well before it’s time and effortlessly combined power, beauty and soul, making it one of the most memorable cars of the 60s.

The swinging 60s saw many crazy fads come and go, but undoubtedly the original Mini and Fiat 500 are the iconic figures of the decade, and went on to be the car of choice for the legendary Beatles. These classic models were so far ahead of their time that they have once again in recent years been re-born with a success that has taken the motoring industry by storm.

It has probably been said a million times but I’ll say it again; classic cars are like fine wine, they just get better with age. Having been described as the Leonardo da Vinci of Motoring, it’s no shock that the Ferrari 250 GTO is highly regarded as a piece of art that was prematurely born. Getting your hands on one of only 36 models ever built is like getting hold of actual gold dust.

Sports cars are built as performance vehicles – meaning they are to be pushed in ways regular cars can’t. For example, acceleration is often no more than 5 seconds to go from 0 to 100 mph. As it is more difficult to manoeuvre a speeding object, sports cars are specially designed to be handled at top speeds.

The term ‘sporty’ was coined to refer to a sleek but robust design that exudes a powerful persona for the person behind the wheel. What follows is a basic run-through of sports cars out in the marketplace – their general designs and layout, as well as a listing of the more popular models and makers.

- FF – front engine, front wheel drive.

The FF layout has a moderate capacity for high speed handling and is seen in select models such as the Fiat Coup, and the Lotus Elan M100.

- FR – front engine, rear wheel drive

Considered the ‘classic’ sports car layout, the engine drives the rear wheels but keeps the weight off the back. The FR is good at drifting corners while still maintaining control. Mercedes-Benz is recognized for using this layout for its models.

- RR – rear engine, rear wheel drive

With the engine at the back driving the rear wheels, weight placement on a RR layout provides excellent traction for a car. However, without auxiliary driving aids like stability control, handling becomes difficult. As of today, the only maker who keeps the RR layout for its cars is Porche.

AWD – all wheel drive

An AWD layout provides the easiest handling, making it ideal for those who are just starting out with sports cars. Audi started the widespread use of this technique with the Quattro. Japanese manufacturers like Mitsubishi used this layout to increase handling making it an excellent rally car.

Because of higher restrictions in the states, sports car manufacturers are more prevalent in Europe than in America. Nevertheless, American brands are in equal competition with its European and Asian counterparts. Some recognized makers and models are:

Alfa Romeo

Alpine

Aston Martin

Austin-Healey

BMW

Bugatti

Caterham

Davrian

De Lorean

Ferrari

Fisker

Jaguar

Koenigsegg

Lamborghini

Lotus

McLaren

Maserati

MG

Morgan

Panoz

Porsche

Triumph

TVR

Vector

Now that you’ve gotten started, take your next step by discovering the excitement a sports car can bring you today, just like it has for generations.