The Goodwood Members Meeting is typically a very fun racing event to watch, as it brings together the well-heeled properly vintage car owners for a weekend of fun and competition. The S.F. Edge Trophy race is always one of my favorites, as it highlights special racing vehicles over 100 years old, from before The Great War. If you’ve always wanted to see what it’s like to run a mid-pack effort in this class for a weekend, Goodwood put together a 20-minute mini-documentary about the whole experience. Hop behind the wheel of Count François’ Theophile Schneider and see what it’s like to be on the grid.
“It was all about the experience, getting it going, putting on a good show, and not binning the car.”
Sitting behind ten liters of pre-war airplane engine is frightening, but then pushing that Hall Scott engine to speed on a race track is a whole other level. This special racer looks like it would have run in-period as-is, but it was actually built in the 1990s. The engine and the chassis both come from the correct period, but they weren’t mated together until decades later. According to the owner, who purchased it in 2023, it’s very easy to drive and very easy to go fast, but it’s also apparently scary as all hell.
As François and the car become more comfortable with each other, they’ll likely get a bit faster, but probably won’t be able to take down the lightweight and mega-powerful Darracq special that typically wins these events in the hands of Mark Walker. Hats off to him for trying, though.
