Supercar Driver Secret Meet celebrates 35 years of the Ferrari F40
We went along to Supercar Driver's biggest ‘Secret Meet’ gathering yet
The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed was host to the widest variety of metal we’ve seen in its 29-year history, but Sheffield-based owner’s community Supercar Driver might just have given it a run for its money with its latest meet. Held at Donington Park Circuit, the 2022 edition of its annual ‘Secret Meet’ featured some of the rarest machines ever to grace the tarmac, both on and off the circuit.
Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the Ferrari F40, Supercar Driver marked the occasion by bringing together over 20 different units in both road-going and LM forms. To make up the ‘big 5', a handful of 288 GTOs (including the earliest surviving example, one of just six prototypes), six F50s, five LaFerraris and four Enzos also were also in attendance.
> Ferrari F40 – review, history, prices and specs
The Secret Meet is a private event that’s usually out of view from the public that brings together cars from both private collectors and dealerships. While the big hitters from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche were on display, these events also attract owners with more eclectic cars in the garage, with supercars from Koenigsegg, Pagani, Bugatti and Ford also on display.
A road converted McLaren F1 GTR (GTR14, the 1996 Japanese Championship winner) was joined by a fellow sports car racers in the rare Porsche 911 GT1 (this one converted for road use by Lanzante), a pair Mercedes CLK GTRs (one road-going, one race spec) and Maserati MC12s (one road-going, one Corsa).
An ultra-rare Mercedes SLR McLaren Stirling Moss was in attendance, so too a super rare Lamborghini Reventon Roadster and Lanzante's one-of-six homage to the F1 GTR Longtail, the P1 GTR-18.
Amongst many Porsche’s, the two creating the most attention were none other than the 1970 Le Mans-winning Porsche 917 K (chassis 23) and a 2018 Porsche 935 wearing matching Saltzberg liveries, while representing Aston Martin was a track-only Vulcan joined by the wild Valkyrie AMR Pro.
As if that wasn't enough, a handful of 90s and early 2000s Formula 1 cars also hit the circuit. To finish the event on a high, Harrison Newey lapped Kimi Räikkönen's V10 2004 McLaren MP4/19 (a car designed by his father, Adrian Newey) around the Grand Prix circuit, with a time of 1.16.83.
So if you’re interested in experiencing something a little more exclusive than the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Secret Meet might hit the spot – the price of entry just might be a little more expensive than a general admission ticket…
