2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in 235 pictures

Few events bring out the big guns every year like the Goodwood Festival of Speed. In the absence of a prominent British Motor Show, the car-fest hosted by the Earl of March is the most significant automotive spectacle the UK has to offer this side of seventeen seasons of Top Gear. But it's so much more than that.

Goodwood is a celebration of all things automotive. And more than watching cars sitting still on a convention center show floor or even the lawns of a concours, the Festival of Speed goads automakers, racing teams and classic car collectors into running their finest pieces of machinery up The Hill in a visceral orgy of velocity.

This year's event just took place over the long weekend, and was packed with everything you'd hope to see: the crème de la crème of production road cars, grand prix racers, classics, endurance race cars, prototypes, rally machines and touring cars. But don't take our word for it: we've assembled a gallery of over 200 images from this year's event specifically so you wouldn't have to. Check 'em out, but be warned: there will be drool.