HERNDON, VA - Centennial celebrations have been a common occurrence of late as the industry as a whole begins to push past the 100-year mark. This year marks Audi's 100th, and it's celebrating at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in part with the 115ft (35m) 2009 Festival of Speed Central Feature, according to the Web site www.motorauthority.com.
This isn't the first time Audi has celebrated a major milestone at Goodwood, but it is the largest center piece to date.
Designed by the award-winning Gerry Judah, Lord March's evergreen creative collaborator, the sculpture features two Audi cars - the legendary 1937 Auto Union streamliner as well as the just launched R8 V10 sports car suspended in the air, at either end of a dramatic 'swoosh' of tyre tracks, as if they are driving off into the sky.
The sculpture is the latest in a tradition of central displays at the Festival. Each year Judah honors the featured marque with its own central display but this year's is something special. "I wanted to design something iconic because this year is Audi's 100th anniversary," explains Judah. "The sculpture had to have a celebratory theme and it also had to encompass the qualities of the Audi brand: sporty, prestigious and progressive.
"I drew about 20 ideas and some had elaborate bridges with vaulted arches but somehow they didn't have quite the right style. I then had a flash of inspiration and designed this 'swoosh' with a car at either end to represent Audi's 100-year history."
The complex steel structure weighs in at 44 tons (40 tonnes), and required 12 men four full weeks of fabrication.
