In 1957, a humble showroom specification Toyopet Crown completed the 19-day, 17,000km Rally of Australia, marking Toyota’s official sporting debut. Half a century later Toyota is competing at the pinnacle of world motor sport as one of Formula 1’s principle teams, deploying the most advanced designs and technologies to reach new heights of achievement.

In the intervening years Toyota has enjoyed success in a vast range of racing formulae around the world, including all-conquering dominance of the World Rally Championship, the American IMSA and Cart series and international Formula 3 competition. From the Lexus SC 430 that defines the muscle of today’s Japanese GT racing, to the Camry-based stock cars battling for glory in American NASCAR racing, Toyota’s sporting involvement is wonderfully varied and vibrant, expressing the passion that has fuelled its activities for half a century.

The festival brought together an unprecedented array of Toyota sporting machinery, representing its greatest achievements. To mark the anniversary, a full replica of the 1957 Toyopet Crown rally car has been built and took pride of place in the central display.

Panasonic Toyota Racing has a strong presence, with the TF106 race car from the 2006 season promising spectacular speed and sound on the hill climb course.

On the rally stage, Toyota’s world-beating Group A cars was reviving memories of the heroic exploits of Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Bjorn Waldegard. The Celica ST165 and its successor, the ST185,  both ran, cars which between them claimed four World Rally Championship titles.

Toyota’s sporting heritage was expressed in the central monument created specially for the festival by the artist-designer Gerry Judah. The 40-metre high structure was inspired by Japanese tori gates, as Judah explains: “The idea was to create something very Japanese but also with a feeling of engineering and technology. It will create the effect of a procession from the festival towards Goodwood House, with a series of historic Toyota racing cars suspended from them. It is a complex piece of engineering, as all the different elements are interdependent.”

Toyota was joined in its celebrations at the festival by many of the great sporting drivers who have raced its cars to success over the years.