Tesla has not yet released the Model 3 to the European market, but the electric car maker has opted to showcase the Model 3 in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England nonetheless. With the Model 3 making an appearance at Goodwood, Europe-based Tesla fans attending the event were able get some hands-on experience with the vehicle.
One of Teslarati‘s readers, Dean Scott, was able to win two tickets from Tesla to the motoring event. As could be seen in photos that Dean has provided, the Model 3, as well as Tesla’s other vehicles, the Model S & X, fits right in with the Festival of Speed’s lineup of impressive exhibitions. Tesla also opted to feature a red Long Range RWD Model 3 as the centerpiece of its display booth.
Tesla has brought the Model 3 to Europe as part of its display in the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. [Credit: Dean Scott]
As could be seen the the images from the event, Tesla’s booth has attracted a considerable number of the event’s attendees. According to Dean, Tesla’s booth at Goodwood this year offers free snacks and drinks to Model 3 reservation holders. Due to the long queue of individuals who wish to check out the vehicle, however, there is a ~45-minute wait for attendees before they can get inside and get a hands-on experience with the Model 3.
Tesla has a pretty considerable presence in Europe, with countries such as Norway adopting electric vehicles en masse. Tesla’s link to Europe is established by its present and future facilities in the region, such as its Tilburg assembly plant and the upcoming Gigafactory 4, which is likely to be constructed in Germany. Despite this, however, Tesla has so far been unable to bring the Model 3 to Europe, with the vehicle’s appearance on this year’s Festival of Speed marking the first time the car is officially brought to the region.
Tesla’s booth, particularly the Model 3, is proving to be popular among attendees of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. [Credit: Dean Scott]
Considering the reputation and draw of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Tesla’s decision to showcase the Model 3 at the event is quite strategic. Goodwood, after all, draws as many as 150,000 attendees every year, with auto enthusiasts celebrating motorsports in an extensive, three-day event. Tesla has made appearances at the Festival of Speed in the past. Back in 2016 alone, Tesla participated in Goodwood’s traditional hill climb event with the Tesla Model X P90D, the luxury SUV’s top-tier variant at the time.
Over the years, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has featured an increasing number of electric cars. Rimac, for one, has participated in the past with its Concept_One all-electric supercar. Part of the reason behind the event’s support for electric cars is its founder, Charles Gordon-Lennox, the Duke of Richmond, is a huge supporter of motorsports and advanced vehicle technologies. This year alone, the Duke even invited Roborace, the creators of the autonomous AI-powered Robocar race vehicle, to participate in Goodwood’s traditional 1.16-mile hill climb run.
Based on the attention being attracted by the Model 3, however, it seems like Tesla’s compact electric car made a very strong impression among auto enthusiasts on the first day of the 2018 Festival of Speed.
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