2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed preview

The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed is set to kick off on June 29. With this year's theme being 'Peaks of Performance – Motorsport's Game-Changers', a lot of high-octane, high-speed fun can be expected; there's even a car making its world debut.

Here's a look at what can be expected at the upcoming event:

McLaren 570S Spider

McLaren's mid-engined Sports Series supercar gets a drop-top makeover to produce the new Spider, which will make its public debut at Goodwood. It uses an electrically-operated, two-part folding roof mechanism that's similar to the one fitted to the 650S and 675LT Spiders.

Mini Countryman Cooper S E All4

Mini's first-ever electrified model will make an appearance at the Festival of Speed. The turbocharged 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine delivers 136hp and 220Nm, while the brushless electric motor serves up 88hp and 165Nm.

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R

Likely to be Vauxhall's last ever V8-engined car, the VXR8 GTS-R will be taking to Goodwood to celebrate the VXR8's final 15 units, which have an increased power output of 595hp.

Honda Civic Type R

The hardcore Civic Type R will also be present at Goodwood, and its 320hp power output should make it one of the quicker hill climbers. It already has a front-wheel-drive Nürburgring lap record under its belt, after all.

Ford GT

Ford will send its GT road car up the famous hill climb, piloted by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell, along with its Mustang GT4 racing car.

Ford Fiesta

The seventh-generation Fiesta gets an all-new plush cabin, new Vignale option and a high-rise Active model.

Proton Iriz R5

Proton may have just been confirmed to be under new management of Volvo's parent company, Geely, but that won't stop it from showing off its latest rallying weapon, the Iriz R5, which will be joined by a team of Group B rallying heroes.

Drift battle

Goodwood has announced a Festival of Speed first: a six-way drift battle up the snaking course. Drift stars Mad Mike and Vaughn Gittin Jr will take centre stage, alongside other big names from the drifting world, including Steve Biagioni, James Deane and Dean Kerney.

Robocar

Pegged as 'the world's first driverless electric racing car', the Robocar is the star of Roborace, a new racing category for driverless cars. It will be on display in Goodwood's new Future Lab exhibit.

Pal-V One

Pal-V, Dutch maker of flying cars, will be displaying its One model at Goodwood, as the first of many aviation-themed exhibits.

VRCO NeoXCraft

Another flying car in the Goodwood FoS Future Lab will be showcased by British company VRCO. It's a little different to Pal-V's mass-market-friendly car; VRCO is pitching the quadcopter NeoXCraft as a luxury flying road vehicle, capable of vertical take-off and landing.

Boom Supersonic

Boom Technology will display its Supersonic - a 2.2 Mach airliner with a top speed faster than that of the Concorde. The company will also display a solar-powered aircraft. The Supersonic exhibit will be a virtual reality affair in which visitors can walk through the plane's fuselage.

Extra 330LE
Not a car, but it fits into the speed element of Goodwood; the Extra 330LE is the world's fastest-climbing aeroplane, capable of climbing 3,000 metres in just 4min 22sec. It's also electrically-powered, and holds records for the fastest electric plane and the best power-to-weight ratio.

Tom Kristensen

Legendary racer Tom Kristensen will also be celebrated at the Festival of Speed; the man dubbed Le Mans' most successful racer will appear at the show.

F1 heroes

A number of heroes of Formula 1 will be present; making the hill climb will be Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid and Valtteri Bottas in his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 car. Renault Sport is bringing Jolyon Palmer and Sergey Sirotkin, while former Williams drivers Alan Jones and Damon Hill will also be present.

Anniversaries

Ferrari's 70 years

2017 marks the 70th year of Ferrari, so 70 iconic road and racing models will be on display, with many taking to the hill for dynamic demonstrations. The models on show will vary from vintage Grand Prix cars to the most exotic modern supercars.

Brooklands' 110 years
2017 marks 110 years since Brooklands opened its Weybridge paved racing track, the first purpose-built track in the world, and another, slightly different motorsport legend that will be celebrated at Goodwood.

AMG's 50 years

AMG is turning 50 this year, and is celebrating at Goodwood. The Mercedes performance offshoot is tipped to be bringing its AMG GT 4 concept to the festival.

Alongside these headliners, a long list of legendary road and racing machinery will return to the lawns of Goodwood House.