Arguably the most appealing aspect of the Festival of Speed, now firmly established as one of the staples of the motoring world, is that the event means something different to each of the 180,000-plus visitors who pass through the gates of Lord March’s country pile. The four-day extravaganza – from the curtain-raising Moving Motor Show through to the three days of the Festival proper – is now so vast that it is a challenge to absorb it all in one go.
Anniversary
Peugeot is celebrating 30 years of the GTI this year, with the landmark 205 GTI first terrorising roads in 1984. An enhanced 208 GTI 30th Anniversary Limited Edition will make its world debut at Goodwood. The car will be on static display in the Moving Motor Show and drive on the hillclimb at speed.
Bentley
Road and track align for the Crewe manufacturer, which is showing off the new high-performance version of the Continental GT inspired by its GT3 racer. Named the GT3-R, this two-seat, 572bhp V8 monster is described as the “fastest-ever accelerating” and “most dynamic road car” in Bentley’s history.
Citroen
The French manufacturer is unveiling its radical new Cactus hatch and latest C1 city car in the UK for the first time. It will also showcase the 80th anniversary of Traction Avant, the vehicle that helped to popularise front-wheel drive when it was introduced in 1934, with a display in the Moving Motor Show pavilion.
Damon Hill
Hill, the 1996 world champion, is among seven F1 title winners who’ll be present during the weekend. Also confirmed are Jenson Button, Emerson Fittipaldi, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, Sir Jackie Stewart and John Surtees. Current F1 teams in attendance include Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and Mercedes.
Elemental RP-1
Is there room for another manufacturer in the competitive track-car marketplace? Elemental thinks so, and will use the Goodwood Festival of Speed to launch its new road-legal, track-orientated two-seater. The RP-1 is powered by a 2.0-litre Ford EcoBoost engine — although other units will be offered subsequently — with a reported 276bhp, and it has a claimed kerb weight of 450kg. Elemental says the car “incorporates a carbonfibre tub, motorsport-derived aerodynamics and owner-tuneable suspension”.
Ford Mustang
The new Ford Mustang will make its debut at the Festival of Speed to whet the appetite for the right-hand-drive versions. Both hard-top and convertible examples of the American pony car will be represented alongside heritage examples. A new, more powerful version of the Fiesta Zetec S 1.0 EcoBoost is another of Ford’s stars at Goodwood.
GTI Roadster concept
Volkswagen’s remarkable GTI Roadster concept is making debut off the back of its appearance at last month’s Wörthersee tuning festival in Austria. The car won’t attack the hill, so there will be no opportunity to see or hear the potential of the new twin-turbo 3.0-litre VR6 petrol engine under its bonnet.
Honda Civic Type R
Honda’s hot hatch moves a step closer to production reality with the Civic Type R concept, which will highlight the styling direction for the exterior design of the production car, due at the Paris show in October. The concept, created by a team of three people in Honda’s Swindon design centre, will be on static display over the weekend.
i20 WRC car
Hyundai’s i20 WRC car — currently in the midst of its first year in rallying’s top flight — will make its debut with Spanish star Dani Sordo behind the wheel. The 31-year-old will also take to the loose surface of the forest rally stage — which will be run against the clock for the first time this year — for two runs on each day.
John Surtees
Half a century on from winning the 1964 Formula 1 world championship, the Briton — who has been an integral part of the festival since its inception — will drive his title steed, a Ferrari 158, up the hill.
Koenigsegg Agera One:1
The Koenigsegg Agera One:1 will make its debut at the Festival of Speed, with the Swedish hypercar set to participate in the Michelin supercar run. A second example will be on static display on the French tyre company’s stand. The One:1 is so called as it has a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1 – it weighs 1340kg and produces 1340hp (1322bhp). This eclipses the McLaren P1, LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and even the 1184bhp Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. A claimed top speed of 273mph makes it the fastest production road car in the world.
Loeb, Sebastien
Conditions permitting, the versatile Frenchman is likely to have a tilt at the outright course record driving Peugeot’s 208 T16 Pikes Peak car. The current 41.6sec standard was set by Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren-Mercedes F1 car in 1999. Peugeot will also give a European debut to its striking 2008 DKR, which the company will use on its official return to the Dakar Rally next January. Loeb will also drive his old Citroën DS3 WRC on the hill and the forest rally stage.
Mercedes-Benz
One of the themes of the Festival is ‘120 years of Mercedes in motorsport’. A range of Mercedes, Daimler and Benz vehicles, old and new, will be on the hill and on static display, with everything from pre-war GP-winning Silver Arrows and the monstrous Sauber-Mercedes C9 and CLK GTR sportscars to today’s F1 team represented. Sculptor Gerry Judah is creating what is said to be the most architecturally challenging installation yet seen at the Festival to take pride of place on the lawn outside Goodwood House. Mercedes will also use the event to launch a facelifted version of the CLS four-door coupé.
N is for...Nissan
Rumours suggest Nissan’s virtual concept, dubbed Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, will be seen in the metal at Goodwood. Some reports say the 2+2 points to the styling of the next GT-R; Nissan says its designers had free rein, with the brief to create a dream car for a fantasy garage in the Gran Turismo 6 game.
Off-road in the Forest Rally Stage
A short stroll from the turning circle at the top of the hillclimb is the tight and twisty forest rally stage, which has its own separate paddock that houses a plethora of rally-bred machinery. This year there will be a special celebration entitled ‘The Birth of Stage Rallying’, featuring the likes of the Mini Cooper S, Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600, Fiat 124 Abarth and Opel Kadette GT/E . Toyota’s rally heritage will also be saluted with a display of Celicas and Corollas from the 1980s and 1990s.
Plug-in hybrid
The i8, BMW’s most advanced sports car ever, will be seen in action for the first time in the UK. It will showcase the accelerative potential of its hybrid powertrain on the 1.16-mile hillclimb. The Bavarian manufacturer will also have its new M3 saloon and M4 coupé on display, as well as other new M models, including the first look at the special anniversary M5 30 Year Edition. Sister brand Mini will show off its latest range.
Quadrifoglio Verde
The new Alfa Romeo Mito and Giulietta Quadrifoglio Verde models make their debuts on the hill. The Italian car maker will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Giulietta by wheeling out some heritage cars, including the 1955 750 Competizione and the Giulietta SZ Coda Tronca from 1960.
R8 LMX
Audi’s 562bhp R8 LMX — vying with the BMW i8 to be the first production car available with laser headlights as standard equipment — is making its debut and production will be limited to just 99 cars.
Supercars
Up to 40 road-legal supercars are expected to participate in the supercar runs up the hill. Stand-out entries include debuts for the Ferrari 458 Speciale and California T, and Lamborghini, which will show off its new Huracán.
Trophy-R
La Régie’s tuning division, Renaultsport, has been busy. It has fettled two versions of the Mégane RS 275 Trophy, both of which will be on show. The limited-edition Trophy-R, the car that recently broke the Nürburgring lap record for front-wheel-drive cars, will be driven up the hill by the record setter, Laurent Hurgon.
Up in the air
Aviation plays a significant role in the history of the Goodwood estate. This year’s event will include fly-pasts from the Red Arrows (now in their 50th season of aerial displays), a Typhoon and the sole remaining Vulcan.
Vauxhall VXR8 GTS
With its supercharged LSA V8 powerplant delivering 576bhp and 545lb ft of torque, Vauxhall’s VXR8 GTS has plenty of potential for smoke-belching burnouts when it undertakes dynamic runs in the ‘first glance’ category on Goodwood’s hillclimb course.
Webber, Mark
Mark Webber was a big draw at last week’s Le Mans 24 Hours. At the Festival of Speed, he’ll be reunited with the Porsche 919 Hybrid in which he led the race. Toyota and Audi are bringing their current TS040 and R18 e-tron hybrid racers, too.
X-Games stars
Freestyle motocross riders such as Edgar Torronteras and Petr Pilat, regulars in the X-Games extreme sports events, will show off their skills at the Goodwood action sports section of the festival. They’ll be joined by mountain bike and BMX legends from around the globe.
Yamaha
Also on two wheels, Britain’s Bradley Smith, current MotoGP rider for the Tech 3 Yamaha team, is set to ride the Japanese manufacturer’s famous YZR500 OW48 motorcycle, as taken to the 500cc world championship by Kenny Roberts in 1980. What’s more, ‘King’ Kenny himself will return to West Sussex for the third successive summer. Other bike stars include Giacomo Agostini, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Gardner, Chaz Davies and Dougie Lampkin.
Zagato
The famed styling house will be represented in Goodwood’s Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ concours d’elegance. With Maserati’s centenary being marked, a collection of the marque’s 1950s grand tourers styled by the likes of Zagato, Pininfarina, Frua and Allemano, will be in the competition. Other classes will feature junior pre-war sports cars, the Mercedes 500K, mid-engined 1960s masterpieces, US pony cars and front-engined 1990s supercars.