Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016 preview

The 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed is set to take place from June 24-26. With this year's theme being ‘Endless pursuit of power’, you can expect some of the fastest racing cars and bikes in history to make their way into the event.

BMW will take the main stage at the event and no doubt, will be bringing a large selection of its models from past and present. Additionally, the event will also play host to a number of world debuts for cars from major global manufacturers.

We run through some of the key cars to expect at the festival.

Ferrari California T Handling Speciale

Ferrari's more focused California T, the Handling Speciale or HS, uses the same turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 as the regular California T, adding a bespoke chassis setup, exhaust and standard carbon ceramic brakes to make it a louder and harsher riding sportscar. It is also one that's far more satisfying to drive on the limit.

Mercedes-AMG GT R

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A harder, more powerful version of Mercedes’ GT sportscar will make its global debut at Goodwood. Called the GT R, the car is expected to produce as much as 577.90hp from its uprated twin-turbocharged V8 engine and will rival the Porsche 911 GT3 RS when it goes on sale in international markets sometime later this year.

Mazda MX-5 RF

The Mazda MX-5 RF will make its European debut at Goodwood. The 2016 model features a retractable hard-top, giving it a coupé-like roofline and better insulation. Despite all that extra metal, the RF only adds 40kg to the regular MX-5’s kerb weight.

Honda NSX

Honda is expected to run a production-ready version of its NSX at Goodwood this year. The 2016 NSX uses a twin-turbo V6 engine and electric motor to produce 580.94hp, and has been described by some as an affordable version of hybrid hypercars like the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Ford Fiesta ST200

Ford’s hottest production Fiesta made its world debut at the Geneva motor show earlier this year. The new ST200 builds on the performance of the regular ST to produce up to 214.94hp and uses revised chassis settings to offer sharper performance.

BMW M4 GTS

BMW's most aggressive M4 uses an uprated version of the M4's twin-turbocharged straight-six engine to produce 499.83hp, a significant 68.94hp up on the regular M4. The stripped-out coupé rivals the Porsche 911 GT3.