The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed is taking place this weekend, and it is host to many of the world’s finest vehicle manufacturers.
For the event’s 25thanniversary, this year’s centrepiece of the Goodwood House grounds is a celebration of Porsche’s 70th, while cars of all different shapes, sizes and ages will be tackling the famous hill climb.
Here are some of the things to expect from the 2018 Festival of Speed…
Toyota Supra Prototype
The upcoming sports car will make its public debut in prototype form, before the road-going model is revealed later this year. It will be in heavy camouflage, but it will give people a good idea of what to expect from the car that brings back the legendary moniker.
Bentley Bentayga Pikes Peak
After becoming the fastest SUV up the American hill climb, the Bentayga Pikes Peak will be on show before tackling the less daunting but equally famous Goodwood climb. Bentley will produce a limited-run production version of the lime green model in the near-future.
Volkswagen I.D. Pikes Peak
A fortnight on from setting the quickest time ever up Pikes Peak – beating the previous record by 16 seconds – the all-electric VW will be on display throughout the weekend before tackling the short dash through the grounds of Goodwood House.
Driverless cars make their hill climb debut
Not one, but two autonomous cars will attempt to get up the hill climb over the weekend, with the Roborace Robocar driving up the hill first, before a modified 1965 Ford Mustang fitted with driverless tech has a go. Both use different autonomous setups, so it will be intriguing to see how they fare.
Land Rover 70thParade
To celebrate the anniversary of one of Britain’s finest car makers, Land Rover will be sending a fleet of its vehicles up the hill climb to show off its glorious history. There are plenty of models to choose from, and the very best will be on display throughout the weekend.
BMW 8 Series and i8 Roadster
Both of BMW’s newest, performance-angled models will make their first public appearance in the UK at Goodwood. The 8 Series makes a long-awaited return to the brand’s line-up, while the Roadster joins the coupe in the i8’s mid-generation refresh.
Brabham BT62
The first hypercar from the Anglo-Australian brand makes its public driving debut at the Sussex event – but this £1 million monster is only for the track so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to see one in the flesh for a long time.
McLaren P1 GT ‘Longtail’
Built by McLaren specialists Lanzante, this is an exclusive version of the hypercar that comes with an extended rear wing and more aerodynamic bodywork. The model will be getting its full reveal at the event.
McLaren 600LT
McLaren itself will be revealing its latest ‘Longtail’ in the form of the 600LT. Based on the 570S, this comes with more power, more aero bodywork – just more everything. This is a tasty car indeed.
Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door
The latest car from the AMG skunkworks will be making its UK debut at the weekend-long event – with this one built with the family in mind. Much of it is based on the two-door GT, but you can fit your golf clubs in the back of this one, so what’s not to like?
Polestar 1
The electrified performance arm of Volvo will be revealing its first bespoke model to the British public here, and the 1 is expected to be one of the coolest cars on display. As well as being exhibited, Polestar will drive it up the hill climb.
Aston Martin V8 Cygnet
Finally, our personal favourite. This utterly bonkers version of the city car comes with underpinnings derived from the last generation of the Vantage, as well as a 470bhp V8 and insane performance. One of the maddest cars of 2018 for sure!
