Goodwood Festival of Speed is one of the largest and most iconic motorsport and car culture events in the world. Held annually at Goodwood House in West Sussex it’s a unique blend of historic racing heritage and cutting-edge automotive innovation—all set against the backdrop of a grand English estate.
It returned for 2024 and over the weekend we were there to experience a high-octane weekend of screaming Formula 1 cars, ultra-rare supercars, thrilling rally cars, priceless classic cars and a world debut of Red Bull’s new hypercar!
Fast and loud
Drawing over 200,000 visitors across its four-day duration, the biggest automotive event of the year covers a massive area and is heaven for any car enthusiast. Attended by all the largest carmakers and the event has everything you can imagine— we’re talking legendary supercars, all the classics, rare low-production prototypes, record-breakers, rally cars, motorcycles and even boats and helicopters.
This year’s theme, “Horseless to Hybrid – Revolutions in Power”, marked 130 years since the world’s first motor race, highlighting the evolution from early automobiles to modern hybrid technology. At the heart of the Goodwood Festival of Speed stands the Central Feature—a monumental sculpture that serves as the festival’s iconic centerpiece each year.
MG took pride of this year’s central feature, celebrating 100 years of the motorcar company. Designed as always by visionary creator Gerry Judah who has been delivering new centrepieces for the festival since 1997, the sculpture captures what are the two defining elements of MG: lightweight design and clever engineering.
Red Bull Racing's 20th anniversary
A standout feature of the festival was the grand celebration of Red Bull Racing’s 20th anniversary which included all 20 Formula 1 cars on display. Making its debut at the event this year, the Festival of Speed was delighted to welcome current and three-time Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen who took to the Hill on Sunday in the furious RB16B in which he claimed his first world title in 2021.
Joined by teammate Sergio Pérez and Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, as well as former Red Bull drivers David Coulthard, Christian Klien, Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber, the hugely successful Formula 1 team took to the Goodwood balcony on Sunday giving fans the opportunity to salute the seven drivers who between them, hold a phenomenal 97 Formula 1 race wins.
Hillclimb shootout
Goodwood Festival of Speed is most famous for its iconic hillclimb—a long winding stretch of road that cuts through the centre of the festival and flanked by grandstands where visitors can watch drivers compete for the shortest time.
It’s a thrilling experience watching your favourite supercars blasting past you flat-out just metres away. It can get extremely loud, especially the F1 cars, but this just adds an extra level of drama and excitement. The hillclimb is not just for the fastest cars, we saw 1960s racing cars, Dakar rally cars, electric vehicles and highly modified drift-cars.
This year the shootout was won by Romain Dumas, who clinched victory driving the Ford SuperVan 2.4. This all-electric van, boasting over 1,400 PS, completed the 1.16-mile course in 43.98 seconds, marking Dumas’s third win at the Festival of Speed.
The all-time fastest vehicle to conquer the climb is the McMurtry Spéirling, an innovative electric fan car. In 2022, former Formula 1 driver Max Chilton piloted this compact powerhouse to a record-breaking time of 39.08 seconds.
World-exclusives and debuts
Visitors were some of the first to witness global marques and manufacturers unveiling their latest projects at the Festival of Speed. BMW unveiled world-debuts of three new cars—the seventh-generation M5, fourth-gen X3 and R20 Concept car. Subaru revealed their fastest ever WRX with 670hp and Land Rover unveiled the high-performance Defender Octa. Ford revived the Capri with an all-electric version
BYD stole the show with their ‘dancing’ Yangwang U9 electric supercar and Gensis impressed with their new range of Magma super EVs, including the X Gran Berlinetta concept car which looks absolutely gorgeous!
But undoubtably the biggest reveal everyone is talking about is Red Bull’s new hypercar, the RB17. The brainchild of legendary F1 car designer Adrian Newey, this track-weapon delivers 1000hp from a naturally aspirated 4.5-litre V10, paired with a 200hp electric motor for a combined total of 1200hp! A true showstopper.
Glimpse into the future
A step into the future located at the heart of the event and exhibiting some of the very latest technology, Future Lab presented by Randox showcased ‘Technology for a Better World’, with exhibitors grouped into four sub-themes: ‘Protecting the Planet’, ‘Robots to the Rescue’, ‘Future of Flight’ and ‘Our World in Pixels’.
The interactive hub welcomed entrepreneurs and innovators, including Dronamics, Drone City, Performit Live, sees.ai, and Shadow Robot who have collaborated with Google DeepMind on their latest robotic hand.
Supported by Ambassador Tim Peake, the Future Lab exhibition is an immersive experience into the latest advancements in robotics, mobility, space exploration, and more. It’s also a great place for kids and an opportunity to take a break from the action.
Goodwood is not just about cars, it’s a festival full of fun, excitement and celebration of the speed and the engineering endeavour. It’s a unique festival that pays tribute to the unbelievable passion that cars still inspire. So if you’re looking to upgrade your wheels or you’re a car enthusiast, then this is the ultimate event is for you. And if you come just for the day, be early as there is a lot to see!
More information about Goodwood Festival of Speed can be found here.
Image credits: © Goodwood Festival of Speed
