Exceeding Expectations | Goodwood Festival of Speed

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019 Roundup 

Last weekend we enjoyed an incredible four days of motorsport action at the 26th annual Festival of Speed. Everything from the Beast of Turin, to the VW I.D. R. Pikes Peak racecar took their turn up the famed Goodwood Hillclimb in front of some 200,000 spectators.

Year-on-year Goodwood excels in bringing together the very best classic, super and race cars for live-action shows, stunts and racing in the glorious grounds of the Goodwood estate. 2019 was no different – with some of the most famous Le Mans legends taking on the hill alongside F1 racers and automotive world-debuts.

Jaguar debuted its latest XE Project 8 ‘Touring Pack’, which took part in the First Glance paddock – proving its blistering four-door pace on the track. The British marque’s I-PACE E-Trophy racecar also graced the hill, putting on a grand show for electric-powered vehicles – which took centre stage at this year’s show.

The aforementioned all-electric VW I.D. R. Pikes Peak also made headlines by smashing the all-time Hillclimb record held by Nick Heidfeld and the McLaren MP4/13. The 20-year-old time was beaten by almost two seconds, taking it from 41.6 down to 39.9 seconds.

Revived classic-car brand De Tomaso made a splash at FOS 2019 by unveiling its first car in almost four decades – and what a car. The newest model, based on the same underpinnings as the ludicrous Apollo IE, pays homage to the brands last supercar - the P72.

The Bonhams Festival of Speed auction also dominated headlines over the weekend, with a number of stunning E-types and other classics going across the block. Headlining the auction was Nigel Mansell’s ‘Red 5’ Williams-Renault FW14B which won five Grand Prix in the 1992 season. The 700bhp V10-powered racer sold for just over £2.7 million and captured the attention of racing fans across the festival.

Three variants of the E-type, as well as an XJ220 and XK120 all featured in the auction, bringing estimates and sales between thirty thousand and half a million pounds. Other British marques, including Land Rover, Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce were all put across the auction block, with many surpassing their pre-auction estimates.

Once again, the Festival of Speed was a showcase of the UK's incredible car culture. With the world descending on its southern coast for the world’s greatest automotive festival, we can’t help but feel proud of Britain’s wonderful motoring history. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year’s show!