2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed Celebrates Cars, Car Culture

GOODWOOD, U.K. – The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual celebration of cars and car culture with a traditional British twist.

First held in 1993, it draws in cars and people of all types, nationalities and standing. Unlike traditional auto shows, many of the featured cars – from the very earliest motorized transport to cutting-edge supercars and many of the world’s most celebrated race and rally machinery – are driven, often loudly, on a narrow 1.17-mile (1.9-km) stretch of tarmac lined by hay bales through the grounds of Goodwood House in Sussex in the south of England.

They are sent up the Goodwood hill at varying speeds and levels of enthusiasm by their drivers, enabling hundreds of thousands of spectators over the three-day event to experience them in motion.

The timed class this year was won by Le Mans 24 Hour and Pikes Peak victor Romain Dumas driving the 2,040-hp electric-powered Ford Supervan 4.2 in a time of 43.93 seconds.

A separate rally stage through the surrounding forest saw both new and classic rally cars, including Ford’s new Paris-Dakar rally-bound Raptor T1, strutting their stuff.  

Ford Raptor T1 will participate in Paris-Dakar Rally.

There were also static displays of new cars, both internal-combustion-engine and electric. Reflecting  their increasing prominence in Europe, a number of Chinese car brands were on display, including BYD, Hongqi, Yangwang and Omoda.

Along with the cars, visitors to Goodwood this year got to rub shoulders with legends from the automotive and motorsport world. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Champion Richard Petty attended across the weekend, at one point riding shotgun up the Goodwood Hill in a 28.4L inline 4-cyl. Fiat S76 – a fire-spitting prototype from 1910 otherwise known as the Beast of Turin.

Petty’s iconic 1970 Plymouth Superbird was driven by his son Kyle.

Other drivers and riders – Goodwood also celebrates motorcycles in all various forms – in attendance this year included Fernando Alonso, Damon Hill, Jacky Ickx, Sebastian Ogier, Carlos Sainz Sr., the aforementioned Romain Dumas, Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan and Kevin Schwantz.

2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed – the Highlights

MG Cyber coupe

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed underpinned the centenary celebrations of MG – the famed British brand founded 100 miles (161 km) north in the city of Oxford. Now under the ownership of Chinese state-owned company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), it wowed fans with the unveiling of a new 2+2 coupe version of its recently introduced electric-powered Cyberster roadster called the Cyber.

Billed as a modern-day MG B, the new MG model was officially billed as a concept. But MG officials in Goodwood made no secret of the fact that it is already in the final stages of development and planned for launch in various markets in 2025.

As with the Cyberster, the production version of the Cyber is expected to offer the choice of either 335-hp single-motor rear-wheel drive or 503-hp dual-motor all-wheel drive.

Cyberster bears MG badge, but century-old U.K. marque now under Chinese ownership.

BMW M5

BMW debuted its new M5, ushering in a new era of gasoline-electric power for the revered German performance sedan.

Headed to North America in 2025, it adopts the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the XM utility vehicle, with a further-developed version of its predecessor’s twin-turbocharged 4.4L gasoline V-8 and a gearbox-mounted electric motor delivering a combined 717 hp and 738 lb.-ft. (1,001 Nm) of torque.

This gives the seventh-generation performance sedan a significant 101 hp and 185 lb.-ft. (251 Nm) more than the previous M5 Competition.

An 18.6-kW battery provides electric driving range of up to 43 miles (69 km) on the WLTP test cycle. BMW claims a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 3.5 seconds and top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) in combination with an optional M Driver’s package.

In line with standard 5-Series models, the 2025 M5 sedan is 5.1 ins. (130 mm) longer than the model it replaces.  

The new M5 formed part of a large display of new BMW models at Goodwood this year, including the recently unveiled fourth-generation X3 planned for U.S. sales by the end of 2024.

BMW M5 plug-in hybrid produces 717 hp, 738 lb.-ft. of torque.

Ford Capri CUV

One of many new electric production models on display at Goodwood this year, the Ford Capri is a high-riding coupe-style CUV that goes on sale across Europe later this year. It is based on the European Ford Explorer – a more upright CUV that shares its platform and electric drivetrain with the Volkswagen ID.4 and its more sporting sibling, the ID.5.

A long way from its low 2-door coupe namesake produced between 1968 and 1986, the new-age Capri will be sold with the choice of either 282-hp single-motor rear-wheel drive or 335-hp dual-motor all-wheel drive – the latter providing an official 0-62 mph time of 5.3 seconds, according to Ford.

Capri CUV based on European-spec Ford Explorer.

Red Bull RB17

Revealed for the first time at Goodwood, the Red Bull RB17 is a spectacular track-only hypercar developed by a team headed by Adrian Newey, the esteemed British engineer behind the company’s successful Formula One race cars.

To be produced in a limited run of just 50 cars, it is powered by a gasoline V-10 engineered by Cosworth and a gearbox-mounted electric motor developed by Red Bull.

Together, they provide the 1,775-lb. (805-kg) RB17 with a combined 1,184 hp. A race-grade aerodynamic package contributes to a claimed 217-mph (349-km/h) top speed and lap times which, Red Bull claims, are faster than its existing Formula One race car.

As breathtaking as the specification is the RB17’s price tag, which Red Bull confirms at $7.8 million.

The example of the high-tech hypercar shown at Goodwood is not the final version. Newey says recent development has made it smaller and more agile.

Red Bull 17 hypercar powered by Cosworth-engineered V-10.

Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+

Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance-car division unwraps its new GT 63 Pro 4Matic+ at Goodwood, confirming it will go on sale in North America by the end of the year.  

The new track-focused all-wheel-drive coupe receives a 603-hp version of AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0L gasoline V-8, giving it 27 hp more than the standard GT 63 4Matic+. Torque is also increased by 37 lb.-ft.(50 Nm)  to a new peak of 627 lb.-ft. (850 Nm) through revised engine control software.

Mercedes-Benz claims respective 0-60 mph (97 km/h) and 0-124 mph (200 km/h) times of 3.2 and 10.9 seconds, the latter being 0.5 second faster than that of the standard GT 63. Top speed increases slightly to 197 mph (317 km/h).

The Pro model brings a range of aerodynamic tweaks, including a fresh front bumper design with altered cooling ducts. In combination with changes to accelerate airflow within the underbody, they’re claimed to contribute to a 66-lb. (30-kg) reduction in aerodynamic lift on the front axle at top speed.Additionally, the Pro receives a fixed rear wing as standard, increasing downforce on the rear axle by some 6.8 lbs. (15 kg).

Mercedes-AMG GT63 tuned for track.