EXOTIC CARS DECEND ON GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Luxury and exotic sportscar makers are always looking for the best venues to engage with well-healed potential buyers. Car shows in major cities are still on the list, but losing some favor. Concours d’Elegance events the likes of Pebble Beach and Amelia Island are also good bets. And major motorsports venues, especially Formula One, bring well-healed crowds of enthusiasts who are also influencers.
Then there’s the Goodwood Festival of Speed, founded in 1993 by Lord March, the Duke of Richmond, who tried to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood Circuit but when refused permits, hosted the event on his own 12,000-acre estate in West Sussex, England. The event has grown remarkably over the last three decades with a number of luxury and exotic car introductions joining the world’s top racecars, production supercars and motorcycles competing for time measurement up the estate’s hill climb.
Here are some of the newest vehicles on display at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed
Aston Martin Valour
The British supercar that has defied death over the decades is bristling these days with new editions to the legendary brand’s lineup. The latest is Valour, a carbon fiber, two-plus-two grand tourer powered by a twin-turbocharged 715 HP V12 connected to a six-speed manual gearbox. Of course it’s fast and makes wonderful noise, but just 110 Aston Martin enthusiasts will acquire one. Why 110? It’s the 110th birthday of Aston Martin.
Caterham Project V
Caterham is a British automaker of light, fun open roadsters that are much like racecars that are barely street legal. At Goodwood, the company unveiled its Project V, an electric two-seat sportscar that is quick and quite drivable. The 55KWH battery might seem small but since the 268HP motor only has to push 2,624-pounds around, the performance is just fine. Zero-to-sixty takes just 4.5-seconds to a top speed of 143MPH and the 249-mile range with a fast refill is quite competitive. And because it’s a zero emission EV, we may see Caterham on our shores.
Lotus Emira
Lotus is another British legend that has survived in spite of having been tied to the train tracks more than a few times. It’s legendary for building lightweight, brilliant sportscars and the new Emira continues that history. The turbocharged 2.0-liter engine produces 360HP to propel the Lotus to 60MPH in just 4.3-seconds along with a top speed of 180MPH. Looks like $100-grand or so to procure one when production begins.
Bugatti Bolide
Perhaps Bugatti’s Chiron production car isn’t quite fast enough for you. In that case, you might consider the Bolide model with its 16-cylinders producing 1,850 HP for a car that weighs just 2,734-pounds. The result is a Bugatti that can rocket to 310 MPH if you’re brave enough. The only luxury in this Bugatti is two seats according to Stephan Winkelmann, Bugatti’s president.
Ducati Brings the Goods
Ducati thrilled Goodwood motorcycle enthusiasts with the appearance of Moto GP champions Francesco Bagnaia and Casey Stoner. The Italian icon also brought a few of its wonderful bikes including the Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini model.
Ferrari KC23
If you wish to own something more exclusive than a very limited production sportscar, like the AM Valour where there are 109 others around the world you might encounter, commission Ferrari to make you a one-of. That’s what a well-healed prancing horse enthusiast did to create the KC23, a stunning Ferrari hand built on the company’s 488 GT3 platform. The bespoke car took four years to create and price is apparently none of our business.
Mustang Mach-E Rally
Ford brought its electric Mustang Mach-E in off-road racing style, creating plenty of speculation on Internet fan sites whether a production model will head to dealerships. And why not if there are enough buyers? That’s why automakers use venues like this to check the temperature of potential offerings.
Polestar 5 Prototype
The electric vehicle and performance branch of Volvo brought its current Polestar 3 and the upcoming Polestar 5 prototype to Goodwood to zoom up the hill and perhaps write a few orders. The upcoming sedan is based on the Precept concept study and promises a host of new EV virtues.
Porsche Reaches Back
Porsche brought two very stylish concepts to Goodwood that recalled its original 356 styling. The Vision 357 Coupe Concept that was unveiled earlier this year joined with the new Vision 357 Speedster, a concept complete with a passenger covering tonneau. Both cars are electric, quick and there’s little chance we’ll see either one in production, despite all the hand raisers who loved them at Goodwood.