Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: round-up
All the action from Goodwood FoS 2016: news, picture gallery, video and more
The 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed has once again proven to be a huge success, as the thousands of car enthusiasts attending refused to let the weather dampen spirits at the annual event. Rally cars, hot hatches, 4x4s, supercars, F1 cars and numerous heroes from motorsport around the world all came together as part of the spectacular Goodwood FoS celebrations.
There was no let up in the motoring action from the start, as the cars raced up the famous Goodwood FoS hillclimb and the spectators wandered around the numerous static exhibits.
Held at the Goodwood Estate near Chichester, the festival never disappoints with an incredible showcase of cars new and old - and we were there to keep you bang up to date with what we saw. So even if you weren't able to visit the festival for yourself, you'll find a great flavour of the 2016 FoS experience right here.
2016’s Goodwood Festival of Speed theme was ‘Full Throttle – the Endless Pursuit of Power’ and it celebrated BMW’s centenary year as a manufacturer. The enormous sculpture outside Goodwood House incorporated several classic BMW motorsport legends.
• Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015: round-up
Other birthdays celebrated were the 50th anniversaries of the Can-Am Series and of Sir Jack Brabham winning the F1 World Championship in a car bearing his own name. The 40th anniversary of James Hunt’s F1 World Championship, and the 100th Indianapolis 500 race were also honoured at this year’s FoS, rounding off a great line-up of celebrations.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: live video stream
The official Goodwood Festival of Speed video stream is now live, and you can watch it all right here. Enjoy the show...
As always, Auto Express was on hand to bring you updated news and coverage of this brilliant event. Scroll down to see our review of all the highlights of the 2016 Festival of Speed.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: gallery
Click through our gallery here to get a first-hand look at all of the action!
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: news
Click the bullet-pointed links below to see more details on the news stories our roving reporters have uncovered from this year's event.
- • Goodwood sculpture for 2016 honours 100 years of BMW
- • One-off Aston Martin GT12 Vantage revealed
- • Ford Mondeo ST-Line joins new trim range with Fiesta and Focus
- • Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to start from £59k
- • MINI John Cooper Works Challenge 2016 review
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: manufacturer A to Z
What were the big car brands up to at Goodwood FoS this year? Find out below...
Abarth
Making its dynamic debut at Goodwood was the highly anticipated Abarth 124 Spider, a spiced up edition of Fiat’s recently released Mazda MX-5 rival. The 170bhp provided by the Spider’s 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo engine will propel it from 0 to 62mph in 6.8 seconds, onto a top speed of 143mph.
Also in action was the new, top of the range ‘Competizione’ variant of the Abarth 595.
Alpina
After a debut at the Geneva Motor Show for the Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo, the firm showed off the luxury limo in all its glory at the Festival. Featuring a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, Alpinas engineers have worked their magic to make it produce nearly 600bhp, which mean the two-wheel drive version of the car will reach 62mph in just 4.0 seconds.
Also on the Alpina stand was the new B4 Bi-Turbo Convertible. Based on the latest-generation BMW 4 Series, it will hit 62mph from rest in 4.5 seconds thanks to a 404bhp engine.
Audi
The German manufacturer had a busy Festival, as it featured 9 brand new UK debutants. These included the smallest ‘Q’ model, the Q2, the all-new Audi S5 and TT RS Coupes, and the offroad-ready ‘Allroad’ version of the new A4 Avant.
The new generation R8 V10 Spyder, capable of 0-62mph in just 3.6 seconds and 113kg lighter than its predecessor, also made its first UK appearance.
Bentley
Bentley had a trio of road cars making their UK debuts at Goodwood this year. The Bentayga attracted the main attention as the luxury SUV, powered by the brand’s 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, roared up the famous hill climb.
Joining the Bentayga was the monstrous new Bentley Continental GT Speed, which, with 633bhp, is the fastest road car Bentley has ever produced, and the Bentley Flying Spur V8 S.
If that wasn’t enough, the new Continental GT3 race car made its world debut.
BMW
The festival this year was all about BMW, as the brand celebrates its centenary year. Showcasing not just the BMW brand but MINI,Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, BMW also had the honour of featuring on the central sculpture in front of Goodwood House.
Among the many BMW products to make their way up the hill were the 1957 BMW 507 driven by Lord March, along with a 1940 328 Touring Coupe and a 1965 BMW 1800 TiSA.
The bonkers BMW M4 GTS was be shown off in all its glory up the hill and on display, along with its compact M2 cousin. Rounding off the line-up was the BMW i8 Protonic Red edition.
Bugatti
The long-awaited successor to the Bugatti Veyron, the Chiron, was seen in action in the UK for the first time ever at Goodwood 2016. Producing an outrageous 1479bhp, the world’s new fastest car will be able to achieve up to 261mph and provided a spectacle as it took on the famous Hill Climb challenge.
Caterham
It was more of what we’ve come to expect from lightweight manufacturer Caterham at Goodwood this year – the company brought a Seven 420R and a Seven 620R, which it describes as ‘pant-wettingly fast’.
The 420R on display featured a new ultra-lightweight chassis developed in conjunction with bicycle manufacturer Reynolds, which uses butted tubing technology taken straight from the bike world. It’s not just an exercise, though, as the car fitted with this will be fully road-registered.
Dacia
The Duster was the focus of the attention at Dacia, as the Romanian carmaker unveiled a new 2017 model of the budget SUV, featuring exterior and interior styling changes and improvements to standard equipment. The Duster will now be available with an all new ‘Prestige’ top of the line trim level, and a 1.2-litre TCE petrol engine.
Elemental
We drove the prototype version of Elemental’s RP1 last year, and the company debuted the first road-ready version at Goodwood. The RP1 truly is a racecar for the road, featuring an F1-style driving position, and pushes out 500bhp per tonne with the higher-powered 2.0-litre engine – enough to rocket it from 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds. The car is also able to generate up to 400kg of downforce. Two RP1s were on show, with one stationary and one going up the Goodwood hill climb.
Ford
Ford's stand mainly promoted its performance-orientated cars, so the Focus ST and RS featured, along with the new Ford GT. The brand's new ST-Line range of cars also made up the numbers on the stand. Along with all of the new metal on show, Ford's stand itself was quite interesting; not only could you climb to the top to get a better view of the show, but you could even jump off it!
Honda
The Japanese manufacturer didn't bring many new products to the Festival – the Honda stand featured the Jazz, HR-V, CR-V, Civic and Civic Type R, along with some nods to the brand’s motorsport history in the form of the McLaren Formula One car and BTCC Civic Type R racer. More exciting was the first UK public debut of the NSX supercar – the first time you could be able to see it up close and in the flesh.
However it’s how Honda decorated its stand that’s worthy of comment – it recreated the iconic Fisher Price toy garage, complete with ramp, tower, and bright colours. It was a tough one to miss.
Lexus
The luxurious Lexus LC coupe had its first UK debut at Goodwood, and was driven up the hill by a trio of racing drivers. The V8-powered LC 500 example was accompanied by Lexus’ LFA supercar, RC F, GS F, and F Sport versions of the RC, NX and RX.
Maserati
The Levante, Maserati’s first ever SUV made its motorsport debut racing up the famous Goodwood hillclimb after an appearance in the ‘Moving Motor Show’. The Levante joined Maserati’s Ghibli and Quattroporte on the manufacturer’s stand, and festival-goers were able to experience passenger rides in the Ghibli on the Thursday of the festival.
Mazda
Mazda’s new hard-top MX-5 RF made its debut at the Moving Motor Show, while the company relaxed with a ‘Raise the Roof’ live music display. A selection of MX-5’s were featured alongside it, with a standard roadster, Spyder concept (first seen at the 2015 SEMA show) and an example of where it all began – the Mk1 MX-5.
• Mazda MX-5 Icon revealed at Goodwood
A new special-edition MX-5 also made its debut. The limited-run Icon adds some extra kit to the car, as well as a choice of two unique paint jobs - Meteor Grey or Crystal White, both with Soul Red detailing on the mirrors, spoiler and front skirt. The car will be limited to just 600 examples.
McLaren
With its long motorsport history, McLaren was present with cars from across its range – the most extensive display of McLaren models ever showcased, in fact. The company displayed the recently-announced track-only 570S Sprint, making its sporting debut on the famous Goodwood hill alongside its road-going 570S coupe sibling. The 50th anniversary of the Can Am championship was celebrated with the 650S Can Am by MSO, joined by the 675LT Spider. Rounding off the line-up of current models were two examples of the P1 GTR.
A selection of historical McLaren race models also featured, and paid tribute to F1, the Can-Am series, and the 100th running of the Indy 500.
Michelin
More often known for producing tyres, Michelin nevertheless exhibited a wide array of cars under the theme ‘Track to Street.’ On the Michelin stand was a Ginetta G57 racer, representing all-out racers, as well as a KTM X-Bow as a road-legal track car.
Next up, from British manufacturer Arash was the AF8, powered by a mid-mounted 7.0-litre V8, while bringing up the rear was the AC Schnitzer ACS4. Based on the BMW M4 Coupe, it boosts that car’s power to 510bhp. All four cars were shod in Michelin tyres, of course.
Porsche
Celebrating its Le Mans motorsport heritage, Porsche unveiled the 911 Endurance Racing Edition. It's a variant on the Carrera S, and adds all manner of sports-focused kit including the Sport Chrono package, twin sports exhaust and dynamic chassis control.
• Porsche 911 Endurance Racing Edition
Featuring a liviery inspired by the Porsche Team racing cars, the 911 Endurance Racing Edition is available to order now priced at £107,216.
Renault
The new Twingo GT got its global debut at the Festival of Speed this year. The hotted-up version of Renault’s rear-engined city car boasts 110bhp from its tuned engine, along with stiffened suspension and variable-rate steering. The company will also gave the new Megane Sports Tourer GT205 its first UK run at the Moving Motor Show, while the 275bhp Clio R.S. 16 Concept first seen at the Monaco Grand Prix was on display in the ‘First Glance’ area before a run up the hill.
Also, watch Renault's 360-degree video of the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo being thrashed up the hillclimb by Jean Ragnotti:
Singer Vehicle Design
Singer has become well-known for its fettling of classic Porsche 911s, 'resto-modding' them to original condition while modernising components like the brakes and suspension, as well as tuning and upgrading the engine.
The company brought the latest 'Newcastle' restoration to Goodwood, which is its first restoration with a Nubuck suede-style interior. It's not all show and no go, though, as the company has upgraded the 4.0-litre engine and fitted a six-speed transmission.
Tesla
The Silicon Valley carmaker gave its long awaited Model X SUV its UK debut this year at Goodwood. Starting at £72,280 for an entry level 75D, extending up to north of £100,000 for a P90D model capable of 0-62mph in as little as 3.2 seconds, the Falcon-winged electric SUV will be available in 5, 6 or 7 seat configurations, and UK deliveries are expected to start towards the end of this year.
Vauxhall
In a bid to show off that the bonkers Maloo LSA pickup as a genuine commercial vehicle, Vauxhall extended the load bed and stuffed it with something rather special – the first Vauxhall car ever, the 5HP. The 2016 Maloo was more than capable of ferrying around the weight of a car 113 years its junior, as the 500kg payload was barely troubled by the 5HP’s 272kg weight.
VUHL 05
Vehicles of Ultra High performance and Light weight. Sounds pretty purposeful, right? Small-time Mexican firm VUHL brought the 05RR track car to Goodwood, ahead of a UK sales debut before the end of the year.
• VUHL 05 confirmed for UK sales
Competing with the likes of the Ariel Atom and KTM X-Bow, the VUHL 05RR is powered by a 285bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, and the company says it's capable of 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds.
The best of the rest…
Goodwood’s Moving Motor Show provided an opportunity for manufacturers to show off their latest metal on a specially constructed course around the Festival of Speed grounds. Joining some of the cars mentioned above was:
Bentley GT Flying Spur
Ford Fiesta ST200
MINI Seven
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: drivers
The Goodwood track was graced by plenty of drivers this year – over 60 were scheduled to attend, most with some serious motorsport history. F1 drivers such as Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were there, along with legends like Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees and Jackie Stewart.
Ken Block of Gymkhana fame took to the track, along with unexpected guests such as TV chef James Martin, Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy and AC/DC singer Brian Johnson.
Champions from BTCC, Le Mans, Superbike, Monte Carlo, Indy 500, British Rally, drifting and NASCAR to name but a few round edoff this impressive roster of motorsport royalty.
Goodwood Festival of Speed: Formula 1
Grand prix machines from seven F1 teams made their way up the iconic Goodwood hill this year – to go along with the large number of F1 drivers.
Leading the pack were World Champions Mercedes-Benz, followed by Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault, and Williams. To round off the group, F1 commentator Martin Brundle took Jenson Button’s championship-winning 2009 Brawn BGP 001 up the hill.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: sculpture
Each year the Goodwood Festival of Speed sculpture stands proud on the front lawn of Goodwood House, and this year’s masterpiece from designer Gerry Judah was as dramatic as ever with BMW’s 100th birthday providing the inspiration.
The 2016 sculpture was based around this year’s Goodwood theme of “Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power” and featured three sweeping steel forms. BMW’s motorsport success was represented on each arm, with the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster, the Brabham-BMW BT52 and the Le Mans-winning BMW V12 LMR featured. Click here for more information on the 2016 sculpture.
10 years of Goodwood themes
The theme for 2016 is 'Full Throttle - The Endless Pursuit of Power'. See our list of past themes below...
2006 – Racing for Glory – a Century of Grands Prix2007 – Spark of Genius – Breaking Records, Pushing Boundaries2008 – Hawthorn to Hamilton – Britain's Love Affair with World Motor Sport2009 – True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance2010 – Viva Veloce! - The Passion for Speed2011 – Racing Revolutions – Quantum Leaps that shaped Motor Sport2012 – Young Guns – Born to Win2013 – Best of the First 20 Years of the Festival of Speed2014 – Addicted to Winning – The Unbeatable Champions of Motor Sport2015 – Flat-out and Fearless – Racing on the Edge2016 – Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power
What did you think of 2016's Festival of Speed? Let us know in the comments...
