Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017: round-up
Everything from the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, including news, reveals, pictures and video
The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed once again provided a thrilling mix of exotic supercars, famous racing cars, concept cars and more. As always the Auto Express team was busy at the annual petrolhead gathering, covering all the new car reveals, news stories and pictures from Goodwood's hallowed lawns.
Thousands of car enthusiasts attended the spectacular 2017 Festival of Speed to see the stunning collection of cars on show and in action. Highlights this year in terms of new cars included the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Jaguar's XE SV Project 8, Range Rover's Velar, McLaren's 570S Spider and the Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge.
But this is Goodwood and the new metal always fights for attention against the incredible array of race and road cars from years gone by.
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017: video stream
The official live Goodwood Festival of Speed video stream is below, and you can watch everything right here...
Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017: gallery
Click through our gallery here to get a first-hand look at all of the action!
A to Z: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017
Want to know what the major manufacturers were up to this year? Simply scroll through our handy A to Z to see what the biggest car makers had in store…
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo's first production SUV made its UK debut at Goodwood. The new Stelvio appeared in the metal and on the move, to whet the appetite ahead of it hitting UK showrooms later this year. A selection of racing cars from Alfa's rich motorsport history were also on display.
Alpine
The new Alpine A110 put in an important appearance at this year's festival as Renault's reborn sports car brand prepares for a UK launch in 2018. The Porsche Cayman rivalling, 249bhp, lightweight A110 made its dynamic debut by blasting up the Goodwood hillclimb.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin had a fair selection on show for the 2017 festival with plenty of new metal being presented. The new V8 powered DB11 made its global debut and was driven by CEO Dr. Andy Palmer over the course of the weekend. The new Vanquish Zagato Coupe made its UK debut, while the Vantage AMR Pro made its world dynamic debut. The new Vanquish S Volante and Le Mans winning Vantage GTE were also be present.
Audi
Audi's huge stand was home to 29 cars, but two of particular significance. The new R8 Spyder V10 Plus made its world premiere, while the Q8 Sport Concept - previewing the firm's upcoming flagship SUV - made its UK debut.
Bentley
Bentley's most powerful production car yet - the new 700bhp Continental Supersports - made its UK debut with racing driver Derek Bell behind the wheel. Like many manufactuers, Bentley also brought along a spread from its heritage fleet, including the 2003 Le Mans winning Speed 8.
BMW
The headline act for BMW was the UK premiere of the new 8 Series Concept. It was not the only UK debut by the firm though - the new M4 CS took part in the hillclimb event.
Ferrari
This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed coincided with Ferrari’s 70th birthday, an event which was celebrated at Goodwood in some style with 70 of the Italian manufacturer’s best machines gracing the 1.16-mile hill route.
Ford
The new Ford GT supercar was at Goodwood, appearing live in the UK for the first time.
Honda
The new 316bhp Civic Type R hot hatch made its UK debut, on-stand and on the Goodwood hillclimb. At the other end of the scale, the new Clarity fuel-cell vehicle also appeared in the metal.
Jaguar
Jaguar unveiled its XE SV Project 8 car at Goodwood ahead of its limited 300-unit production run. Powered by a tuned version of JLR’s 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, it produces a whopping 592bhp, making it the most powerful road-going Jag in history.
Land Rover
And Land Rover deployed the new Velar on the hill climb, giving the SUV its ‘dynamic debut’ ahead of the first UK deliveries this summer. We were lucky enough to get a turn in the passenger seat and you can read our first impressions here.
London Taxi Company
While new supercars from some of the world's most desirable carmakers are typical fare for Goodwood, an important debut at the other end of the scale took place with the first public demonstration of LTI's new TX5 range-extended taxi. The new black cab will become a common sight on the Capital's roads in years to come.
McLaren
McLaren had an all-new car for this year's festival - the new £165,000 570S Spider. It was the first time we had seen the car up close and personal. The firm also had a bit of fun planned for the festival too - a full scale LEGO model of the new 720S was built over the weekend, and any visitors to McLaren's stand were able to get involved.
Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz celebrated 50 years of AMG at the festival. As such, some of the most memorable cars in Mercedes-AMG history were on show, plus the new AMG GT Concept. Classic Mercedes racing cars from a variety of disciplines were also on display and on hillclimb duty, but a strong Formula 1 contingent from the current world champions appeared too.
MINI
Elsewhere, MINI showcased its first ever plug-in hybrid in the form of the Countryman PHEV, supported by the “youngest ever model range” that MINI has ever taken to the festival. The MINI Challenge race car also featured, and appropriately for Goodwood, the brand’s AUTOHOME roof tent was on display. And if you travelled to Goodwood in your own MINI, you were able to present your keys at the door of their Owners’ Lounge for access to food and live music.
Porsche
Porsche delivered perhaps the biggest new car reveal at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking the covers off its new 911 GT2 RS track weapon. With 690bhp, it's the most potent 911 yet and promises to push the boundaries of what's possible in terms of track performance from a road car.
Renault
While Ferrari celebrated its 70th birthday, Renault marked the 40th anniversary of its first involvement in Formula One by showcasing the 2027 Vision Concept it revealed earlier this year at the Shanghai Motor Show. The much discussed concept vehicle is made its UK debut at Goodwood, as did the ZOE e-sport concept that appeared in Geneva back in March. Renault also brought a contingent of its most iconic racers from several decades of motorsport, and its full range was available to drive on Thursday’s Moving Motor Show as well.
Rolls-Royce
Another 'Black Badge' Rolls-Royce took centre stage at Goodwood. The Dawn Black Badge gets additional power, dark styling tweaks.
Subaru
Subaru tried to catch the eye of festivalgoers with a race prepared WRX STI Type RA NBR Special. It took on the hillclimb with racing driver Mark Higgins at the wheel, serving as a warm-up before the same car travels to the Nurburgring later this year for a lap record attempt.
Vauxhall
The Vauxhall VXR8 bowed out at Goodwood with a final hurrah in the form of the new VXR8 GTS-R - the most powerful road car ever to wear a Vauxhall badge. The 6.2-litre supercharged V8 boasts 587bhp, while just 15 will go on sale in Britain, priced from £74,500.
Goodwood FoS sculpture 2017
The Goodwood Festival of Speed organisers also revealed this year’s central feature – the traditional huge sculpture placed in front of Goodwood House. The statue is usually a tribute to one of the marques present at the festival, but this year the central feature celebrated the life and career of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Called “The Five Stages of Ecclestone”, the feature represented five distinct eras of Bernie Ecclestone’s involvement in Formula 1, with five iconic Formula 1 cars – each representing an era – portrayed on the sculpture.
Bernie’s short stint as a driver in the late 1950s was represented by the Connaught he drove at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, while his time as the manager of Austria’s Jochen Rindt – the sport’s only posthumous champion – was marked by the iconic Gold Leaf Lotus 72.
• Everything you need to know about Formula 1 in 2017
Ecclestone’s championship winning stint as the owner of the Brabham team was marked by the BT49, driven by Nelson Piquet to the Drivers’ title in 1981. Bernie's time at the helm of the sport – marked by big money and big TV rights deals – was captured by Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2001, and finally Ecclestone’s lasting impression on the sport was represented by the Mercedes-AMG W07, which was last year’s title winning car in the hands of Nico Rosberg.
The man himself was in attendance at the Goodwood FoS this year on July 2 too, appearing alongside significant names and acquaintances from his life.
What was on at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed?
Each day at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is unique, although there are a selection of displays and attractions which feature throughout the course of the festival.
The hill climb programme is always the main feature at the FoS, with everything from elderly classic racers to supercars and modern Formula 1 beasts bombing up the famous asphalt strip. More conventional road cars also make appearances, under the shadow of the famous Festival of Speed sculpture, which changes every year.
Beyond the hill climbing, there’s the Goodwood Action Sports (GAS) arena, which features stunning Freestyle Motocross displays, among other things. Then you have F1 and supercar paddocks, and manufacturer stands too, which allow visitors to get as close as possible to their favourite new cars.
The ‘Style et Luxe’ is an exhibition of beautiful and historic classic cars held on a lawn near the central sculpture. Meanwhile there’s a rally stage held in the woods away from the main site, and countless other displays set up by sponsors and manufacturers. To get a feel for everything that went on at Goodwood, check out the official event map.
What happened each day
Thursday 29th June
Supercars performed hill climb runs on the opening day of the festival, a feature usually reserved for the weekend. Visitors were able to see the cars up close in the paddock, with a strong Formula 1 contingent in attendance as well.
Additionally the Moving Motor Show was in action on the hill, putting the latest road cars through their paces. Some lucky guests were even allowed behind the wheel...
Friday 30th June
By Friday the festival was in full swing and with crowds growing, Formula 1 cars took to the hill for the first time.
Traditionally, Friday is also a good day for debuts, and this year was no different. The particular highlight being the unveiling of the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
Saturday 1st July
Saturday tickets always sell-out first, possibly because people can visit without having to take time off work and can then recover from their exertions on Sunday.
The weekend played host to the biggest events of the festival, with the most prized cars of the show taking to the hill. There was also a supercar shootout on the hill climb, adding a competitive edge to proceedings.
Sunday 2nd July
Much like Saturday, some of the most eagerly anticipated hill climb runs took place on the final day of the festival. A timed shootout kept spectators glued to their seats, with drivers pushing for every tenth. Subaru also used the timed attack session to give its new WRX STI Type RA NBR Special its UK debut. The car was a race prepared version of Subaru's iconic hot saloon, and is the same car set to take on the Nurburgring lap record later this year.
Sunday also saw the reigning Formula 1 World Champion take part in proceedings - Nico Rosberg drove his 2014 Mercedes W05 Hybrid up the Goodwood hill.
