2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed

2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed

By Ntsako Mthethwa

We explore the highlights of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which featured remarkable debuts and more.

In the annual motorsports calendar, the Goodwood Festival of Speed remains one to look forward to, as it's a platform for various vehicle manufacturers to showcase their modern and historic motor racing machines that also participate in the Hillclimb event.

This year’s event, under the theme ‘Horseless to Hybrid: Revolutions in Power’, spanned from July 11th to the 14th, attracting over 200,000 attendees who had the opportunity to witness extraordinary debuts as the festival pays homage to the over 130 years since the world’s first motor race, the 1894 Paris-Rouen Trial.

We explore the highlights of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which featured remarkable debuts and exhilarating Hillclimb events. Furthermore, the Revival events took centre stage, spanning an entire weekend of historic racing fueled by sustainable energy sources.

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, which made its debut before the end of 2023, made its first appearance in full production spec at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. It pays homage to the original Tipo 33 sports prototype, and as its name suggests, only 33 units will be made with either an electric motor or a 3.0-litre V6 engine. Unfortunately, you can’t buy one, as all 33 examples are spoken for, each priced at about R40 million. 

Bentley Continental GT Speed

The Bentley Continental GT Speed debuted a few weeks ago to mark the beginning of a new era for the Crewe-based automaker as it ditches the iconic W12 engine for a hybridised 4.0-litre V8 engine. It debuted as the most powerful Bentley car ever. This comes as the brand transitions to becoming an EV maker by 2030 as part of its Beyond100 strategy.

BMW M5 xDrive, X3, 1 Series, and Skytop Concept 

Probably one of the most anticipated debuts, the BMW M5 xDrive is poised to become yet another formidable vehicle in the world of performance sedans, thanks to a 4.4-litre V8 engine that works in tandem with an M Hybrid system from the XM. It took a stand at Goodwood, packing 535kW and neck-twisting 1,000Nm of torque, and when it launches locally in the fourth quarter of the year, it will face stiff competition against the upcoming Mercedes-AMG E63 S. 

BMW also showcased its fourth-generation X3 model that will be built at the brand’s Rosslyn Plant in Pretoria. The new model features a design that will likely resonate well with clients across the globe. 

Another model that made its first public appearance at Goodwood was the newly revealed BMW M135 xDrive, which is set to keep the spirit of the hot hatches alive, and when it comes, it will rival the Volkswagen Golf 8 R and Audi S3 models. 

Definitely, one model that we were not expecting to see at the event is the Skytop Concept, which was revealed a few months ago and draws inspiration from past models such as the iconic Z8 Roadster and 503. It's a concept that has piqued our interest, and we eagerly await news of its potential journey to the production stages.

Bugatti Tourbillon

The Bugatti Tourbillon, with an eye-watering price tag of R72 million at the current exchange rate, remains a masterpiece of note and one for the books. For starters, it’s a model that ushers the brand towards electrification as it makes use of an 8.3-litre V16 engine instead of the Chiron’s W16 unit. Three electric motors combine with the engine to generate 1,342kW of power.

Ford Mustang GTD 

Dubbed the race car for the road, Ford showcased its Mustang GTD, which draws inspiration from the Mustang GT3 racer. Aesthetically, it looks absolutely bonkers and packs a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 engine, which Ford says will pump out an impressive 596kW of power, thus making it the most powerful production model in the history of Mustangs. 

Ford Raptor T1+

Yes, Ford is going back to the Dakar Rally this year, and what you are looking at is its fighter that carries the Raptor T1+ nameplate, and if first impressions are to go by, it looks ready to tackle one of the toughest races in the world. With advanced suspension, 37-inch off-road tyres, and a 5.0-litre Coyote-based V8, the Raptor T1+ should give competitors a run for their money.

Red Bull RB17

Called the RB17 and built on 20 years of Formula One innovation, Red Bull revealed its track-only hypercar for the public to see at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Only 50 examples will be built, and some juicy details include a naturally aspirated V10 engine with over 800kW of power, a weight of under 900kg, and a top speed of over 350km/h. Looking at what it brings to the segment, it is poised to become a formidable contender. 

Subaru WRX Project Midnight 

Not your average WRX model. Subaru showcased its brutal-looking WRX, which bears the Project Midnight plaque. It's more than just a name change; Subaru has gone to great lengths to make it even more menacing and definitely difficult to ignore. Beefier cosmetics, reduced weight, a carbon fibre body, and a 2.0-litre flat-four engine with 493kW and 922Nm clocked an impressive time of 45.86 seconds at the Goodwood Hill. 

The Hill Climb

By Jordan Schmidt

The Goodwood Hill Climb is one of the most highly anticipated motorsports events on the international calendar. Brands take to the hill with the latest and greatest from their motorsport departments to display their products against their rivals. The sheer variety of the competition makes the hill climb that much more entertaining, and this year we saw some serious spills and speeds. 

What we love most about the Goodwood Hillclimb is the ‘race what you want’ nature of the event. F1 rockets take on rally cars and race vans to flex their power against purpose-built hillclimb vehicles, all with the same goal in mind. Be the fastest up the hill. This year the lineup was exciting, with the projects Midnight Subaru and Pikes Peak Alpine A110 showing excellent potential from the onset.

For many of these cars, the hillclimb is the first time the world has seen them in action, and they never disappoint. This year, Project Midnight reminded us of just how crazy Subaru engineering can be, but it just wasn’t enough to keep up with the not-so-new Ford Supervan, coming in second behind the wild workman's track car. 

Porsche, too, had a point to prove and demonstrated just how potent its GT3 Cup car was, outperforming the likes of the Lotus 77 and heavily modified hillclimb tools like the brutal Skyline GT-R. The Czinger also impressed, as word from this American hypercar manufacturer has been quiet lately, but it's clear they have a car capable of holding its own on the hill. 

Here are the results from the last day of the hill climb:

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1. Romain Dumas, Ford Supervan 4.2, 43.98

2. Scott Speed, Subaru WRX: Project Midnight, 46.07

3. James Wallis, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, 48.04

4. Astier Raphael, Alpine A110 Pikes Peak, 48.61

5. Chris Ward, Czinger 21C, 48.82

6. Jake Hill, Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, 48.91

7. Andrew Morrow, Ferrari 296 Challenge, 50.02

8. Nick Padmore, Lotus 77, 50.10

9. Philipp Eng, BMW M4 GT3, 50.21

10. Michael Lyons, Gurney Eagle FA74, 50.29

The Goodwood Hillclimb was an exceptional sight once again as the world leaders in speed displayed their on-road capability in an automotive battle in the global spotlight. We loved seeing that brands like Subaru still have what it takes to blow our socks off, but Ford has produced a true marvel of engineering in their Supervan. Due to the rougher nature of the road, the track-focused cars do struggle to find grip, while the rally vehicles sing in the twisty corners. 

Alongside the race for the fastest time, entertainment is also an important factor for Goodwood, and cars like the rotary-powered McLaren P1 drift car showed off in a cloud of tyre smoke and noise while tearing through the corners in spectacular fashion. It’s a shame the best weekend of the year is over, but it leaves us looking forward to what next year has to offer.

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