Goodwood House is a grand country pile – one of those glorious homes you might see in BBC television costume dramas or cinematic versions of Jane Austen novels. It’s more than 400 years old (at the least the original bits are) and is nestled in the 12,000-acre Goodwood estate.

If you’re into horse racing, then you may know the name Goodwood from the racing festival held at the racecourse on the estate each year. However, if you’re into cars – and if you’re reading this then you most likely are – then the name Goodwood means a different type of racing.

Since 1993, the estate has been home to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Built around a competitive hill climb competition, over the years the Festival has grown to be much more than just that and now more than 180,000 people gather each year to take in not only the hill climb but a range of automotive-related events. There are debuts of new cars, future technology experiences, supercar and Formula One paddocks, an action sport arena where visitors can take in stunt shows, e-gaming entertainment . . . it’s three days of immersive automotive fun and the festival has become one of the most important events on the calendars of both the auto industry and the car enthusiast.

The 2019 Festival of Speed had plenty going on – some stunning new cars were revealed, and hill climb records tumbled. Here is Motor Trader’s pick of some of the highlights.

DE TOMASO P72

De Tomaso, the Italian car maker now owned by Hong Kong-based Ideal Team Ventures, made quite a splash at Good

wood with the P72 supercar.

An absolute stunner of a car, the details on the P72 are somewhat sketchy – it’s a manual, rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car and has a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, with some beautiful and luxurious interior touches.

Reports suggest the P72’s power will come from a 780hp, 6.3-litre V12 that can be found in the Apollo IE supercar (Apollo is also owned by Ideal Team Venture).

Just 72 of the P72 are to be made, and while it is expensive at a reported price of €750,000 ($AU1.2 million) it’s an attractive proposition for the deep-pockets enthusiasts who might also consider the more exclusive offerings from McLaren, Bugatti, Ferrari, Pagani and others.

LOTUS EVORA GT4 CONCEPT

Lotus put on a good showing at the Festival of Speed, with the company’s stand housing a range of models, including the GT4 Concept race car. While the car was revealed earlier this year at the Auto Shanghai exhibition (reflecting Lotus’ current status as part of China’s Geely Group), at Goodwood the car turned up in the green and yellow livery of the company’s 1962 Lotus 25 Formula One car. A nice look.

Powered by a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 generating 450hp, the Evora GT4 will be campaigning in the global GT series in 2020.

RADICAL RAPTURE

UK manufacturer Radical Sportscars introduced its new flagship road-legal sports car, the Rapture at Goodwood.

Built in accordance with the UK’s Individual Vehicle Approval framework to ensure its road-legal nature, the Rapture is also intended for European markets from launch, with homologation for worldwide territories to follow.

Lightweight and aerodynamic efficiency, the Rapture has a 2.26-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine, supplied by Ford and reworked by Radical Performance Engines, featuring an all-new turbo architecture and air induction system. The unit produces 350bhp. Drive comes through a six-speed paddle-shift gearbox.

A race car at heart, the Rapture’s cockpit incorporates two moulded racing seats, with integral headrests and multi-point harnesses. The dash offers an LCD display with data-logging functions as well as heating and a multi-function digital steering wheel.

Rapture customers will benefit from a tailored track tuition package to ensure each gets the most out of the new machine.

AUDI R8 LMS GT2

Audi Sport revealed the R8 LMS GT2 at Goodwood. The GT2 is the most powerful car created for its customer racing program. Powered by a 640hp5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10, the R8 has rear-wheel drive combined with an S tronic seven-speed double-clutch gearbox. It is operated by the driver using paddle shifters in the steering wheel.

Built for the GT2 racing class and the 2020 series, the R8 is, Audi says, aimed at ‘gentleman drivers who have been the backbone of GT racing for decades.’

Gentlemen with plenty of money too, as the R8 LMS GT2 is selling for €338,000 ($AU545,000).

VOLKSWAGEN’S RECORD BREAKER

The Volkswagen ID.R all-electric sports car took on Goodwood’s hill climb course and proceeded to smash the all-time record. Driver Romain Dumas completed the 1.86-kilometre track in 39.90 seconds and in doing so, the 670hp electric sports car broke the previous record, which had stood for 20 years, by 1.7 seconds.

The ID.R has begun to set a very high bar at these types of events. In 2018, and again driven by Dumas, it set the outright record at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, setting a time of 7:57.148, becoming the first car to complete the climb in under eight minutes. And in June this year, it broke the electric car record at the Nurburgring, setting a time of 6:05:336.

At Goodwood, VW Motorsport modified the car for the shorter event – including using a smaller battery and different power output settings. Technology partner Bridgestone also supplied special tyres for the Goodwood run.

FORD GT MK II

Another race car, the MK II Ford GT, made its debut at Goodwood. A limited-edition, track-only car, the MKII was engineered independent of race series rules, regulations and limitations, and is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine developing 700hp.

Performance innovation and improvements over the original GT race car and include aerodynamic enhancements for added downforce, weight savings and chassis updates for better handling, as well as increased engine power.

Another limited-edition special, only 45 examples of the MKII are to be produced with a whopping $US1.2 million ($AU1.74 million) price tag.

LAND ROVER DEFENDER

Off-road enthusiast will no doubt be rejoicing that the rugged Land Rover Defender will be making a return in 2020 after being shelved in 2016. We’ve known about it for a while, of course, but Land Rover continues to keep Defender under wraps, or at least nicely camouflaged. Still, it’s clear the off roader, while keeping a generally boxy look familiar to that of the original, will be given the sandpaper treatment with the hard edges and corners softened and rounded.

Reports suggest there’ll be a straight six under the bonnet and creature comforts will get a look in, with a top-notch infotainment system, climate control and ADAS systems. We won’t have too much longer to wait for all the details and a good look at the new vehicle. It’ll be revealed in full by the end of the year and go on sale next year.

AIRSPEEDER: THE FUTURE OF RACING?

While we may think that racing is all about tyres on a track, Goodwood 2019 saw the unveiling of an altogether new type of motorsport called Airspeeder.

Billed as a ‘thrilling airborne motorsport for a new generation of race fans’, Airspeeder will feature pilots piloting full-size electric quadcopters called Speeders.

The global launch at Goodwood gave the world a chance to see what to expect when the first Airspeeder World Championship, featuring five teams and 10 pilots, gets underway in 2020.

Airspeeder is a creation of Alauda Racing, an Australia company based in Sydney and founded by Matt Pearson in 2016. Alauda says it will use Airspeeder as a platform to develop highly efficient and highly effective ‘flying cars’ for commercial use.

Utilising high-strength and specifically engineered materials, including carbon-fibre and alloys, the Speeders have been for performance racing. Initially, Alauda Racing will be the sole manufacturer, offering a chassis and body, robust battery technology and motors and standardised software. This will include the companies own IP, including the safety and collision-avoidance systems.

The Speeders are designed to be streamlined for reduced drag and high performance as well as elegance. Each Mk IV Speeder will be four metres long and will weigh roughly 250kg. They are propelled by eight 50kw motors driving 60-inch blades, with power provided by swappable 500kw battery packs which can provide full thrust for around 15 minutes.

Airspeeder races will apparently take place under rules similar to Formula E, so each race is likely to involve around 30 minutes of action and include one pit-stop for a battery swap. The Mk IV Speeders that will eventually compete in the first Airspeeder Grand Prix, will begin manned demonstration flights in the Mojave Desert later this year. They are designed to reach speeds of up to 200km/h and offer a power-to-weight ratio superior to a fighter jet.

“This was a very emotional moment for those of us who have been involved in this project from the start, everyone at Alauda Racing and our partners and sponsors,” said Mr Pearson at the Goodwood unveiling. “After huge amounts of hard work, research, technical development and planning this formal unveiling – at an event as iconic as Goodwood – it feels as though all our dreams have become reality and Airspeeder has properly arrived.
“This is just the start of our reach for the skies. Our vision sees not just the development of a unique sporting spectacle but also the start of a new industry, with flying cars built for competition providing an ideal environment for innovation and technical evolution. Just watch this space.”

Original source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (Aug 2019)

9 Aug 2019