Just like that the Goodwood Festival of Speed has wrapped up for another year. The event draws petrolheads from around to world to see a variety of cars make their way up the legendary hill climb.
Being a well known and large international event, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is a great way to showcase new and exciting models to petrolheads and the general public. Every year there’s always a few great surprises unveiled at Goodwood making one of the most anticipated events on the motoring calendar. This year did not disappoint.
Here are five of some the best new cars at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Mercedes-AMG GT R
Okay, I had to lead with this one. The Mercedes-AMG GT R is a hardcore tracked-focused relation of the AMG GT S, not that the GT S was some kind of wuss. The GT R boasts 585hp/430kW and 700NM of torque thanks to better turbo reaction times and a new exhaust system. Which, incidentally also makes more noise. Good. Thanks to the use of carbon fibre goodness the GT R is lighter than the GT S too, tipping the scales at 1630kg. All that translates to a 0-100 km/h sprint of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of a tad under 320 km/h.
It’s not all about outright power too, there’s a wider track and cup tyres for better grip. Everything is adjustable too, there’s nine different settings for the traction control, three for the stability control, and the suspension has manual and electronic adjustability. There’s also Porsche GT3-style rear-wheel steering for ultimate track times. The GT R’s aero has been designed for that purpose too. Standard brake discs are 390mm up front and 360mm at the rear, though can be optioned up to 402mm carbon ceramics. Phwoar!
Aston Martin GT12 Roadster
If you like the look of this, and you’d be daft not to, and want one I’m sorry to say you can’t have it. You literally can’t have it because the car you see here is a one-off commissioned by a very lucky customer. The GT12 Roadster came about when an Aston customer went to their ‘Q’ bespoke division and wanted the wind in your hear experience of a roadster with the brutality of the GT12. Fair enough.
It runs on the exact same mechanics as the GT12 Coupe meaning a 595hp/437kW naturally aspirated V12 sending power to the rear wheels via a 7-speed single clutch paddle shift gearbox. The suspension has been adjusted to compensate for the loss of rigidity that comes with taking the roof off. At least with no roof you’ll be able to make your ears bleed even more listening to the GT12’s titanium exhaust howl. The car was done by the ‘Advanced Operations’ at Q, which could mean we’ll see more bespoke fantasy creations at Aston. A shooting brake Rapide S would do me just fine.
Lamborghini Aventador Miura Homage
It’s all about the bespoke personalisation at Goodwood this year as Lamborghini also showed a special edition version of the Aventador to celebrate the Miura’s 50th anniversary. How else would Lambo celebrate it? Fittingly, the Miura’s great great great grandson will be offered in six of the Miura’s original colours. Customers will get a choice of matte gold or matte silver wheels. A Rosso Arancio Miura with gold wheels (the spec you see in the photos) would be perfect. The personalisation is done by Lambo’s Ad Personam division, a bit like Aston’s Q or Ferrari’s Tailor Made division. 50 examples of these Miura Homages will be made. Everything is standard Aventador, a 6.0-litre V12 in the middle producing 700hp/514kW. 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds and it’ll go all the way to 347 km/h.
Mini John Cooper Works Challenge
Let’s bring it back down to earth with a Mini, albeit one costing £32,000 ($60,000+). There is good reason for that high price as only 100 example will be made. Unfortunately it’ll only be offered to the UK market. Blame the EU for that. The performance figures remains the same as a standard JCW, meaning a 228hp/167kW 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. 0-100 km/h is done in 6.3 seconds and top speed is 244 km/h. To make the JCW Challenge as track focused as possible, bits from the Mini Challenge car have been thrown in such as Nitron suspension, Mintex brakes, Quaife limited slip diff, and lightweight alloys. Oh, and it’ll only come with a 6-speed manual. Nice.
McLaren 570S Sprint
Who said McLaren track toys had to cost several millions of dollars? Enter the 570S Sprint, a customer ready track version of the 570S GT4 racer and a car costing less than a tenth of a P1 GTR. Like its big brother it’s powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 but without the P1’s clever hybrid technology. Still, it should be fast enough for most people. As you’d expect there’s lots of carbon fibre, including McLaren’s carbon tub, and much aerodynamic parts. There’s a FIA-approved seats, roll cage, and fire extinguisher, Pirelli slicks, and magnesium wheels. You can even add an air jacking system and a passenger seat if you so wish. A ‘basic’ Sprint comes in orange but can be had with any colour from the Sports Series range as well McLaren Special Ops liveries.
