The grass at Goodwood is getting muddy. Again.
July 9-12. That’s the window. The Festival of Speed is back. 2026. Same hill. More horsepower.
Car makers don’t send their boring fleet. They bring the fast stuff. The secret prototypes. The heritage bits that smell like old leather and race fuel. And yes. The hillclimb cars are still there, screaming up that 1.16 miles of terror.
This year has a hero. Singer. The California guys who make Porsches that look like they’ve seen war but been rescued by an artist. It’s a tribute. They’ve been doing this a long time now. The world loves a reimagined 911.
But it’s not just nostalgia. New tech. Electric drivetrains that actually work. Concepts that might never be yours, but you’ll wish they were.
Keep reading. Or don’t. You might miss something loud.
The Big Hitters
Alpine
The A110 is gone? Sort of.
Production stopped on the original. About 30,000 made. Now there’s an electric version. It looks like a late prototype right now. Secrets are being spilled early. The goal is to keep that brilliant driving dynamic. But swap the soul for batteries. Though rumors say combustion might stay. Fingers crossed.
Apollo
Remember Gumpert? This is its successor.
The Apollo EVO. It looks aggressive. Scissor doors. Aerodynamics that move. Active panels. The specific car at Goodwood? Called Caribbean Dragon. White over blue. Under the hood (which is basically under the driver), a 6.3-liter V12. Ferrari built it. 800 horsepower. It feels like the Batmobile grew up and went to military school.
Aston Martin
They did a dance last year with the Valhalla. Now they’re bringing the whole family.
‘S’ models everywhere. The DB12 S, the Vantage S, the DBX S SUV. Faster than before. Sharper.
And the hill? The Valhalla goes up again. Second year in a row. Joined by the Valkyrie. The Vanquish. Even the 2025 F1 race car is getting mud on its tires. Aston doesn’t play small.
Audi
Audi wants to be cool again.
Formula One isn’t a side project anymore. It’s a pivot. Their road cars need to feel different. Felt different.
First stop? The Nuvolari. A supercar. Stunning. Unseen by British eyes until now. The F1 car is parked nearby. And if you have keen eyes? You might spot the concept for the all-electric sports car coming in 2027. Hidden well. Good luck finding it.
Bentley
Soft leather usually means quiet engines. Not today.
The Bentley Continental Supersports debuts in the UK. Rear-wheel drive. No hybrid system holding it back. Just pure aggression. A hooligan. In a suit. Tailored, obviously. Savile Row doesn’t do ragged edges. But it does speed.
Electric Futures (And Gas-Powered Ones Too)
BMW
BMW knows people care about speed.
The Vision M Concept previews the next M3. Electric. Quad-motor. Fast.
But for those who still burn hydrocarbons? The M3 Touring 24-hour race car is climbing the hill. Plus, the M2 Coupé Track Pack. It’s loud. It’s heavy. It’s very German.
BYD (Denza, Yangwang)
Big. They made their stand big. The biggest in Festival history, actually.
The Denza Z Coupé is the star. 1,488 horsepower. Three motors. It wants to beat the European luxury brands. The UK is getting the brand. Also on show? The Z9GT shooting brake, the B5 off-roader, the D9 van. Practical. Very practical.
Then there’s Yangwang. The U9 supercar. The U8 and U7 tanks. You’ve seen these. But BYD is showing the Dolphin hybrid and the Shark pickup. For the rest of us.
Cupra
Three cars. All going up the hill. For four days.
The Cupra Raval is the new face. Supermini of the year contender. The brand is leaning hard into sportiness. No subtle branding here.
Dacia
Do you think a budget car is boring?
Wait till you see the Sandrider. It won the Dakar Rally this year. Nissan Z V6 engine. Rally legend Sebastian Loeb is driving it. All weekend.
This isn’t your uncle’s Sandero. It’s a mud-slinging monster. Watch for it in the Off-Road Arena too.
Honda
No Civic Type R? Painful.
But Honda hasn’t forgotten how to go fast. The Prelude HRC Concept is here. Think of it as a preview. A Prelude Type R? Maybe. It’s hitting the hill.
Also: Damon Hill is back. Behind the wheel of the championship FW11. Forty years since Honda’s first F1 title. Nostalgia works.
Oh. And the NSX Tribute by Italdesign. It exists. It looks good.
Italian Style & Chinese Speed
Lamborghini
Hybrids are here. The supercars are hybrid. The Urus SE Performante? Even more hybrid SUV power. The most powerful Urus yet.
Don’t sleep on the Fenomeno. Low volume. Coupé or Roadster. It will likely be there to wow crowds. Lamborghini always brings the drama.
Lepas
New brand. New names.
The Jaecoo 7 is a hit in the UK. So they brought its sibling. From a new marque called Lepas.
Three models: L8 (big SUV), L6, and L4. Hybrids. BEVs for the smaller two. It’s trying to be luxury. European-focused. It needs to work. The competition is fierce.
Lexus
Lexus is getting serious about EVs.
The new LFA. Not the supercar. That one’s old. This is new. It’s wrapped in camouflage. You can’t see it well. But the tech inside is next-gen. Almost certainly production-bound. If you wait long enough, it might arrive.
British & Exotic Specials
McLaren
How many McLarens are there now? Too many to count easily.
Focus on the 788HS. MSO special. Only 200 of them. (Unlike the original HS project). It’s based on the 720 lineage but louder. 776 horsepower. Twin-turbo V8.
It weighs almost nothing. 1,265 kg. Carbon fiber. Aerodynamics. HS stands for High Sport. 0-62 in 2.8 seconds. It’s special because they stopped making so many of them. Scarcity creates desire. Simple psychology.
Mercedes-AMG
Two cars to watch.
First: The AMG GT 63 4-Door. Fast sedan. Paddocks and hill.
Second: The new CLA45. Electric. Based on the CLA EV. 671 horsepower. 0-62 is 2.7 seconds. That’s faster than many Ferraris. And when you stop mashing the throttle? It can do 415 miles. Efficiency matters too. Apparently.
MINI
Twenty-five years since BMW took over.
They’re celebrating with the Cooper Oxford Edition. Only 125 units. Union Jack roof. Red, white, blue interior. It’s based on the Cooper S engine (201 bhp). No manual transmission though. Purists weep.
The name nods to the plant in Oxford.
Also, MINI set up a fake neighborhood. There’s a pub. Aceman Arms. There’s a farm shop. Collaborations with Paul Smith and Deux ex Machina. It’s retail theater. And we love it.
Red Bull RB17
It was here in 2024 as a teaser.
Now the RB17 goes up the hill. First time. Prototype form. 4.5-liter V10. Natural aspirated noise heaven. Isack Hadjar driving it. Yuki Tsunoda too. They put actual F1 cars in their place with that engine noise.
RUF
You know RUF for their fast Porsches. Six-cylinders. Usually.
Not today. Today is the B8. A Boxer Eight. Twin-turbo. 4.8 liters.
Tanner Foust drives it. You know him? Drifting guy. Rallycross. Top Gear.
He’s putting the new engine into a lengthened CTR3. It’s a Cayman cousin, but stretched and meaner. The car doesn’t matter much when the engine sounds like this.
The Rest Of The Field
MG
Two concepts. MG is going wild with shapes.
First: The GO! Yes, the punctuation is intentional. Small electric hatchback. Looks nothing like the boring MG3. Curves. Big headlights. Inspired by the MGB and ZR. Selling in 2027? We’ll see.
Second: The Cyber. Sporty SUV. Like a Porsche Macan met an Alfa Stelvia and had a Ferrari baby. Stylish. MG value. Maybe 400 mile range? It’s aiming high.
Renault
The Turbo 3E returns. That carbon-fiber “mini supercar” is back on the hill. 547 horsepower.
It’s not alone though. The tiny Twingo is also climbing. And the Renault 4 Plein Sud. Soft-top. Fun. Renault is bringing variety.
Toyota Gazoo
Camouflage is off.
The GR GT and GR GT3. Both are here. Final specs. Both twin-turbo V8s. Both Porsche 911 rivals. One for the street, one for the track. Toyota means business now.
Plus the GR Yaris Aero Kit. And more Dakar machines. Toyota builds things that survive anywhere.
Goodwood isn’t about buying. It’s about feeling the ground shake.
There you go.
The list ends here, but the weekend is long. You’ll likely see a prototype that won’t launch for three years. Or a classic car you thought was gone forever.
Who’s bringing the loudest sound? You’ll hear it by Friday afternoon.
