In the event you found yourself at this yr’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and didn’t see a supercar or hypercar that made you dream of owning it, you weren’t looking in the appropriate places.
The Festival of Speed is a petrolhead’s paradise, akin to Disneyland for automotive enthusiasts. While you may marvel at photos and videos online, experiencing the event in person is a mind-blowing experience you may’t fully grasp until you might be stood on the lawn outside Goodwood House. I’ve yet to go to Disneyland, but my first trip to the Festival of Speed this yr exceeded all expectations.
The event showcases the whole lot from drift cars to modern and historic race cars and even standard production vehicles. Nonetheless, witnessing the newest supercars and hypercars was the highlight for me. Lots of these machines are rarely seen outside exclusive exhibitions, let alone on public roads in the true world. The Festival of Speed offers a singular opportunity to see them in motion as they tackle the Duke of Richmond’s iconic driveway hill climb.
Unsurprisingly, the event attracts among the UK’s wealthiest individuals, a lot of whom already own impressive automobile collections and maybe attend to scout for additions. This got me considering…
If I suddenly won the lottery and had tens of millions to spend on a brand new garage collection, which cars on the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed could be at the highest of the list? Let me highlight my must-haves and touch on a couple of others that caught my eye through the recent four-day-long event.
Let’s start with the Gordon Murray Automotive stable. I actually have two good reasons for the GMA cars being my firm favourites. Firstly Gordon, the daddy of the McLaren F1, is a madman. In an age of EVs, GMA is giving us the F1 successor we at all times wanted, with three seats, a central driving position, a manual gearbox, and a Cosworth 3.9L V12 with a singular fan within the rear. Secondly, being a South African, do I even have one other selection but to offer Gordon my full support?
GMA ran three cars up the hill this yr: a T.50, the awe-inspiring T.50s Niki Lauda – a track-focused masterpiece that gave me quick chills once I heard it – and a T.33 development mule.
Next on my list is Koenigsegg, whose CC850 immediately caught my attention. Its stunning design blends inspiration from the unique CC8 with cutting-edge technology. The CC850 boasts a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio with 1,385hp on tap from its twin-turbo V8 and, you guessed it, 1,385kg. That is paired with the Engage shift system, which lets you switch between 6-speed manual shifting with a clutch, and super-fast 9-speed, fully automatic shifting.
Koenigsegg also brought out a Jesko Attack and a Jekso Absolut, the latter recently destroying the 0-400-0km/h record with a 27.83-second time. Bucking the electric trend, that automobile uses a 1,600hp V8 twin-turbo powerplant and no hybrid assistance. The Swedish manufacturer also had its supercar-for-the-family Gemera on display.
Third on my list is Bugatti. The corporate that gave us the Veyron, considered one of the primary production cars to supply 1,000hp, after which the 1,500hp Chiron, just couldn’t be ignored.
Bugatti’s race automobile gets my first mention, because the Bollide is an ultimate showing of what an OEM can do without limits. In person, it’s intimidating but additionally beautiful. The Mistral, marketed because the world’s fastest roadster, and likewise the ultimate Bugatti to make use of the long-lasting W16 powerplant, made some runs up the hill too. Each cars left an enduring impression on me. On static display, the newly unveiled Tourbillon, boasting a mind-bending 1,800hp from its Cosworth-engineered V16 hybrid, was an absolute showstopper. In the event you haven’t seen how cool this automobile’s gauge cluster is, you should Google it straight away!
However the automotive delights didn’t end there. Pagani’s latest Utopia and the screaming Huayra, Czinger’s futuristic 21C with its 3D-printed components, and McLaren’s impressive lineup – essentially the most eye-catching for me being the yellow P1, together with Lanzante’s P1 HDK construct – all impressed.
Then there was still Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin, Rimac, Zenvo and plenty of others, all bringing their best to be displayed and driven. It’s abundantly clear why the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the head of automotive celebration.
Seeing these dream machines gathered in a single place was a privilege, especially for somebody like me from South Africa, where such cars are rarely seen.
If I needed to curate a dream two-car garage from this yr’s Goodwood selection, what would it not be? Unquestionably, the GMA T.50s Niki Lauda for the last word track experience and the Koenigsegg CC850 for its mix of performance and magnificence. What about you?
Stefan Kotzé
Instagram: stefankotzemedia
info@stefankotze.com
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This Article First Appeared At www.speedhunters.com
