LONDON, July 12 — As well as drawing a plethora of historic vehicles and legendary sports cars, the UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, July 12-15, 2018, will also premiere some eagerly awaited production vehicles. Whether new or old, all will go against the clock in the event’s traditional hill climb.
McLaren has chosen this year’s Festival of Speed to unveil its new 600LT in a world premiere. The carmaker’s new sports car has a 600HP V8 twin-turbo engine and an expected price tag of €232,000 (RM1,329,640.60). Another car making its debut in the English countryside this year is the new Toyota Supra. This, however, will still be a prototype model, with the final version not due on sale until 2019.
Spectators will get the chance to check out the spectacular Bentley Bentayga, the world’s most powerful SUV. They will also be able to admire the Polestar 1 and the Tesla Model 3, models already known but not on sale in Europe until next year. A special edition of the Ford Mustang GT, paying tribute to US fighter pilots who served in the RAF during World War II, will also be at the event.
Two brands will be celebrating their 70th anniversaries at Goodwood 2018. Porsche, for its part, will be bringing a host of models spanning its history to the event, with a dedicated batch in the hill climb, while Land Rover will be holding a parade of its most iconic models.
Against the clock, watch out for two cars which have already proved their record-breaking performances. The spectacular Volkswagen I.D. R is the new record holder of the prestigious Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the US state of Colorado, and the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo recently smashed the record for the Nürburgring race track in Germany.
This year, for the first time, a fully autonomous and driverless car — the Robocar — will be demoed at Goodwood. This single-seater has been in development for several years and is eventually destined to compete in races, in a championship held in parallel to the current Formula E.
Like every year, an impressive list of drivers is heading to the event, including F1 world champions Sir Jackie Stewart (who will drive several Tyrell cars), Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren M23), Jenson Button (Honda RA301) and Mika Hakkinen (Mercedes), rally world champions Walter Röhrl (Porsche) and Sébastien Ogier (Ford Fiesta WRC), the NASCAR “King” Richard Petty (Dodge), and the record-holder for the most wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Tom Kristensen (Audi R8). On two wheels, fans can expect to see Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta), Randy Mamola (Ducati) and Freddie Spencer (Honda).
Follow the Goodwood Festival of Speed live via the event’s YouTube channel: youtu.be/67IvQwZZLVU
Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place July 12-15, 2018 in Goodwood, England. Website: goodwood.com — AFP
