The West Sussex estate’s annual Festival of Speed also marked the debut of Red Bull’s new hypercar; and the crash of Lotus’ Evija X
The South Korean luxury automaker also brought along the very special G70 Track Taxi Nordschleife, a hotted-up an G70 3.3T model built specifically for passenger rides at the fabled Nürburgring track in Germany. Alas, no such taxi rides were on the offing at Goodwood, but all four bright orange models made spirited dashes up the legendary 1.9-kilometre ribbon of blacktop snaking through the estate’s verdant grounds.
For Ickx – who, in addition to claiming a half-dozen outright Le Mans victories, won eight F1 races, and twice finished second in the F1 championship – electrification of the automobile simply represents the next step along humankind’s mobility journey.
“We started with the horse, then the train, then the automobile, and electric vehicles are just part of the future of mobility, which will be a mix of energies,” the Belgian told me during his break from appearances and autograph sessions. “Genesis to me represents the present and future, and its EVs are the first step into the new world of mobility.”
Festival of Electrification
The atmosphere of the four-day celebration of the motor car that started 31 years ago is always electric, and with the automotive industry increasingly injecting electrons into its products, it was little surprise that EVs dominated the immaculate grounds of the Duke of Richmond’s country estate. Underscoring that was the fact that, for the first time ever, an all-electric vehicle was part of Gerry Judah’s iconic Goodwood sculpture, with an MG Cyberster joining a classic MGB in a soaring artistic celebration of the marque’s centenary.
Here is a look at some electrified highlights and headliners from this year’s event, with some internal-combustion models thrown in for good measure.
Polestar Concept BST
And there’s a big wing at the rear underscoring the aerodynamic design of the coupe. Polestar was also getting into the hill-climb action, with the drop-top Polestar 6 Concept giving the crowd a show. This limited-edition model will be available — hopefully — next year, and will represent the pinnacle of the Polestar lineup.
Ford Mustang GTD
Red Bull RB17
Yes, an energy drink this author used to swill in his youth has launched an obscenely powerful hypercar. What’s next? The all-new Monster MS01? At any rate, the Red Bull RB17 was designed and developed (and manufactured) entirely in-house at Red Bull Advanced Technologies. It features a two-seat carbon-fibre monocoque chassis with a mid-mounted V10 hybrid engine said to be good for 1,200 horsepower. It plans to produce 50 of them.
MG Cyberster
Billed as an all-electric roadster, this slick two-door is expected to go on sale before the youngsters go back to school in September. Horsepower is targeted at just shy of 500 ponies in some variants; range is expected to check in at up to 316 miles (505 kilometres); and it should accelerate to highway speeds in a little over three seconds when equipped with two motors. And, oh, yeah — it has scissor doors.
Ford Capri
Renault 5 Electric
This pert electric city car from the French automaker gets a lot right in terms of styling, not the least of which are those taillights, which harken back to the original Renault 5 (better known to Canadians as the “Le Car”). Its interior is wholly modern, as befits a new electric car. Across the pond, look for an estimated 400-kilometre (250-mile) range on a fully charged battery, and a £25,000 (CDN$44,000) price tag.
Lotus Evija X
Do not adjust your sets, folks. The much-anticipated 2,000-horsepower electric hypercar from Lotus, a vehicle designed to break records at Nürburgring and elsewhere, only made it about 50 feet from the start line at Goodwood before stuffing itself into a hay bale. Talking heads in attendance suggested the car’s software got confuffled after its driver lit the tires up.
BYD Dolphin
Making about 200 horsepower and estimated to run over 400 kilometres (250 miles) on a single charge (at least according to the endlessly optimistic WLTP economy ratings of Europe) the BYD Dolphin is a well-equipped electric vehicle with an attractive interior and a heat pump as standard equipment.
A new trim introduced this year cuts range to about 300 kilometres (186 miles) — but also cuts the price to the equivalent of roughly CDN$18,700 in its home market of China. Those range estimates might be suspect, given the stated battery capacities (45 kWh and 32 kWh, respectively) but the price is sure to make some sit up and take notice.
Polestar 6 Concept
Ford Raptor T1+
Powering the lot is a 5.0L Coyote-based V8 engine, and it has almost 16 inches of ground clearance, plus a tremendous 70-degree approach angle. It will be campaigned by four teams of drivers and navigators in two rallies this year, plus the 2025 Dakar.
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