• The Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS) was founded in 1993 by the Duke of Richmond to bring motor racing back to the Goodwood estate.
• The annual event welcomes 150,000 worldwide attendees to enjoy the iconic hill climb and various paddocks—supercars, race cars, ground-breaking, OE manufacturers, and even a rally stage—throughout the ground’s footprint.
• Goodwood 2024 promises to be a viable launch platform for new cars including the G90 M5, Red Bull’s RB17, Mad Mike’s latest rotary-powered McLaren, and more.
• Several aftermarket brands like CSF and AST/MOTON consider FOS prime real estate to engage with new and current customers.

They say that patience and punctuality are virtues and I promise that you’ll need to exercise one or the other to make the most of Goodwood Festival of Speed (FOS). Even though FOS is known to most in England as a “family day”, Goodwood is a bucket list endeavor for us Americans, a cross-Atlantic excursion that comes with equal parts hungry excitement and lingering pressure to breathe it all in at once.

For those who prefer timeliness, days at FOS do start early. Hit the snooze button more than once, and even if you’re staying within a 20-mile radius (like us), you’ll find yourself sitting in two-hour-long queues before you’re able to park on one of Goodwood’s sprawling lawns. Car parks throughout the Goodwood property open at 6:30 and if you’re eager to enjoy the full day’s worth of programming, getting there by 7:00—at the latest—should be your goal. If you’re not a morning person, I hope that you’re at least a patient one in traffic.

SMELL THE ROSES

Once you finally get past the check in gate, you’ll be tempted to rush toward the hill climb track. Don’t. It’s better to stop and take in whatever is in front of you because it’s likely that you may not come back to it later. In our case, the “House of Porsche” display was a fortuitous first for us. The marque put its electric models front and center, including the latest Macan E. Past the pop-up Porsche cafe and down a few steps was a corral full of Porsches, a reminder that the brand’s legacy is just as important as its climate-conscious innovations.

CARS UNDERCOVER

Taking a more casual stroll through the Goodwood grounds will also allow you to spot plenty of cars precariously tucked under fitted covers. While some are strategically spared from Goodwood’s unpredictable weather, the rest are reserved for scheduled unveilings throughout the weekend. Indeed, traditional car shows have been in decline for years, so more OE manufacturers have used other means, like the Festival of Speed, as a viable venue to unveil their latest creations. Avid BMW fans have been eagerly anticipating the brand’s latest M5—the G90—and Goodwood was the first opportunity for Londoners to see the car in person. Inside BMW’s multi-level display, Vicki Butler Henderson, the ex-Fifth Gear host, was on-site with the Duke of Richmond to introduce the super saloon to a smattering of media, influencers, and FOS attendees.

Although many critics have been quick to criticize the G90 M5’s curb weight (a portly 5200 lbs), I’ll be the first to admit that it looked better in person. Its proportions are generous, but I think BMW has done well to hide its heft within its angular, E60-esque body lines.

STRONG AFTERMARKET PRESENCE

We’d be remiss to talk about stock cars at FOS. The aftermarket industry that we know and love was well-represented here. Regal Autosport, the European distributor for both AST/MOTON and CSF, was one of the most comprehensive displays, showcasing three cars—including the CSF 911 and the Auto Finesse F87 M2—and a slew of components.

“Goodwood is a crown jewel of Europe. The Festival of Speed represents every facet of the modern car enthusiast, so it makes sense for us to be a part of that conversation,” said Coen de Korte, CEO of AST/MOTON Suspension. “It’s been a joy to see so many people take a keen interest in our suspension products and for us to speak directly to enthusiasts who’ve enjoyed our components for years.”

LAZANTE IS KING

It’d almost be impossible to miss the Lazante booth, and if you did, it’s only because several hundred people were shrouding every car from viewers at a distance. Once you broke through, you’d quickly understand what all the fuss was about. The company was founded on a spectacular mission: convert McLaren F1 race cars into road-going ones for a hyper exclusive audience. Since, Lazante’s high-end menu has expanded to upgrade McLaren’s P1 with more of everything: revised bodywork, uprated suspension components, and a Cosworth-fettered power unit that boasts nearly 1,000 horsepower.

Its latest endeavor occupied Lazante’s luxurious interior: its own interpretation of the Porsche 930 Turbo. In true Lazante fashion, this car is motorsport-derived. Notice, there aren’t any quotations; there is a legitimate 1.5-liter Formula 1 TAG-Porsche lump powering the chassis, a NOS unit originally developed to help Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and McLaren to dominate the 1984 and 1985 F1 seasons.

MUST-SEE HILL CLIMB

The iconic hill climb actually takes place on the estates driveway. Don’t let that take anything away from the event though; it is fascinating to see all of the machinery you spent hours ogling running up the hill at full chat. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are all practice sessions for Sunday’s winner-takes-all glory runs. In between the early afternoon sessions, we were treated to an M5 parade lap—one from each generation—including the G90 that launched hours earlier.

From there, things got decidedly faster and in some cases, smokier; drifting has become a staple at the Festival of Speed and it provides a striking contrast against the Goodwood estate. There’s a lot to love about that. Rally cars also take their fair share of the attention on the hill climb, which was a real treat since the WRC broadcast has been missing from US channels for years. This isn’t the only place Goodwood attendees can enjoy rally racing, but we’ll save that for another chapter.

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