The Stars of the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Despite strong winds forcing the cancellation of Saturday events, the 2023 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. did not disappoint. Once again, many new sports cars, track-only machines and other performance models were announced or made their public debuts, some as part of the famous hill climb.
Check out this photo gallery to see and learn about the most head-turning and attention-grabbing cars at the event.
Czinger 21C V Max
Based in Los Angeles, Czinger showed the 21C V Max which, unlike the corner-craving and downforce-obsessed 21C, focuses on top speed. Under the exquisite Golden State of Mind orange body is an electrified, twin-turbocharged V8 that delivers nearly 1,250 horsepower and 0-100 km/h sprints in two seconds.
McMurtry Spéirling Pure
Remember McMurtry Automotive? The high-performance electric car maker based in the U.K. last year made motorsport history by setting a new all-time hill climb record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed—in its competition debut, no less. The Pure is track-only variant of the Spéirling with production to be limited at 100 units.
Pininfarina Battista Edizione Nino Farina
This is a special edition of the Battista electric hypercar named after the grandson of the company's founder. Just five units will be made, all painted in Rosso Nino with black, white and blue accents and riding on gold wheels.
McLaren Solus GT
Shown to the public for the first time, the Solus GT was the fastest car in the hill climb this year—and the third fastest ever at Goodwood. Inspired by the Vision Gran Turismo concept from McLaren, it boasts a 5-litre V10 engine producing 817 horsepower and sprinting from 0-100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds.
Bugatti Bolide
A month after making its public debut at Le Mans, the Bugatti Bolide took Goodwood by storm with chief test driver Andy Wallace behind the wheel. Only 40 units of this extremely lightweight and track-only machine will be built and delivered in 2024. Engineers are targeting a weight of 1,450 kilograms and output of 1,578 horsepower with 98-octane pump gas.
Lamborghini SC63
Following the premiere of the all-new Revuelto this spring, Lamborghini came to Goodwood to introduce its new LMDh fighter that will compete at Le Mans in 2024. The car impresses with a humongous rear wing and vertical tail fin, plus a Verde Mantis body with a racing stripe honoring the Italian flag. Development is still ongoing.
Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne
Hispano Suiza is a little-known Spanish car brand with over 100 years of history. The Carmen is a fully electric hypercar now available in a special edition called Boulogne that will have a 24-unit run. The first one was delivered in the U.S. last year.
Ferrari KC23
The most recent example of Ferrari’s one-off specials ran up the hill at Goodwood over the weekend. The KC23 is based on the 488 GT3, while styling is sort of a cross between the Vision Gran Turismo and the 499P endurance hypercar that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Gold Mercury body features liquid metal for an almost mirror-like effect.
Porsche Vision 357 Speedster
Porsche showcased an homage to its first production car, the 356. Also available in coupe body style, the Vision 357 Speedster is a cabriolet that stands out with a squat, shortened windscreen and a tonneau cover on the right side of the car, where there is no seat, no head. The car is based on the 1,073-horsepower 718 GT4 e-performance, so the electric motors and battery technology come from the Mission R concept and the chassis from the 718 GT4 Clubsport.
Aston Martin Valour
Aston Martin unveiled the spectacular and highly exclusive Valour. Production will be limited to just 110 units globally in celebration of the British automaker’s 110th anniversary. Collectors around the world will go crazy. As the only front-engined V12 sports car available with a manual transmission, the Valour delivers 705 horsepower, while styling is inspired by a number of cars ranging from 1970s Vantage models to the One-77 supercar and one-off Victor.
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N
Hyundai fittingly chose the Goodwood Festival of Speed to unveil what it believes will become the new benchmark for high-performance, track-oriented EVs—the all-new 2025 IONIQ 5 N. Output from the dual motors is rated at 601 horsepower, but that jumps to 641 horsepower for ten seconds with N Grin Boost engaged. As a result, 0-100 km/h acceleration is over in just 3.4 seconds, the company claims.
Toyota GR Yaris H2 Concept
Here’s a unique little hot hatch based on the sensational and oh-so-fun GR Yaris, which we can’t have here in Canada, sadly. The difference is that the combustion engine is designed to run on hydrogen—seriously. Toyota even invited British actor and car enthusiast Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. Mr. Bean to drive the GR Yaris H2 Concept up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Aim EV Sport 01
Nissan’s former head of global design, Shiro Nakamura, who is responsible for the latest GT-R, imagined this sleek RWD coupe with 483 electric ponies and retro looks. The car was originally created as a marketing tool, but Aim is now considering a limited production run.