Along with Polestar’s striking Concept BST and the UK debut of the Hongqi marque, there were plenty of other major first appearances at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed. All of this points to the annual Sussex event becoming more and more important as a place for manufacturers to bring their wares before a geed-up public.
Goodwood is a venue saturated with automotive atmosphere, from the pinnacle of contemporary classic car culture to raucous race machines, with the everyday family transportation of tomorrow somewhere in the middle. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best on show, from ultra-extreme hypercars to next-generation EVs.
2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed highlights
BMW M5
The BMW M5 is one of the legends of the modern sports car world, the top of the 5-Series tree transformed by the company’s M-division into a subtle, practical yet hugely impressive performance machine. Over 40 years, the M5 has become more and more extreme, and the latest iteration dropped at Goodwood last week.
Featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the new M5 is significantly up on power compared to its predecessor, but it’s also carrying a mighty weight penalty, thanks to the addition of enough batteries for a 46-mile EV-only range. Will this twin turbo V8 be the last ICE engine in an M5?
BMW M5, from £111,405, BMW-M.com, @BMWM
MG HS SUV
This is MG’s new HS SUV, an extensively reworked and updated new version of the Chinese manufacturer’s best-selling large electric SUV. Overhauled inside and out, with a notable increase in size the HS now comes with a full sweep of dashboard screens, a 360-degree camera system and wireless charging, as well as plenty of space.
The HS is not quite on the nose in terms of styling, with a hefty, angular grille and a pointy, slightly unbalanced stance. It won't matter, because MG’s USP is low, low cost and the HS is an exceptionally well equipped EV for the price.
MG HS, from £24,995, MG.co.uk, @MGMotorUK
MG Cyber GTS Concept
MG also surprised the show by revealed a coupé version of its new Cyberster Roadster. The new Cyber GTS is a full 2+2, unlike its two-seater soft-topped sibling, yet it retains the dramatic scissor doors that give the Cyberster its distinctive style (quite apart from being the first open-topped EV on the market).
The result is a sports car that promises a bit more practicality, excellent range and genuinely impressive looks. Should the Cyber GTS gets the green light it's expected to come to market in 2025
MG Cyber GTS, concept only for now, MG.co.uk, @MGMotorUK
Red Bull RB17
At the upper, upper end of the market, Goodwood marked the global debut of the long-awaited Red Bull RB17, a track-only hypercar from the current dominant force in Formula One. The RB17 is the brainchild and career apogee of Red Bull’s in-house designer and aerodynamicist Adrian Newey. In addition to helping guide the Austrian team to F1 victory after victory, Newey was also the driving force behind the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
If anything, the latter was hamstrung by the requirement for it to be road legal. There are no such restrictions on the RB17, which also exploits aero tricks and power options that no F1 car is allowed to do. Weighing in under 900kg and powered by a Cosworth-built V10 engine, power output is estimated at around 1,200bhp, all stuck to the track with Newey’s trademark understanding of aerodynamic perfection. Red Bull say they’ll built 50 cars; expect a price of between £5m and £6m.
Red Bull RB17, more information at RedBullRacing.com, @RedBullRacing
Genesis GV60 Magma Concept
Genesis is following in the footsteps of sister brand Hyundai by creating a high-performance badge for its range of EVs. In Genesis’s world, that badge is Magma, and the very first car to bear it will be the GV60, which should appear some time next year.
The Korean company showcased a concept, resplendent in the sub-brand’s Magma orange livery, that gives you an idea of what to expect: bodykit, lowered and widened, with a darker, brooding interior trim. The 'standard' Genesis GV60 is no slouch, like most high-end EVs, so you expect the performance boosts to focus on dynamics and ride rather than outright speed.
Genesis GV60 Magma, more information at Genesis.com, @Genesis_Europe
Alpine A290
Another all-electric sports car, only this time in a rather more modest form. The new Alpine A290 is the uprated, performance-focused variant of the all-new Renault 5 E-tech. The Alpine brand has its origins in tuning and fettling Renaults and the A290 keeps that tradition alive.
With 220bhp on tap, and a vivacious design language that brings to mind the mighty 80s-era Renault 5 Turbo2, the littlest Alpine could be the ultimate compact electric sports car.
Alpine A290, more information at Alpine-Cars.co.uk, @AlpineCars
Land Rover Defender Octa
At the other extreme is the new Land Rover Defender Octa, JLR’s answer to the relentless SUV power wars. No hybrid systems, just a massive 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 – closely related to the BMW M5’s powerplant – and all the usual Defender off-road ability. With 635bhp, the Octa is easily the most powerful Defender the factory has ever made. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and a hefty price as well.
Land Rover Defender Octa, from £143,500, more information at LandRover.co.uk, @LandRover
Honda Prelude Concept
Along with a truck-load of classic racing machines, Honda brought its recent Prelude Concept to Goodwood. This is a modern iteration of a model that found much favour in the UK until it was killed off at the turn of the century. The Prelude nameplate returns to grace a hybrid coupe design that should appear in production form in 2025, demonstrating a revived commitment to practical sports cars in the hybrid and electric age.
Honda Prelude, more information at Honda.co.uk, @HondaUKcars
Yangwang U9
Yangwang is the high-end subsidiary of Chinese brand BYD. In addition to the massive U8 SUV, the company also hopes to start selling its U9 supercar. With low, dramatic mid-engine looks (even though it has an all-electric powertrain), the company hopes the U9 could be a credible alternative to Ferrari and Lamborghini – it’ll benefit from the lack of sales tax added on to imported supercars.
The headline stat is a 0-62 time of under 2.5 seconds and the dramatic bodywork was overseen by Global Director of BYD Design Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Alfa Romeo.
Yangwang C9, more information at YanwangAuto.com
Ford Capri
Ford’s decision to revive the much-loved Capri brand name for its new electric coupé SUV is a controversial one. The Capri (1968-1986) was a strict two-door coupé, an affordable sports car with a slightly lairy, laddish image but which nevertheless engendered huge affection amongst its 1.9 million-strong owner base.
The Capri is now reborn as a high-riding four-door fastback, with not a lot of visual parity with the original. Instead, the design shares a lot of form language and proportion with the Polestar 2, and the platform underneath is shared with Volkswagen’s ID.4. Time will tell if it’ll be as successful as its Sixties forebear.
Ford Capri, from £42,075, more information at Ford.co.uk, @FordUK
INEOS Grenadier Detour
Not content with outdoing the original Land Rover Defender’s rugged charm, Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS car company has now given its core product the luxury treatment. The Grenadier Detour is a special limited edition of the old school off-roader, developed by the company’s in-house customisation service Arcane Works.
Interior finishes include Bridge of Weir leather, wool headliner, and plenty of options to add your own unique stamp on the vehicle.
INEOS Grenadier Detour, more information at INEOSGrenadier.com, @INEOS_Grenadier
The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from 10-13 July 2025, more information at Goodwood.com, @FoSGoodwood
