Among the many Goodwood gems, Aston Martin shows it is precious metal
GODDAMMIT, I love Goodwood – and 2018’s has been an extra-special event.
Celebrating 25 years of the Festival of Speed, organisers and manufacturers pulled out all the stops.
Today is the last day to get along. So jump in the car and make your way to Goodwood House near Chichester, West Sussex, if you want a really great day out.
But don’t worry if you can’t make it.
I have selected some of the most precious metal making an appearance this weekend.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
THE coolest Aston Martin yet? Quite possibly.
Just look at how aggressive the styling is.
But the DBS Superleggera is far more than just a pretty face.
This is the fastest and most powerful production Aston Martin ever made, boasting a downright ridiculous 715bhp, coming from a 5.2-litre twin turbo V12.
All that power adds up to some impressive figures.
Not only will it do 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds, it will keep pulling until 211mph.
A replacement for the old Vanquish S, many see the Superleggera as a direct aim at Ferrari’s 812 Superfast, which also tops out at 211mph.
I know which one I would rather have in my garage.
Toyota Supra prototype
THIS is a biggie. A prototype version of the eagerly awaited new Toyota Supra is being driven in public for the first time at Goodwood.
The finished article won’t be in showrooms until late 2019, but the hype surrounding the return of this Japanese legend gets bigger by the day.
It will be rear-wheel drive and probably powered by a 3-litre turbo engine producing well over 300bhp.
Toyota has teamed up with BMW to develop the Supra, so it will share a lot of its architecture and powertrain with the upcoming Z4.
Lamborghini Urus
LAMBO has brought its super SUV to Goodwood to be drooled over — and thank God for it.
It is probably the best-looking SUV on the market, bar Jag’s new iPace. The Urus is the 4x4 for super-rich folk who want to annoy their Mayfair neighbours after they’ve just bought a Bentley Bentayga.
It costs £165,000 but for that money you get a 641bhp powerhouse big enough to house a family of five.
This is Lamborghini’s first car to rely on turbo power.
The 4-litre twin turbo V8 is enough to catapult this 2.2-tonne wagon from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, and hopefully helps keep the MPG down when bumbling around town below 2,500 revs. Yeah, right.
Tesla Model 3
ELON MUSK’S latest effort, if you don’t count that ridiculous submarine to get the stranded Thai kids out of the cave, is making its European debut at Goodwood.
The Model 3 is not out on the track and a UK version is still at least 12 months away.
But it is still worth checking out, especially if you are thinking of joining the waiting list.
Remember, this is the Tesla for the masses.
The price tag will be around the £30k mark when it finally arrives here.
It has a range of 220 miles and covers 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds, so it is no slouch for a decent-sized saloon.
Lexus UX
FIRST seen at the Geneva Motor Show, the Lexus UX is making its “dynamic debut” at Goodwood. In English, that means you’ll be able to see it being driven for the first time.
The UX will complete a trio of SUVs for Toyota’s executive offshoot, coming in behind the RX and NX as the baby of the bunch.
As we know, small SUVs and crossovers are flavour of the month, so it could help increase Lexus’ presence in the UK.
The version on show at Goodwood is the hybrid 250h, which is the fourth generation of Lexus’ trademark hybrid powertrain.
The UX will be on sale in the UK next year.
McLaren 600LT
LIKE the McLaren 570S? Then you will like it even more now.
The McLaren 600LT is a lighter version of the 570S, with the power hiked from 562 to 592bhp.
The LT stands for Longtail — a name awarded only to the most special editions of McLaren’s stable — denoting a chassis that has been stretched to achieve better downforce.
Thanks to heaps of carbon fibre, the 600LT is nearly 100kg lighter than the 570S.
Powered with a 3.8-litre twin turbo V8, expect a 0-62mph time of around 2.9 seconds.
This is a serious piece of kit that has been designed with lap times in mind.
McLarens new electrics billed
McLAREN will release 18 new models by 2025 in a push to go electric.
The British firm is investing £1.2billion to keep up with incoming regulations.
The focus will be on hybrid power trains. Included in the new roster will be a P23 hypercar, to take over from the P1.
McLaren sales have risen 93 per cent year-on-year and the company is increasing staff numbers.
An emerging market in the Far East is helping shift units.
A new plant in Sheffield is also close to completion.
Long may it last.
Iron Man’s thrust for business
THE idea of strapping a tank of jet fuel and six turbine engines to your back is a flight of fancy for most of us.
But for David Mayman, chief executive of JetPack Aviation and an avid pilot, it is just another day at the office.
After selling a successful business, David invested around £1.8million into making his dream of personal vertical take-off and landing technology a reality.
He said: “I was inspired by the rocket belts that featured in films during the Sixties and Seventies.
“But I couldn’t find any engineers with expertise in that field, so I had to turn to turbine engines.”
The JB11 JetPack, which is the result of more than six years of testing and honing, features six turbine jets attached to a controllable gimbal that David wears on his back like a backpack.
The kit weighs around 50kg and each jet produces 400 Newtons of thrust. With the slightest push forward on the controls, he is is capable of flying at speeds of 200mph and at heights of 10,000ft.
He said: “The JB11 is the only pack that is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and can fly over land.
“This is because the computer systems on board can stabilise the unit should an engine fail.
“But I still don’t have the nerve to take it much above 140mph.”
David made his first European flight with JB11 when he tackled the hill climb at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of a new Future Lab exhibition. But he thinks there is more to his creation than pure entertainment.
He said: “We have been in talks with US Navy SEALs and Special Operations Forces about developing a smaller unit that could potentially be used in specific warfare situations.
“It would allow an operator to get from one point to another at huge speed and without the need for a helicopter or aircraft.”
The real-life Iron Man says that his creation will probably never be sold to the general public.
But his company is already working on flying pods that could one day put an end to the miserable daily commute.
LEON POULTNEY
Goodwood facts
250 - flags erected
12 - miles of trackway to keep feet dry and clean
1 million - litres of water kept on site
498,000 - tickets and wristbands produced
1,000 - picnic tables ordered
5,000 - bales of hay lining race track and off-road course
2,000 - signs erected
300 – exhibitors on site
Reader’s car of the week
THANK you to John Barlow, from Thurgoland, South Yorks, for this picture of his pristine BMW 323i.
He says: “Here is my 2000 BMW 323i auto, six-cylinder straight six.
“It has 77,000 miles on the clock, a full service history and only two previous owners.
“She drives like a dream with the electric hood down – what more do you want?”
To see your pride and joy here, send me a picture and brief description to [email protected]
Bike news
A taste of HP force
THE Goodwood Festival of Speed is the best motor show on the planet.
Rather than wandering round stuffy halls getting in the way of other people’s pictures of static displays, the Festival of Speed brings the noise, smell and sound of all things motoring to you.
You find a spot in the grounds of Goodwood House and the cars and bikes come to you.
Think of it like a trip to Yo! Sushi but with added chinos and skids.
We were lucky enough to bag a ride up the garden path on the stunning BMW HP4 Race.
A £68,000, 215bhp track-only apex predator, it is easily the fastest, lightest and loveliest BMW motorcycle ever made.
The bike and the location are mind-blowing.
As if riding such a machine in front of thousands of people isn’t nervy enough, there is a sea of current and former racing champions to ride with.
Rossi, Agostini, Fogarty and Rea to name a few. Getting it wrong is not an option.
Despite all that muscle, the BMW is incredibly easy to ride.
Power is ferocious, handling is pin-sharp and exclusivity oozes from the beautiful exhaust.
There are a couple of chances to pop a wheelie, but for the bikes, Goodwood is more about waving to the crowd and making some noise.
Obviously, the standard S1000RR would do just as good a job on the hill-climb route (and the journey home).
But for pure, unadulterated riding, nothing comes close to the HP4 Race.
- FOR more bikes, search “bike world” in YouTube or find Bike World on Amazon.
50 not out for Nissan
IF you thought Nissan’s GT-R couldn’t get any better, think again.
At Goodwood it revealed the GT-R50, a collaboration with Volkswagen Group’s Italdesign outfit.
It looks like a celebration of both companies turning 50 this year and Nissan has hinted it may actually go into production.
This is a 710bhp beast dressed in the finest of fine suits.
A gold and grey chassis and remodelled front end sets it apart from the standard GT-R, a favourite with the Playstation generation who aren’t famed for taste.
It has been flattened out a bit and the rear has been smoothed and elongated.
It uses the same 3.8-litre engine as the standard GT-R but with some major surgery performed on it.
The turbo will be a lot bigger, and more or less everything else upgraded to help cope with the heavier stress.
Before you get too excited, Nissan has said if it was to go into production, no more than 50 will be made.
And each one would cost £800,000. Yep, that’s a lot of paper rounds, kids.