Round Up: 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed
The grounds of Goodwood House have hosted the Festival of Speed since 1997 and each event has been spectacular. The 2014 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed saw many manufacturers showcasing race-inspired models and quite a few concepts. While car makers strutted their stuff, renowned drivers got together to swap tales, check out the new cars and of course, take part in the traditional hill climb event.
McLaren 650S
McLaren’s 650S doesn’t need much introduction. For 2014, the British marque has made the supercar track-ready. The 650S GT3 will replace the four-year-old MP4–12C in the GT3 racing series. For more on the McLaren 650S GT3, click here. Other versions of the 650S were displayed at the festival, the MSO 650S coupe and Spider limited edition models. MSO stands for McLaren Special Operations. Launched in 2011, the department customises McLaren’s ‘run-of-the-mill’ cars.
The special edition supercar will have a run of just 50 units in either coupe or spider form. Compared to the standard 650S, the MSO version gets three radical paint schemes — ‘Papaya Spark’ (orange), ‘Agrigan Black’ (needs no translation) and ‘Sarigan Quartz’(silver), and new alloys which weight 4kg less. The interiors are a mix of carbon black leather and Alcantara. A signed sketch of Frank Stephenson, the designer of the 650S, comes with each of the 50 units along with MSO badges. The car doesn’t get any mechnical or aero-enhancing upgrades and costs over Rs 51 lakh more than the Rs 2.04 crore (excluding taxes and duties) that the standard 650S comes for.
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The McLaren MSO 650S special edition will have a limited run of 50 units[/caption]
Hot Hatches
Amercian manufacturer, Ford didn’t bring anything that would scream muscle car though they did showcase the new Focus ST which gets new body styles, a re-tuned suspension and a new diesel engine. Giving proof that a diesel engine can deliver considerable amounts of fun while also delivering great fuel economy and low emissions, the 2.0-litre four-pot turbo diesel puts out 182bhp and 400Nm of torque. These numbers don’t match the ST petrol variants’ figures of 252bhp and 366Nm which shows in the 8.1 second 0–100kmph time. The diesel motor however, develops nearly 33 per cent less carbon emissions and delivers 50 per cent better fuel economy.
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Ford brought the new Focus ST with revised bodywork and a performance diesel engine in addition to the petrol[/caption]
Another brilliant little hot hatch showcased at Goodwood was from the French with Peugeot celebrating the 30th anniversary of its 208 GTi. This limited edition model has been finished in a two-tone red and black paint job and sports red highlights on the front brake calipers, gets a lowered and tuned suspension, with new 18-inch alloys and a refreshed interior in red-stitched black Alcantara trim.
The engine department is where things get more interesting as the 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol motor now packs 11bhp and 25Nm more than the 197bhp and 275Nm of the earlier version. The increased output is delivered to the front wheels via the same six-speed manual and Torsen differential as Peugeot’s RCZ R, which enables the 30th anniversary edition 208 GTi to hit 100kmph in a scant 6.5 seconds.
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The 30th anniversary edition 208 GTi looks radical in this two-tone paint scheme[/caption]
Virtual Concepts
A few manufacturers also showcased their abilities in making virtual cars a reality. Aston Martin unveiled the DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo Concept which features a 800bhp twin-turbo V12 engine and will be available on Gran Turismo 6 this month. Nissan displayed the CONCEPT 2020 Vision Gran Turismo which had previously debuted virtually. The concept showcased the future of the Japanese manufacturer’s design language as some of the design bits are taken from the current generation GT-R. German auto giant VW also showcased a car that made the jump from the virtual platform to reality — the GTI Roadster. Originally unveiled at Worthersee, its 3.0-litre V6 TSI turbo-petrol engine produces 500bhp and 560Nm of peak torque.
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The Aston Martin DP-100 Vision Gran Turismo Concept[/caption]
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar’s F-type Project 7 was another track-spec car showcased the the event. Touted as the fastest, most powerful road-going Jaguar ever, its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 motor churns out 567bhp. Land Rover meanwhile refused to be left behind and showcased the fastest Range Rover ever. Sporting a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine tweaked to produce 542bhp, the Range Rover Sport SVR Prototype is expected to make the 0–100kmph sprint in 4.8 seconds.
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The Range Rover Sport SVR Prototype charging up the Goodwood hill[/caption]
Others
Swedish manufacturer, Koenigsegg unveiled their 1322bhp One:1 hypercar for the first time to the general public and it looked ready to break the hillclimb record. Mercedes-Benz officially took the wraps off the new Mercedes-Benz CLS in both, four-door Coupe and five-door Shooting Brake avatar.
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Koenigseggs 1322bhp One:1 hypercar could potentially break the Goodwood hillclimb record[/caption]
The Hillclimb
The last day of the Festival of Speed essentially gives the event its name — the hillclimb. Sebastien Loeb drove his 875 horsepower Peugeot 208 T16 ‘Pikes Peak’ and clocked the fastest time, 1.22 seconds ahead of former GT1 World Champion and ex-Grand Prix driver, Michael Bartels in his Maserati MC12 ‘Goodwood Cent 100’. Loeb’s 44.60 second time is the fourth fastest at Goodwood since its inception and is 3 seconds shy of Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren MP4/13 Formula 1 racecar who holds the distinction of being the fastest ever. Along with the famous WRC driver, there were a host of other world-class racers like Formula 1 stars like Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Sir Stirling Moss.
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Sebastien Loeb was the fastest in the 2014 edition of the hillclimb in his 875 horsepower Peugeot 208 T16 ‘Pikes Peak’[/caption]
In addition, a soirée of supercars and hypercars took on the hillclimb challenge including a ’98 Porsche 911 GT1, a Jaguar D-type, Ferrari LaFerrari plus a McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and two Nissan GT-R Nismos.
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Ferrari fans were in for a treat with several models racing up the hill[/caption]
The 22nd edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed drew over 1,50,000 people, bringing fans closer to the cars and drivers they idolise. Goodwood’s next major motorsport event will be at the Goodwood Revival, running from September 12–14.
