What to Expect At The Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 – Preview
A highlight of the motoring calendar, the Goodwood Festival of Speed returns tomorrow and there’s plenty to see and enjoy. Arguably the main attraction will be the Hillclimb, as a whole host of racing cars, classics and supercars will tackle the famous 1.16-mile course. Car companies will also use the event as an opportunity to display their latest releases. If you’re heading along to Goodwood, these are the things you don’t want to miss.
What Is Ford Taking to the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed?
Ford will have a massive presence at this year’s event. The new special edition Mustang Bullitt will be shown in public for the first time, joined by one of the original Mustangs from the 1968 Bullitt film. Driven by Steve McQueen in the film, the 1968 car is making its first-ever appearance outside of the US. Having spent more than three decades in storage, it has been meticulously restored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bullitt film – which includes a fantastic 10 minute-long car chase.
Two other Mustangs are set to take part, and both are incredibly special. One is the Eagle Squadron Mustang, co-created by Ford Performance and world champion drifter Vaughn Gittin Jr. The one-off car has 700hp and a bespoke livery – it’ll go up the Hillclimb course at the show, and after it finishes it’ll head back to the States to be auctioned off for charity. Gittin Jr. will drive the Eagle Squadron car and his custom RTR drift Mustang up the course.
Fresh from competing in Le Mans, the Ford GT racing car will also be heading up the hill with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell at the wheel. Amazingly, that’s not all. The race-winning M-Sport Ford Fiesta World Rally Championship (WRC) car will also race up the course. It’s also taking to the Forest Rally Stage to show its incredible talents. Ford will highlight a selection of new models on its stand, including the all-new Focus.
Ford’s line-up:
- 2018 Mustang GT Bullitt edition – Hillclimb
- 1968 Mustang Bullitt from the original Bullitt film – Hillclimb
- Eagle Squadron Mustang GT – Hillclimb
- Mustang RTR drift car – Hillclimb
- Ford GT Le Mans racing car – Hillclimb
- M-Sport Fiesta WRC car – Hillclimb and Forest Rally Stage
- All-new Focus – displayed on Ford’s stand
- EcoSport, Kuga and Edge – displayed on Ford’s stand
Ford commercial vehicle tuners, MS-RT, also have a stand at Goodwood. You'll be able to see the MS-RT Transit Custom plus a few limited edition models! Of course, you can also see MS-RT vehicles at our Abingdon and Dunstable dealerships.
Other Highlights of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Plenty of other exciting metal is heading to Goodwood. Aston Martin is taking its new DBS Superleggera, Vulcan AMR Pro and six other cars besides, Bentley will show its record-breaking Bentayga that competed at Pikes Peak, and Ferrari will show off models such as the 488 Pista, 812 Superfast and FXXK Evo. European debuts for the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 1 are notable attendees, too, and you’ll also get to experience the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Toyota Supra and McLaren 600LT for the first time.
It’s 25 years since the very first Festival of Speed meeting, so you can expect to enjoy wholesale celebrations. It’s also 70 years since Porsche produced its very first car, and an impressive sculpture and parade is promised. Myriad current and former touring car racers will be displayed and driven, and there’s a Bonhams auction if you want to splash the cash on some seriously expensive and renowned vehicles.
Limited tickets are still available for this event, starting from just £37 for admission on Thursday. Weekend admission costs £164 for a standard adult ticket.
