If you found yourself at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed and didn’t see a supercar or hypercar that made you dream of owning it, you weren’t looking in the right places.
The Festival of Speed is a petrolhead’s paradise, akin to Disneyland for automotive enthusiasts. While you can marvel at photos and videos online, experiencing the event in person is a mind-blowing experience you can’t fully grasp until you are stood on the lawn outside Goodwood House. I’ve yet to visit Disneyland, but my first trip to the Festival of Speed this year exceeded all expectations.
The event showcases everything from drift cars to modern and historic race cars and even standard production vehicles. However, witnessing the latest supercars and hypercars was the highlight for me. Many of these machines are rarely seen outside exclusive exhibitions, let alone on public roads in the real world. The Festival of Speed offers a unique opportunity to see them in action as they take on the Duke of Richmond’s iconic driveway hill climb.
Unsurprisingly, the event attracts some of the UK’s wealthiest individuals, many of whom already own impressive car collections and perhaps attend to scout for additions. This got me thinking…
If I suddenly won the lottery and had millions to spend on a new garage collection, which cars at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed would be at the top of the list? Let me highlight my must-haves and touch on a few others that caught my eye during the recent four-day-long event.
Let’s start with the Gordon Murray Automotive stable. I have two good reasons for the GMA cars being my firm favourites. Firstly Gordon, the father of the McLaren F1, is a madman. In an age of EVs, GMA is giving us the F1 successor we always wanted, with three seats, a central driving position, a manual gearbox, and a Cosworth 3.9L V12 with a unique fan in the rear. Secondly, being a South African, do I even have another choice but to give Gordon my full support?
GMA ran three cars up the hill this year: a T.50, the awe-inspiring T.50s Niki Lauda – a track-focused masterpiece that gave me instant chills when I heard it – and a T.33 development mule.
Next on my list is Koenigsegg, whose CC850 instantly caught my attention. Its stunning design blends inspiration from the original CC8 with cutting-edge technology. The CC850 boasts a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio with 1,385hp on tap from its twin-turbo V8 and, you guessed it, 1,385kg. This is paired with the Engage shift system, which allows you to switch between 6-speed manual shifting with a clutch, and super-fast 9-speed, fully automatic shifting.
Koenigsegg also brought out a Jesko Attack and a Jekso Absolut, the latter recently destroying the 0-400-0km/h record with a 27.83-second time. Bucking the electric trend, that car uses a 1,600hp V8 twin-turbo powerplant and no hybrid assistance. The Swedish manufacturer also had its supercar-for-the-family Gemera on display.
Third on my list is Bugatti. The company that gave us the Veyron, one of the first production cars to produce 1,000hp, and then the 1,500hp Chiron, just couldn’t be ignored.
Bugatti’s race car gets my first mention, as the Bollide is an ultimate showing of what an OEM can do without limits. In person, it’s intimidating but also beautiful. The Mistral, marketed as the world’s fastest roadster, and also the final Bugatti to use the iconic W16 powerplant, made some runs up the hill too. Both cars left a lasting impression on me. On static display, the newly unveiled Tourbillon, boasting a mind-bending 1,800hp from its Cosworth-engineered V16 hybrid, was an absolute showstopper. If you haven’t seen how cool this car’s gauge cluster is, you must Google it right now!
But the automotive delights didn’t end there. Pagani’s new Utopia and the screaming Huayra, Czinger’s futuristic 21C with its 3D-printed components, and McLaren’s impressive lineup – the most eye-catching for me being the yellow P1, along with Lanzante’s P1 HDK build – all impressed.
Then there was still Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Martin, Rimac, Zenvo and many others, all bringing their best to be displayed and driven. It’s abundantly clear why the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the pinnacle of automotive celebration.
Seeing these dream machines gathered in one place was a privilege, especially for someone like me from South Africa, where such cars are rarely seen.
If I had to curate a dream two-car garage from this year’s Goodwood selection, what would it be? Unquestionably, the GMA T.50s Niki Lauda for the ultimate track experience and the Koenigsegg CC850 for its blend of performance and style. What about you?
Stefan Kotzé
Instagram: stefankotzemedia
info@stefankotze.com
www.stefankotzemedia.com
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