5 Amazing Surprises on the First Day of The Goodwood Festival of Speed

While I am writing these words, I am listening to a live stream of enthusiastic commentators commenting on all the amazing cars debuting at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb. Off-road Dakar cars are hitting the track at this point, and they are not that fast on this asphalt. Heck, one rally Peugeot 205 with a V-6 just spun out. Now, the new WRC Fiesta is just showing off by doing donuts in front of the crowds. Amazing. Although the manifestation just started, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has already given us several astonishing cars five of which I am presenting you right now. This is an absolute barrage of cars, sounds, smells, and speed at the Goodwood Estate right now.

These are the first surprises the Goodwood Festival of Speed gave us.

The Aston Martin Cygnet V8

First, I saw a title like this online – "The Aston Martin Cygnet V8 at Goodwood." What? Next step - search for the Aston Martin media site and my, oh my, imagine my surprise. Apart from astounding ARM cars and the stunning DBS Superleggera, the Aston Martin team actually prepared a real Cygnet V8. They did not do well with the Cygnet sales wise - It was basically a rebadged, leathered up, and priced up version of the Toyota iQ. Well, obviously, the team at Gaydon had some time on their hands, and now they are showing off what they made.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t just a show car. It is actually a one-off made for a customer who ordered it through the “Q by Aston Martin – Commission” service.

Aston Martin Vice President & Special Operations Officer, David King, said: “The V8 Cygnet shows the fun side of both Aston Martin and its customers. It is also a fine example of the engineering talent within the company as it’s no small achievement to fit the Vantage’s V8 engine so harmoniously into the Cygnet’s compact body. I am sure that it will amaze and thrill people when they see and hear it on the hill at the Festival of Speed.”

While the car does wear the recognizable Cygnet body, the interior, the drivetrain, and the suspension are of a special design. First off, the Vantage S provided its 4.7-liter V-8 with 430 horsepower. The suspension system is also taken from the Vantage S and adapted for use on the Cygnet, as is the fuel tank and a few other elements. Sending its power to rear wheels, the Cygnet V8, which Aston Martin honored with the title of “The Ultimate City Car,” will accelerate to 60 mph quicker than Vantage S. It needs 4.2 seconds for 60 mph, and it will hit an amazing 170 mph. Of course, if the driver is brave enough to do it. This is, after all, a 123-inch long car. Astounding work Aston Martin.

The Insane Aston Martin Cygnet V8 Is A 123 Inch Car With A V8

The Noble M500

As one of the most surprising turns of events, the Noble Automotive, a niche producer of sports cars announced the creation of their new entry-level car - the Noble M500. They even exhibited the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but it turned out that this one is just a full-sized model and not a working prototype.

Nevertheless, the Noble M500 will be cheaper than the M600 that was first shown back in 2010. Thanks to the chatty company CEO, Peter Boutwood, journalists at Goodwood found out that the car will feature a Ford-sourced EcoBoost V-6. It will be the same unit as in the Ford GT but tuned to 550 horsepower for the Noble M500. This power source already proved it can do wonders, so this is very good news.

Sending its power to the rear wheels via a DSG double clutch transmission, the M500 should be plenty fast. Not McLaren 570S fast, but expect it to do 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Noble expects it to weigh up to 2755 lbs which is actually great. If you are thinking carbon fiber, don’t. The M500 won’t have a carbon fiber body like the M600, but it will employ fiberglass, which is a tad heavier. However, as a smaller car, with a smaller engine, the Noble M500 is expected to have a weight of sub 2,800 lbs.

Obviously, the car is in the early development stages, but some suggest we may see it on the roads as soon as 2019.

The looks?

Personally, I do not think it’s generic by any means, but it does evoke certain similarities with McLaren cars, Ferrari cars, and Porsche cars, particularly at the rear.

Watch out Ferrari, Noble Just Launched a New Supercar at Goodwood

The Maserati Levante GTS

The top-notch Levante is actually the Maserati Levante Trofeo. However, the Goodwood Festival of Speed did introduce us to a new one - the Maserati Levante GTS. At its world debut, the Levante GTS comes with a Ferrari assembled V-8 used previously in the Quattroporte GTS. The engine develops 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, which isn’t as much as 590 horsepower of the Levante Trofeo, but insane nonetheless.

If I had to compare it with some other car (that other car being the Cayenne,) I might say that the GTS can tackle the Cayenne Turbo. This isn’t its only job, though. The Levante GTS links the utmost luxury a Maserati can offer with the sporty character of the whole brand. And then some, as they are proudly using a Ferrari assembled 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged, V-8.

Such power gives this quite substantial SUV a power-to-weight ratio of 3.9 kg/hp. Honestly, it is quite extraordinary what manufacturers can achieve with SUVs today. They are really, really fast. This one will do 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and hit 182 mph. I mean, it is an SUV, and it can do better than some early Maserati GranTurismo cars. See how far we’ve come? Amazing.

Maserati Levante GTS Takes Goodwood by Storm with Ferrari Engine

Singer’s ‘Dynamics and Lightweighting Study’

The most famous restorator of Porsche cars - Rob Dickinson and his famed Singer firm - launched two cars at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This time, he partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering and the collaboration gave birth to cars so great they are actually included in the Goodwood Hill climb event. One of the DLS cars will run up the hill showing just what it can do.

More important than that, Singer’s DLS cars are probably the most advanced cars with air-cooled engines ever. Singer cars feature a Williams developed, 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated, flat-six for the most hard-core customers. That is rather extraordinary. Focusing on crafting the best possible restomod, Singer garnished it with stuff like a ducktail spoiler, multi-link suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes, special 18-inch magnesium wheels, and Recaro seats with attention to detail comparable to the best the world has ever seen.

The Guy with a Jetpack

I am not even joking. Just when I was finishing this piece, I heard commentators speaking about a freaking jetpack and a guy that will fly using it. I thought - Thunderball, James Bond! But, no, this time, it was David Mayman with a Jetpack that is certified by the FAA. A few months ago, he flew around the Statue of Liberty. Now, he has shown what his contraption can do at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The jetpack is composed of six jet engines, four of which are actually active while the other two are there as a backup. At Goodwood, Mayman flew for quite some time and rather fast. He even went under the bridge situated at the Hillclimb.

I did find out that this jetpack can take the pilot (or the jetman, if that sounds better) to a height of 10,000 feet and it can travel up to 200 mph. Obviously, it is an amazing contraption especially when you consider it weighs something like 120 lbs. The jetpack was built in California and is so powerful that Mayman had to fly off a steel plate. If he didn't, he would probably melt the tarmac underneath.

David Mayman is actually CEO of the company that built the jetpack (now, he reminds me of that Palmer guy from the DC universe who became the Atom or something with his super suit.) He plans on using the technology for medical purposes or for any other kind of an emergency. But, unfortunately, I am thinking down the lines of reality - “the military.”