Starting on July 12th, the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed promises to be a pure celebration of automobilia, motorsport, and sports cars. The manifestation, which has held ever since 1993 at Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, gathers the best from the world of cars with the central event being a hill climb over a rather tricky 1.16-mile-long track. With three days of pure automotive fun, the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed is expected to draw crowds of over 125,000 individuals each day. Obviously, with major media coverage and such high attendance numbers, manufacturers from all around the world look forward to presenting their vehicles and tackling the hill climb. This year, Porsche is the main sponsor as the company marks 70 years since the unveiling of the first sports car - the 356, at the event. I would not be surprised if they attempt to set a record on the track. Currently, the record is at 0:41.6 seconds and it was set by Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld in a McLaren in 1999. Considering the fact that Porsche has already set one astounding record at the Nurburgring, tackling Goodwood is to be expected.

Apart from the multitude Porsche plans to exhibit, I gathered five other exceptional vehicles to look out for at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The New Toyota Supra

Finally, we may have a chance to see in person and without any camouflage the most anticipated Toyota car in decades - the new Supra. Following Toyota Europe’s Twitter feed, I noticed that Toyota published a photo of a camouflaged Supra with the words: #ToyotaSupra is back.

The A90. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018.

The A90 designation falls in line with the previous four Supra generations (the A40 - 1978-1981, the A60 - 1981-1986, the A70 - 1986-1993, and the A80 - 1993-2002). This only shows that Toyota will definitely honor the amazing legacy left by the Supra. I would not even be surprised if they try to set some kind of a record on the short track.

Coinciding with Toyota Europe’s disclosure about the new Supra unveiling in the U.K., Toyota USA revealed that the new Supra will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting in 2019. It will replace the Camry in the racing series. These are the first glimpses of what the Supra is to become - a proper sports car rooted on racing tracks all around the world. I can’t wait to see where else Toyota will take it.

We will have to wait a few more days in order to see the new Supra and, I hope, see some specs for the car. For now, I can only say that the new Supra will adopt almost everything from the new BMW Z4, including the drivetrain which means - a 3.0-liter, Twin-Turbocharged, I-6, and an eight-speed automatic. However, Toyota promised that the car will be nothing like the Z4 in real life. It will have a dedicated tune and offer a fundamentally different driving experience. Nevertheless, the 335-horsepower, entry-level engine is only expected with the GRMN model pushing well over 400 horsepower.

Taking into account that the Supra will probably weight 3,284 lbs, this kind of power will be plentiful.

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Toyota Supra.

The Lanzante McLaren P1 GT 'Longtail'

The McLaren P1 isn’t exactly new, but it is still, and always will be, biblically fast. Now, the version destined to shred the Goodwood hill climb to pieces is something special. We are expecting a Longtail McLaren P1 by Lanzante - an acclaimed engineering company who had partnered with McLaren on projects such as the P1 LM and the road-going P1 GTR.

However, this does not make this year’s P1 that exciting. What does is the fact that Lanzante actually transformed a racing F1 GTR Longtail (chassis number #27R) to road-going specification. Lanzante is a match made in heaven when it comes to working on the new Longtail P1. It will be a collector’s dream.

Apart from giving the McLaren P1 a longer rear wing, we can definitely expect more impressive features - such as an active aero setup, more pronounced intakes, and wider and longer air intake on the roof. Hardcore aerodynamics will be followed up by weight-saving measures. Really, I doubt there will be any creature comforts inside. Seats from the Senna will probably be included in the package as well as an updated engine. The 3.8-liter, V-8 is mated with an electric motor for 903 horsepower and 723 pound-feet of torque. The Lanzante P1 Longtail could push this number closer to 1,000. It will be an astonishingly quick and scary car, probably capable of pushing the boundaries of what is possible even further and laughing in the face of the Ferrari FXX in the process.

The new car will be called the P1 GT, it will wear a Silverstone Green garnish, and finally, it could be the most extreme representation of the P1 yet. We are only days apart from its reveal. Watching it take on numerous Porsche cars destined to go up the hill will be a blast. Boy, I would like to see that Porsche LMP1 derestricted prototype trying to take the Goodwood hill climb record and fight its way with the likes of cars such as this McLaren.

The Ford Mustang Bullitt

In my humble opinion, the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt is the best looking Mustang on sale today. It is a dignified spectacle in green and in black (I like it more in black, and every time I think of it like that, the gates of hell become a bit wider for me.) I am guessing all of us have a bit TMI on it already, but the Mustang Bullitt in Europe is a kind of a big deal. Ford unveiled it at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year along with the very car featured in the Warner Bros. movie. The thing is that the original Mustang Bullitt will take the stand at the start of the Goodwood Hillclimb and finish it. This is a big deal because the car that Steve McQueen actually drove and that will tackle the Goodwood had been lost for more than 30 years. Furthermore, this will be its first drive outside the U.S.

After finishing the movie, Ford and the film producers lost track of the car. Then, in 1974, Robert Kiernan saw an add in the Road&Track magazine and bought the car for $6,000 ($30,000 in today's money). But, he was not exactly using it for promotion. Rather, his wife and himself used it for daily driving - getting groceries and stuff. When it came to the media's attention that this car is actually the one from the movie, some fans of Steve McQueen broke into Kiernan’s garage and stole some stuff. Luckily, Robert Kiernan knew what he had and had stored the car at a secret location by then.

The story goes to say that before the car was hidden, Steve McQueen himself reached out to the Kiernan family trying to buy it off. They did not want to let it go. It was only last year that the car was available for public display.

You see now why the original Mustang Bullitt is a big deal at Goodwood? It’s epic stuff to say the least.

As for the latest Mustang Bullitt - it is a car with a 5.0-liter, V-8 that develops 460 horsepower and features a number of cool traits linking it with the one from the movie.

Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt.

The Polestar 1

I don’t know if it’s only me, but it seems that the Polestar 1 is still a mystery. Sure, Polestar published an online configurator (not as comprehensive as anyone would hope, though,) and we do know a lot about the car, but it still feels like a sleeper. That is the main reason behind my desire to see it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Festival will be its christening, to say the least. The car that will drive up the hill is actually a prototype. Camouflaged at that. Volvo really did highlight its “prototype” nature, but the guy who will be behind the wheel seems rather excited.

Joakim Rydholm, Polestar’s Chief Test Driver, will tackle the hill climb.

“I am really excited to drive the Polestar 1 prototype up the hill at Goodwood,” said Rydholm “driving the hill climb has been a long-time ambition for me, and to be able to do it in the same prototype in which we’ve spent so many months of development time, is truly special.”

Don’t get me wrong here, Polestar does not want to hide anything at all. In fact, the company will be presenting two $155,000 Polestar 1 cars at the event for their prospective buyers from Europe (and the U.S., of course.)

The gorgeous two-door coupe is a hybrid with a four-cylinder ICE powering the front wheels and two electric motors powering the back wheels. This system grants 600 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. You can’t expect it to beat that McLaren P1 GT I wrote about above, but all the attendees at Goodwood will be impressed without a doubt.

The Polestar 1 is set to reach the U.S. in August as part of the Monterey Car Week exhibition.

Read our full review on the 2018 Polestar 1.

The Tesla Model 3

The new Tesla Model 3 will be one of the biggest attractions on the gardens of the Goodwood house. Making its first European debut (sorry U.K., you are Europe despite Brexit, get over it,) the Tesla Model 3 is sure to steal a lot of looks from some of the most expensive metal (or carbon) of today.

After finally hitting the weekly production goal of 5,000 units, Elon Musk must be feeling thrilled and eager to present Tesla's new car to European customers. Don’t hold your hopes up that it will fidget its way up the hill, though. The Tesla Model 3 that will be exhibited is actually of U.S. specification. It will serve only as a static display intended to show European customers what they can expect in the times to come.

We know now that the car will offer 50 kWh and 75 kWh batteries for a maximum range of up to 310 miles (as per EPA testing). I am sure that the new WLTP testing rules will scale that number down quite a bit. Nevertheless, the Tesla Model 3 will be a fast car. The least powerful model will achieve 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, whereas the one with bigger batteries and more powerful electric motors will finish the job in 5.1 seconds. A high-performance Tesla Model 3 is expected, but we are to wait for some time for it.

Read our full review on the 2018 Tesla Model 3.

Bonus

Porsche Will Take The Central Feature Stand

Marking the 70th anniversary since the introduction of its first sports car - the 356, Porsche will take the Central Feature stand in front of the Goodwood House. This will be the company’s third time to take this venue, now presenting the rich history of its race cars and production cars. The whole manifestation will resonate with Porsche themes, really. Multiple racers - contemporary and historic - will make their debut at the hill trying to achieve the best possible time. Then, visitors will have an opportunity to drive up the hill in dedicated Porsche cars, a majority of which are apparently Cayennes. As expected, visitors will have a chance to see all of the production models right there.

Other Notable Entries

The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT

This 700-horsepower beast is a tribute to American pilots serving with the RAF during WWII before the U.S. actually joined the conflict. Vaughn Gittin Jr. partnered with Ford once again, now with an honorable goal of tributing those who had the courage when it mattered the most. The car he will drive is a 700 horsepower beast with an RTR wide-body kit and special Tactical Performance suspension.

The Nio EP9

Chinese company Nio announced it will take part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed by releasing its electric supercar, the EP9. The supercar, powered by four electric motors with a combined output of 1,342 horsepower and 1,091 pound-feet of torque, will be driven by the Scottish racing driver Peter Dumbreck. As Dumbreck already set a Nurburgring record for production cars in the EP9, we can expect some seriously fast passes at the Goodwood as well.

Read our full review on the 2019 Nio EP9.

Roborace

Roborace is a small company that is trying to make an autonomous race car. Yup, racing without an actual driver behind the wheel. Last year they made some attempts at various racetracks, but now, Roborace’s racecar goal is to pass 1.16 miles of the Goodwood Hillclimb autonomously. And fast too.

“We are excited that the Duke of Richmond has invited us to make history at Goodwood as we attempt the first ever fully - and truly - autonomous uphill climb using only artificial intelligence," said Roborace CEO and Formula E reigning champion Lucas di Grassi.

Of course, I do not know exactly how this thing will work, but I do know that the team used LiDAR, radar, GPS, ultrasonic systems, and camera sensors to pick up enough information from the road to make the Roborace actually know where to go and how to go. With four 135 kW electric motors, it is a fast sucker. Can you imagine the computer processing power required for something like this to work?

Conclusion

The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be a true celebration of the automotive industry enriched with cutting edge technology, the fastest cars in the world, and enough goodwill to make it one of the biggest automotive related events in the world.

Further reading

Read more Goodwood Festival of Speed.