CDN’s takeaways from Goodwood 2026

James McLachlan – editor-in-chief

After all the furore, not all of which justified, Car Design News finally set eyes on the Ferrari Luce on the carmaker's stand not far from the Cartier lawn. It was a very nicely put together stand, with the subject of all the hoo-ha hidden from general view. Nevertheless, it was a source of intrigue, with an endless flow of stylish would-be customers (plus the odd less stylish journalist) seeking out its monolithic form. In some ways, we hoped for a revelatory experience that prompted a revised opinion to the one we put forward upon its launch. Was that the case? Well, not quite. All the same issues remain, but in the Ferrari’s favour is the near flawless execution of its electrified offering.

Dressed in a restrained shade of metallic grey, overlaid on a gloss black inner volume (the car bit of the Luce), it is undoubtedly clever. The metallic frame acts as an aerodynamic foil, which is better appreciated in real life than in photos. The trunk is cavernous (by Ferrari’s standards) and the interior, where the hand of Ive /Newson is most keenly felt, is equally spacious. The haters will never he convinced. Will enough people grow to love it? On this evidence, they just might. On the Lamborghini stand, where the food was outstanding as ever CDN caught up with design director Mitja Borkert and chief manufacturing officer Ranieri Niccoli to talk surfacing, finishes and perceived quality. More to come on that.

Goodwood has a nice habit of throwing up unexpected encounters with designers and this year was no exception as newly minted McLaren design director Kemal Curić turned up unannounced. Chatting to CDN, the designer waxed lyrical about the 1969 McLaren M6GT, which was the star of the ever popular carmakers stand. A hint as to the future direction?

 If new concepts and cars are a measure, then few carmakers take the Festival of Speed as seriously as MG. Back for the fourth year in a row, this time with a pair of concepts – Go and Cyber – that were underserved somewhat by what felt like a diminutive stand, MG signalled that design is where they will find a competitive advantage. The MG Go was notable for its references to the Pininfarina-designed MGB and that it was designed in SAIC’s London studio. More on that here. The other half of the duo was the Cyber – a sharply-styled large SUV with sporting aspirations. Stay tuned for a word from Jozef Kabaň on that one.

A full report on the oasis of automotive beauty that is the Cartier de Luxe lawn is on the way, but for now we shall whet your appetite by mentioning that early Koenigsegg’s will feature.

Freddie Holmes – deputy editor

CDN’s Goodwood 2026 kicked off on Wednesday night ahead of the main festival with a preview of the new Maserati GT4 race car. Design boss Klaus Busse was on hand to discuss this month’s focus topic of surfacing and aerodynamics, plus the public reveal of three newly-refreshed cornerstones of the portfolio. 

A morning visit to Praga Cars offered a much welcome break from the already-scorching weather and an animated Ivan Krakora explained how aerodynamics was indeed the driving force behind the company’s road-to-track hypercar.

Over at Nichols Cars, managing director John Minett spoke of quite the opposite situation as the N1A was designed with 60s Can-Am styling as a priority – to the point where the team were happy to make small concessions on aero performance in the name of sleek, uninterrupted bodywork.

An interview with Mercedes Classic was symbolic of the automotive smelting pot that is Goodwood. Brands with heritage on their side certainly made the most of it, and at Mercedes the new CLA 45 AMG shared the same platform as the ‘50s racing Gullwing and ‘The Hammer’ 500 SEC from the ‘80s. Sitting down with Marcus Breitschwerst, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Heritage, we heard how this division helps to preserve and distil the brand’s core values while pushing into the future. It was a fascinating and somewhat different interview to the norm.

How good it was to see the Audi Nuvolari in the metal, both static at the ‘First Glance’ tent and ripping around the track with design chief Massimo Frascella in the passenger seat. The exterior has rightly captured the attention of the media and enthusiasts alike but we were impressed by the layout and finish of the interior. We also had a proper look at both the production BMW i3 and M Concept Neue Klasse: both carry real stance and epitomise the “better in the metal” scenario. Like the Nuvolari, not all spectators were keen and all three remain polarising for now.

Singer’s central display was impressive with a selection of cars perilously suspended from the main sculpture. Best booth design goes to Mini’s “electric avenue” that had its own pub and ice cream shop. An associated treasure hunt involved answering a riddle, throwing darts and pressing your own Deus Ex-branded keyring. BYD’s was by some way the ‘biggest’ and from its position offered a solid view of various launches. Occupying the top of the hill were the JLR contingent – Defender, Discovery and Range Rover – and tucked away at the back, Jaguar. It was interesting to see the lineage of the E-Type, XJS and forthcoming Type 01 all together and there is certainly an underlying ‘grand tourer’ thread that links them all. Even if it is much grander in size.

A visit to Pagani and the ever-affable PR team got us up close with the new Huayra 70 Derecho which is inspired by a rare and dramatic storm scenario. The orange-pearl paintwork looks more of a tobacco brown in person but paired with the deeper blue and bright aluminium accents it is a startlingly attractive creation from the Grandi Complicazioni division.

Restomods (or ‘New Classics’ as they were labelled on the programme) were as popular as ever and countless players had a presence on the sidelines and the track. We very much appreciated the care taken to elevate much-loved nameplates, and the pick of the bunch may have come from Kimera (Lancia) and TWR (Jaguar) with both wailing up the hillclimb with gusto. An unseen Giugiaro concept produced by Bizzarrini was also stunning; it fits the description of a restomod on paper with contemporary underpinnings but with looks that are straight out of the 60s.

Two-wheelers do not feature often on CDN but we were awestruck by BMW Motorrad’s arrow-shaped K 18 concept, defined by a stretched, heavily sculpted body and six prominent exhaust pipes – one for each cylinder. The sound of this thing was incredible and is a strong case study on surfacing.

A quick moan to close out. Grandstand ticketing feels quite cheeky and seats should really be offered on a first-come first-served basis. Swathes of people queued along the side of the track to see little more than the roofline of a car whizzing by while much of the grandstands appeared half empty. The price of an ice cream was eye-watering (£7 / €8.20 / $9.37) and the delayed timing of some major launches comical. “That’s Goodwood Time for you,” one marshal half joked to CDN. But in some ways that is the beauty of Goodwood: there is so much to see and do that it doesn’t take long to find something else of interest.

My pick from the car park? Difficult to say. How about the Nos-injected Jensen Interceptor on drag tyres?

Lucy Abbott – assistant editor

As Freddie rightly points out, the car park was indeed packed full of countless gems – perhaps showing that the real joy is in well-kept personal vehicles (I was a particular fan of the Ultima GTR’s wide-eyed stare).

Aside from the heatstroke, the show was on top form. My personal highlight was a chat with Renault’s new-ish VP of design Alexandre Malval. He’s a self-proclaimed ‘shy’ Frenchman, who has a deep-rooted passion for design, teamwork and creating the next generation of future icons. He actually started his career at Renault back in 1994 in the advanced design department, so his return marks a sort of homecoming. Despite the interview taking place right next to the doughnut area of the track (fumes galore), Malval came across as extremely personable and a strong addition to the Renault team.

Over the bridge was the supercar paddock, which housed many impressive vehicles – including the popular LEGO Technic Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear Megacar. I got the chance to speak to the designer behind the Hennessy Venom F5 Revolution track car, Nathan Malinick (a US national wearing an impressive cowboy hat), who leads a small, agile in-house team which prioritises intentional beauty, aerodynamic functionality and deep customer personalisation. More to come soon, so keep an eye out for our interview with Malinick. 

Chinese design appeared in full force, with a massive BYD, Yang Wang and Denza stand located slap-bang in the middle of the festival. The BYD group debuted eight new cars – including the Denza Z9 GT, presented in a stunning turquoise. Lepas, the youngest brand of the Chery Group, was present for the first time, with the launch of its flagship model – the L8 SUV. With design values shaped by the leopard, Lepas shows that Chinese brands can prioritise design, even if it comes in the form of another SUV... 

As James mentioned earlier, we finally saw the Ferrari Luce in the flesh. I had visions of taking on an entirely new perspective of the vehicle when seeing it in person – perhaps even becoming a fan – but when I turned the corner, I was underwhelmed. The exterior still appears lacklustre, too large and bulky, but the interior is really where this vehicle shines. Therefore, my opinion remains unchanged. However, we heard that the Luce is selling extremely well, so perhaps I’ll have to eat my hat.

As for next year, I hope to see more vehicles that push boundaries. I always wonder why concepts aren’t more ridiculous. Here’s to a push for ridiculous-ness for 2027.