In review: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023

Goodwood Festival of Speed is the leading car show in the UK and it is not hard to see why. What began as a celebration of high-velocity thrills has evolved into a de facto motor show where car brands of all persuasions unveil new launches. This year we saw new work from everyone from Hyundai to Caterham – all united by a love of being around the enthusiasts. The setting obviously helps: static, air-conditioned exhibition halls are no match for gently undulating English countryside brought to life by ferocious noise and high-speed vehicles. It has its drawbacks: for the first time in the 30-year history, high winds forced the show’s closure on saturday.

However, as Lotus’ chief creative officer Ben Payne readily pointed out in an exclusive interview with Car Design News, cars are best viewed when they are moving. Preferably quickly. Goodwood is a festival in the sense that it feels like a true celebration – fathers (and in some cases mothers) with sons, petrol heads, racing drivers, vintage enthusiasts, designers, journos, and potential customers are all thrown into the mix. There are few other shows where the Cartier Style et Luxe Lawn sits alongside the launch of a volume brand manufacturer and both are met with their own set of fans. It makes for a great experience.

Lotus, backed by the financial might of Geely, occupied an enormous stand designed by Ben Payne, the brand’s chief creative officer. On show were the Eletre SUV, which is currently in the hands of road testing journos across the UK, the four-pot version of the Emira and the special limited edition of the insanely powerful electric hypercar, Evija. The Evija, in classic black and gold JPS livery, was launched last year to mark the 50 years since Emerson Fittipaldi won his 1972 F1 world driver’s Championship.

Despite the celebratory feel, the show was a bittersweet one for Lotus – Peter Horbury had passed away days before. Carr, who began his career with Horbury back in the MGA days, spoke about his memories of the great man.

Of course, being a festival of speed, there was an abundance of sportscars on display. Two of the most interesting were the AIM coupe designed by the legendary Shiro Nakamura and the Caterham Project V. Caterham, which owes its origins to Colin Chapman-era Lotus, is best known for its hair-raising lightweight sports cars. In that regard, the Project V – a classic minimalist silhouette – is a serious design departure. Anthony Jannarelly, chief designer, spoke with CDN’s Freddie Holmes on the stand and explained that in tribute to Caterham’s roots, the Project V is light, nimble and “essentially the smallest GT on the market.” A full write-up is on the way, natch.

Nakamura, clearly enjoying the creative freedom that comes with being unattached to a particular brand, designed the AIM EV Sport 01 that represents his own preferred aesthetic. Built on an existing AIM platform, the concept recalls coupes of the late 1960s and 70s with its beautifully-judged proportions and uninterrupted flowing lines. “I can express myself more freely and this represents my design philosophy more closely,” Nakamura said. A full write-up will follow on Car Design News.

Hyundai’s hugely successful Ioniq 5 reappeared in performance ‘N’ form complete ith tweaked styling and simulated gear changes and optional engine noises. “It’s all about functional aesthetics,” says VP of design Simon Loasby. “The right amount of cooling is needed as we have an 800-volt architecture – this thing did two consecutive laps of the Nürburgring in under 16 minutes. Our job in design terms is to house all that techology in a sharp suit, which is not boy racer.”

Loasby was enjoying the reception the car had received – the expansive stand was packed all day. He spoke at length with CDN about the current state of design at Hyundai and his handmade jacket, which nearly stole the show. Aston Martin turned up with the all-new DB12 presenting a more sculpted countenance that what had gone before, along with the striking Valour – a celebration of the iconic V8 Vantage. Design director Miles Nurnberger was lapping up the Goodwood atmosphere. “I think there’s a place for shows like Geneva, but this is just the best way to show (your car) to the world.”

Nurnberger was in high spirits for another reason: the Valour project was an absolute blast to work on. “The whole team loved this project,” he beamed from the tweed-finished passenger seat. CDN is not usually a publication to focus on powertrains, but the fact this carries a V12 manual had a real impact on the car’s broader design, particularly on the interior. There is a completely open-gate gearshifter, for example – available in luxe materials like polished walnut, aluminium, carbon and titanium – which was purposefully given centre stage in the cockpit.

In terms of brand alignment, Lamborghini and Goodwood are perfect for each other. Fitting, then, that the Italian supercar brand unveiled its LeMans hypercar the SC63, which will do battle in the 2024 World Endurance Championship. “We have a super strong collaboration with our racing team, the squad Lamborghini. When we started this project, of course I said, we race in style, but we also, we want to create a winner,” says design director Mitja Borkert. “Every aspect of this car is driven by pure function – we had a designer sitting in the racing department so they could collaborate as closely as possible. We wanted to create a new design that is recognisable on the television when the car enters the pit lane.”

Over at Ford, and there were a couple of launches that caught our eye. Despite the rain, plenty turned out to see the reveal of the Mustang Mach-E Rally, an off-road version of the EV that was suitably dished out in racing livery, rally wheels and bucket seats. As is the spirit of Goodwood, this was more than a static reveal and the prototype was taken up the hill shortly after on a hot lap. Alongside it was the Mustang Dark Horse, a special edition of the “grin generating” V8-powered muscle car that has tweaked bodywork, spoilers and exhaust pipes that can be activated by the keyfob. How delightfully childish – and we’re all here for it.

We assume the hydrogen crowd would also have been happy with the turnout of several FCEVs on the paddock, not only from familiar names like Toyota, Hyundai and BMW but also emerging brands like Ineos which brought a prototype Grenadier SUV and the new Quartermaster pick-up (diesel or petrol only for now). Speaking of BMW, the new electric 5 Series was on display but from where we were standing it didn’t seem to garner too much attention (perhaps a tough ask amid the many rare beasts surrounding it).

Goodwood Festival of Speed car park heroes

And to round things off, regulars to the Goodwood Festival of Speed will know that there is plenty of fun to be had scouring the car park. This year there were some real gems hiding in plain sight. As the below gallery suggests, the CDN team were particularly enamoured with the De Tomaso Pantera in all its wide-tyred glory. That said, the beautiful contrast of a McLaren F1 rubbing shoulders with a Ford Galaxy people carrier seems to capture the spirit of what Goodwood is all about.