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Festival of Speed

Design Analysis – 2018 BMW M8 Concept GranCoupe – Goodwood FoS 2018

BMW needs some new halo vehicles at the top of its lineup.  Both to compete with the rockstar AMG GT as well as subdue all the M-car loyalists who despise the i8. The new 8 series serves that purpose nicely. And before it has even arrived — we have a new variant with totally unique styling and details. Oh, and two extra doors.  The M8 GranCoupe concept tries to keep the Mustang-like raciness of the 850’s roofline while squeezing in two seats back there.  Headroom!?  Who cares! How is this different than the current M6 GC, you ask? Scale. This …

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Goodwood 2017 Festival of Speed – Hillclimb Mega Gallery in 200 Photos

Goodwood is as glorious as ever this year! It seems like every supercar that matters is at Lord March’s estate – along with thousands of adoring fans. The clear stars of the show are the glorious Ford GT and the Bugatti Chiron. And of course the Lamborghini Centenario and the Aston Martin Vulcan.   Don’t forget the new Pagani Huayra BC. And clearly the McLaren 720S and world-premiere 570S cabrio are worth seeing in action. Don’t forget the fresh-facelifted Maserati GranTurismo or a back-to-back look at the Panamera’s new choice of sedan or wagon bodystyles.  They’re all represented here! Watching …

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2016 McLaren 650S GT3 SWEEPS Bathhurst Debut! But Race Photos Are 70s Sepia Hell

    Always great to launch an updated racecar with a first-place finish in its debut! That’s the story with the new 650S GT3, which just won the Bathhurst 12 Hour. And not just won: the car destroyed its rivals.  McLaren sums it up well… “650S GT3 claimed the clean sweep over the course of the weekend with pole position, fastest lap, overall race win and a new lap record.” Hard to beat that concise summary of the new 650S GT3’s debut glories.  Almost as hard as it will be for its GT3 rivals.  ONE PROBLEM: McLaren GT’s Over-processed Photos …

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2016 McLaren 650S GT3 – Geneva Prelaunch + Photo Comparo Insights vs. 2015 Racecar

GT3 is the closest thing we have to an authentic battle-of-the-supercars — and demands a great amount of manufacturer attention.  The learnings on track with these cars are some of the quickest tech intros to road cars.  Advancements in aero and drivetrain behaviour on track actually translate directly to a street superstar — without just the lip service most race series pay to this tech transfer. And best of all, it is a two-way street.  Better turbo and cooling settings on the road for the 675LT have fed directly into the updated 2016 racecar from McLaren GT. McLaren below confirms …

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Nissan NC2020 Vision Gran Turismo Debuts New Nose, Color and Wheels

The NC2020 will star at Nissan’s packed exhibit for the Tokyo Auto Show starting in late October — with a few all-new details to captivate showgoers. An all-new satin red finish is the clearest change from the original Goodwood concept in its smokey silver. This shade is called Fire Knight and is a deeper and more sinister shade than the Nissan LMP1 in its GT-R race red. Other tweaks versus the first outing for the NC2020? Dark wheels with a sharper blade look to its five spokes, plus a cleaned-up nose with more sculptural and prominent V-motion grille bar. This …

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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 – DAY TWO Gallery + Action GIFS

Updated 6.28.15 — Now With More Action GIFS! Weekend complete for Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015! A huge swath of OEM, race team and collector passion for the moving motor show icon this year — with stunning cars bellowing skyward as they race up Lord March’s driveway at Goodwood House. And even if you missed it… we have a delicious treat to share!  600 all-new, high-res photos of the latest exotic and sports cars, modern racers, vintage racecars and classic icons. Splitting the photo megaload into three posts so we do not destroy web-manity with a single obese web page. …

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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 – New Cars Mega Gallery in 188 Pics

Day one complete at a glorious and very sunny 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed! A huge swath of OEM, race team and collector passion for the moving motor show icon this year — with stunning cars bellowing skyward as they race up Lord March’s driveway at Goodwood House. And even if you missed it… we have a delicious treat to share!  600 all-new, high-res photos of the latest exotic and sports cars, modern racers, vintage racecars and classic icons. Splitting the photo megaload into three posts so we do not destroy web-manity with a single obese web page. Leading off? …

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Ferrari Bringing FXX-K + 488GTB and More to 2015 Goodwood FOS in New Concours Strategy

Ferrari is the most-collectible car brand of all time. Vehicles from the company’s storied past have owned the top-ten vehicle value charts for at least the last 20 years — with that dominance set to continue indefinitely. Especially considering the brilliance of the current range! As the dominant force in supercars, racing and exotics — Ferrari can be choosy about the events it attends officially, and the coolness of the cars they bring along to show. Case in point? The FXX K has not been seen again in public since its debut at Yas Marina the other month. The F12 …

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2014 McLaren 650S GT3 Scores Podium Finish in Gulf 12-Hour Season Closer

  The McLaren 650S GT3 wrapped up its first season with a competitive 3rd place at the Gulf 12-hour race this weekend at Yas Marina.   2014 McLaren 650S GT3     Exciting race-car news from McLaren GT today! It looks like the P1 GTR will not be the only Macca out on the world’s sportscar racetracks next year!   The 650S GT3 upgrade has just been revealed by McLaren GT today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Official Details below from McLaren GT.       McLAREN GT SIGNS OFF THE 650S GT3 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME WITH A PODIUM FINISH AT …

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2014 Alfieri Maserati Underwhelms In Person With Bloated Surfaces and Mildewing Cabin

  Updated 10.11.14 Forgot we have photos of the Alfieri Maserati from the Pebble Beach concepts lawn! The car is not that great in real life. Its nose is by far the best feature. Overall, it looks too stubby and odd around the mid-section, where its wheelbase appears too short to balance its giant bulging real end. Another oddity? The jackasses who were minding the car would not shut its doors and windows. When asked for third time, he slowly dipped down the back glass but wouldn’t latch it for photos. I mean, seriously? I thought he was just a …

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SRT Viper vs. Maserati Alfieri – Friends… Or Family? Overlay Transparency Analysis

SRT Viper vs. Maserati Alfieri – Friends… Or Family? Overlay Transparency Analysis A possible Alfieri-Viper connection has been nagging me since the similarities first appeared about a week after the Alfieri debuted in Geneva. Why did (and does) it seem so close to the Viper, without sharing almost anything recognizable — anywhere? Something about the overdrawn features and super-curved surfaces just strikes me as very similar between the two. But am I just speculating wildly (again)? Besides that, the rear ends seem quite familiar – with similar venting below each lamp and even a similar hatchback glass liftgate. But every …

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Goodwood 2014 Galleries – Toyota TS040 Hybrid, 87C, Celica Gt-Four ST205 and Hilux Overdrive Racing

A few super obvious observations about the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014: — It is pretty grey and gloomy in all the photos – UK really is a bit rainy all the time, huh? — there is a dirt course as well as the paved run, which would be fun for seeing rally cars — or even better, driving them — While these Toyota pics do not really show this point clearly, in many of the others I wondered: Where are all the people? Totally empty grandstands. Must have been early morning? Unknown. — I want to go to there. …

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Update1 – Nissan NC2020 Vision Gran Turismo Makes Real-Life Debut at Goodwood FoS

I stand corrected!  Below are 20 high-res photos from Nissan at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. They are tagged “Goodwood’s Got Game” – and I am inclined to agree =]   Many of the cars that debuted at Goodwood are strangely unavailable from the manufacturers’ websites – as though a digital launch is enough and everyone can just keep selling Jukes when the NC2020 is around! Luckily for NC2020 or NSX fans, Facebook is a constantly-updating entity. Here are 71 new photos of the NC2020 via Gran Turismo.com and Nissan UK’s facebook page. They are not great quality, but there …

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2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante In the Flesh! ThisClose To Test Drive, But…

Thinking and writing about Aston Martin makes me kick myself in the tits again today for missing a chance to drive the 2014 Vanquish Volante last month at Road America. Alas, it was late in the day and the Vanquish had been very occupied by the 100 other journalists on hand. There was only one test drive left, and another hack got his paws on it first. Maybe next year…. Is what I have been saying since I saw my first DB7 at a resort in Michigan in 1995. I will get behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. Not …

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Aston Martin Zings Up Goodwood Hill (to its AMG Future) in Vantage S, Rapide S and Vanquish

Aston Martin is on firm footing for the first time in over a decade: with the Mercedes-Benz AMG partnership signed and sealed, the company is poised for an exciting next chapter. We are thrilled to see the resulting sportscars – they will bring the best of both worlds to Aston showrooms very soon indeed. It is a mutually-beneficial gig all around – this is no charity write-off for Mercedes-Benz. First and foremost, it will allow Daimler to increase its average transaction price overnight – which is a somewhat silly metric for success that is nonetheless highly considered by the influential …

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MASERATI Goes All-In At 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed with Alfieri, MC12 and A6GCS Berlinetta

The big guns were out in force from Maserati in England this weekend! Compared with the Trident – who has been visiting Goodwood since the track was on the official world racing calendar – all other OEMs might rightly be called ‘johnny-come-lately’s. The MC12 is wearing a special Centennial paintjob in dark grey with airbrushed heroes past in the paintwork, while the ever-popular A6GCS captures the collective mood of 2014 very, very well indeed. MASERATI HIGHLIGHTS AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2014 30/06/14 Maserati Alfieri Concept takes centre stage in the Stable Yard for Maserati’s centenary Maserati A6GCS named ‘best …

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Mercedes-Benz 2014 Goodwood Sculpture Is Huge But Not As Cool As The Floored Racecars!

Every year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed has a lead automaker sponsor – the brand pays extra for the best show space, the right to brand the entryways, and numerous other places to be top-of-mind with showgoers. 2014 is Mercedes-Benz – and the MB UK team is bringing an awesome fleet of cars to race up the hill. The statue over the Goodwood House is pretty intense due to its sheer scale, but is pretty boring overall – a tired concept, in my eyes. Giant twin arcs of white-painted steel meet in the middle with two Mercedes-Benz racecars perched atop the …

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2014 Mercedes-Benz E400 BlueTec Hybrid – Gibraltar to Goodwood… In One Tank of Diesel?

Is EU Immigration reform debate stymied by classy and comfortable luxury cars!? It seems the E-Class Mercedes-Benz is as good as any passport for slipping from Africa up to the UK on just one tank of fuel… Of course, the Diesel-electric energy solution has long been the preferred method for locomotives – but thought too expensive for cars until Mercedes-Benz and a few French OEMs built them both into one car. It seems to be the best of all worlds – except for Mr. Frnakel’s bladder! 2014 Mercedes-Benz E400 BlueTec Hybrid Official Details below from Mercedes-Benz UK. 1,223-MILES: E-CLASS TRAVELS …

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McLaren 650S GT3 Revealed Ahead of 2015 Race Season – Upgraded Aero = Flypaper Grip

    Exciting race-car news from McLaren GT today! It looks like the P1 GTR will not be the only Macca out on the world’s sportscar racetracks next year!   The 650S GT3 upgrade has just been revealed by McLaren GT today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Official Details below from McLaren GT.       McLAREN GT UNVEILS LATEST GENERATION 650S GT3 AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2014 27/06/14 GT3 evolution featuring enhanced safety and optimised handling CFD developed aerodynamic package with improved cooling Limited production run to premiere on the grid for the 2015 season Upgrade kit available …

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Updated With 12 New Photos – 2015 Ford Focus ST to Make Dynamic Debut at Goodwood FoS

  Newsbrief from Ford today announcing the 2015 Ford Focus ST! This hot hatch is highly anticipated and the first glimpse of the new model will be Friday June 27th at the Goodwood Festival of Speed — when the ST will head up the hill in a real-time race versus players driving the 2015 ST in Gran Turismo 6. Pretty cool! UPDATE- The latest Focus ST photos show an evolutionary design outside, with subtle tweaks like a thinner grille and even a thinner ST badge lettering putting the emphasis on refined and lightweight dynamics. Inside, the 2015 ST shows a …

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2015 Ford Focus ST to Debut at Goodwood This Friday! Exclusive LED DRL + Headlights Rendering

  Newsbrief from Ford today announcing the 2015 Ford Focus ST! This hot hatch is highly anticipated and the first glimpse of the new model will be Friday June 27th at the Goodwood Festival of Speed — when the ST will head up the hill in a real-time race versus players driving the 2015 ST in Gran Turismo 6. Pretty cool! The latest Focus ST has similar LED headlight accents as the regular Focus, and they are illuminated here in an exclusive rendering. 2015 Ford Focus ST LED Jun 23, 2014 | GOODWOOD, U.K. New Ford Focus ST Global Reveal …

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2014 Range Rover Sport Stealth Pack Brings Black 21s or 22-inch Wheels

This new addition to the Range Rover Sport is very welcome to keep it as stylish as its Cayenne arch-rival. The just-announced Stealth Pack includes satin-black wheels in two sizes for a premium of about $2,000 for the 21’s and up to $3,500 for the 22-inch wheel upgrade. Pricing is not yet official for the US market, but its arrival later this summer year is almost guaranteed based on the huge RRS demand this market provides Land Rover. 2014 Range Rover Sport Stealth Pack RANGE ROVER SPORT STEALTH PACK MAKES ITS GLOBAL DEBUT AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED Range Rover …

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2015 Acura NSX Set for Goodwood Debut — REAL Pre-Production Model — Plus! Dream Colorizer — 150 Shades of Hybrid Supercar

The NSX Concept is still making the rounds in near-production form — but there is big news on near-term horizon. Our prediction? The New NSX will debut in production form this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England in late June of this year. While the debut is only confirmed so far as the “prototype,” we have reason to believe this prototype is actually the real pre-production car. Why is this our prediction? Some inside info or a hot tip? I wish. No — we are working on a hunch. Informed by just historical data, careful analysis of the wording …

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