In case you missed it: Every new car at the 2025 Festival of Speed

Supercars

Where better to start than with the McLaren W1, which cast an imposing presence on the marque’s stand. McLaren's generational hypercar follows in the sticky tyre tracks of the P1 and F1, and is powered by a 1,275PS (938kW) V8 to match the heart and soul of Ferrari, while ground effect is bound to give this thing a huge amount of downforce.

Ferrari was on hand with its direct competitor, the new F80 hypercar, alongside the new track-ready 296 Speciale and the Amalfi, which fills the space left by the Roma.

The Ferrari 12Cilindri was launched last year but that didn’t lessen the impact of its appearance. While everyone else turns to turbos, Ferrari is stoically committed to building naturally aspirated V12s with razor-sharp reactions and an ear-splitting 9,500rpm redline. 

The Aston Martin DB12 is exactly the kind of long-nosed GT the 12Cilindri needs to beat and the Volante drop-top version launched at FOS does 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and drops its roof in 14 seconds. Not quick enough? Then you need the Vanquish Volante, a 835PS (614kW) convertible that makes the Earth's gravitational pull seem timid. 

Even the Volante struggled to get noticed parked next to Aston’s latest offering — the Valhalla. The company’s mid-engined machine has the tools to hit Italian supercars where it hurts with 1,079PS (794kW), a 217mph top speed and downforce of more than 600kg. 

Replacing the Lamborghini Huracán, the Temerario drops its famous V10 for a hybridised V8, slapping out a stunning 920PS (676kW) that shockingly is nearly double the power of a Ferrari F40.  

Maserati, meanwhile, brought along its most powerful road car, the GT2 Stradale and the track-only MCXtrema. The Grancabrio — the soft-top version of the Granturismo coupé with a 496PS (364kW) twin-turbocharged V6 — also took to the Hill. Chevrolet, meanwhile, was on hand with a Granturismo alternative, the hybrid E-Ray Corvette, which has a five-mile electric range and a 180mph top speed.

The Koenigsegg Sadair’s Spear makes its concessions to environmentalism by running on E85 fuel, which produces fewer greenhouse gasses than petrol yet allows the Swedish supercar to crank out 1,625PS (1195kW). Unsurprisingly, it set the production-car record at this year’s FOS.

Lotus’ Emira Turbo SE flipped the supercar, prioritising handling finesse over big power. Having said that, in four-cylinder guise (there’s also a V6) power is upped from 380 to 400PS (292kW) in this new SE model.

Those established brands were joined at Goodwood by the likes of Lanzante, Praga, and Zenvo, who each had brand new machinery to share for the first time.

Built to celebrate the company's hand in McLaren’s Le Mans 24 Hours win in 1995, the Lanzante 95-59 was designed by Paul Howse, the man responsible for the McLaren P1. It features three seats, sits on a McLaren chassis, and uses the company's twin-turbocharged V8 to deliver a power-to-weight ratio of 700PS (515kW) per tonne. We like.

The Praga Bohema, meanwhile, is a Czech-built carbon-fibre supercar with an engine taken from the giant-slaying Nissan GT-R, while the Zenvo Aurora claims to prioritise passion over power — quite a statement given its MAHLE-engineered quad-turbo 6.6-litre V12 produces a staggering 1,850PS (1,360kW). 

Then we have the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, which may look just a practical four-door saloon, but in ‘Ultra’ form this is a 1,548PS (1,138kW) EV that's laid down a 7:04.957 Nürburgring lap record.

All of that makes the MG Cyberster seem a trifle tame, even though it can get from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds. Despite its supercar performance, MG's electric roadster is more of a GT, and the Black edition features (you guessed it) a black-on-black finish.

Coupés

Manufacturers have relit our fire for practical two-doors, starting with the BMW M2 CS, which is more ‘petrol on a naked flame’ than spark. The CS is the extremist version of BMW’s junior M car with lightweight carbon fibre body parts and 530PS (390kW), it stormed up the Hill accelerating from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds.

There’s a distinct twang of BMW to the Bovensiepen Zagato, unsurprising because it’s essentially a BMW M4 in a Zagato tailored suit. The car honours the Bovensiepen family which founded Alpina, a company famed for building fast-road executive expressways based on BMWs before it was bought up by the Bavarian mothership.  

The Honda Prelude nametag comes from a time when coupés were the cars to be seen in. The E:HEV is of its time, swapping a high-revving VTEC engine for a 2.0-litre hybrid with two electric motors and a single-speed gearbox that mimics manual changes. 

SUVs

We love a Defender, and the Defender Trophy Edition that made its dynamic debut at the Festival of Speed is one that represents a sea change for the rugged nametag, thanks to a 643PS (472kW) V8 and Paris Dakar-grade suspension that make this one Land Rover that pummels the landscape into submission rather than methodically dissecting it. 

Also revealed at Goodwood, the Range Rover SV Black offers the same ruggedness as the Defender, but with significantly more luxury, packaged in a black-on-black finish. 

Aston Martin’s been in the SUV game for some time now and it used this year’s Festival for the dynamic launch of the fastest version yet of the DBX— the Aston Martin DBX S. Its 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V12 pumps out a mighty 727PS (535kW) and 900Nm (664lb ft) of torque for 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds and a stonking 193mph top speed. 

If you want a Defender but can’t quite swallow the price tag (you’ll need more than £60,000 for a basic three-door) then China has the answer; it’s called the Denza B5. And it’s a serious bit of kit, with a hybrid engine producing 677PS (497kW) and capable of more than 50 miles of pure electric running.

The Jaecoo 5, meanwhile, also represents the new breed of SUVs with a focus on road manners and a price that smashes the established competition. It’s petrol powered for now, but a pure electric version is on the way. The Chery Tiggo 8 meanwhile fits a similar mould, itself a seven-seater plug-in hybrid with an electric range of 56 miles

Finally, there's the MG IM6, an SUV that boasts high-speed charging at speeds of up to 400kW, a range of 330 miles, and acceleration as quick as 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds. However, to achieve those charging speeds, you'd need the firm's semi-solid-state battery, which has yet to be made available in the UK.

Hot hatches

The first electric hot hatches have started to appear over the past year, and Mini introduced another as the John Cooper Works Electric took to the Hill. With 259PS (190kW) and 0-62mph taking 5.9 seconds, the new-generation John Cooper Works has off-the-line performance its petrol-powered brethren could only dream of. The John Cooper Works Aceman, Mini’s electric SUV, shares exactly the same powertrain. 

We’re more used to seeing the ‘Rallye’ badge on Peugeots, but that doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the Alpine A290 Rallye. For now it’s a competition car, with white alloy wheels, competition suspension, a roll cage, LSD and a hydraulic handbrake, but wouldn’t rule out seeing a road-going spin off in the future. 

A lingering appetite for petrol was quenched by the Toyota GR Yaris Aero Performance. It distils the flavour of the standard car with an aero package that we're sure strikes a balance between looks and performance, but it’s the rally car-style upright handbrake that makes us really want to drive one.

The Honda Civic Type R is the hot hatch you want for track work and the Ultimate Edition is its swansong. Draped in carbon fibre, only 40 will be built as the Type R goes off sale in the UK due to tightening emissions regulations. 

Sensible stuff

It is always worth engaging in a period of grounded realism, however, and there were plenty of cars to suit on show at the 2025 Festival of Speed, too. With 811PS (596kW) Audi’s revised E-Tron GT isn’t everyone’s idea of ‘sensible’, but with five seats and a big boot, this is a supercar-baiting EV you can use every day. 

Following the lead of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the Ioniq 6 N streamliner, which has the same powertrain but promises to be even better to drive with a lower centre of gravity and a wider track.  

The Denza D9 is indisputably sensible. This electric van-based people carrier boasts a spacious interior, plush captain's chair seating, and a range of over 320 miles. The Denza Z9 GT, meanwhile, boats a sleek shooting brake body with estate-car-like interior space. Its prize party piece is its ‘Compass U-Turn’ feature that uses torque vectoring to swing the car’s tail out of parallel parking space like it has castors for rear wheels. 

Honda used Goodwood to give us a sneak preview of the spiritual replacement of the e EV — the five-door Super EV Concept. Expect it to go significantly further than the sub-100 miles the old car managed from a charge. 

Rounding off our coverage is the MG IM5. Based on the IM6, this car takes on more Tesla Model 3-like proportions with a sleek, aerodynamic body and a battery range of more than 440 miles. Excellent, considering it’s targeting a starting price of less than £40,000.

Photography by Joe Harding, Rob Cooper, Jordan Butters, Toby Whales and Eimear Hyland.