The Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard in addition to being a hub for the world’s greatest racing cars and drivers from throughout history, is a place for new cars to strut their stuff. It’s where some of the world’s greatest road cars are seen by the public for the first time. The 2021 Festival will be no exception. These are the car debuts not to miss at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
From a forward-thinking EV, to one of the most exciting petrol-powered cars of this year. The Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA and GTAm will get their UK debuts at the Festival this year, with both taking runs at the 1.16-mile Hill. These cars will be all noise, wings and we expect some tyre smoke.
The conclusion of the production of the last BMW 2 Series was met with great trepidation from enthusiasts. Would there be another small, rear-driven BMW of its like ever again? We can answer that as a definitive ‘yes’ now that the new one is poised to debut at the 2021 Festival. Expect everything you loved about the old 2: sporty styling, small coupe dimensions, rear drive and a straight-six. BMW’s core values live on in the new 2.
It wouldn’t be a Festival of Speed without some fabulous Ferraris strutting their stuff on the Hill and 2021, in spite of everything, will be no exception. In addition to its latest greatest sportscars, the Roma and Portofino M, and its supercars, the F8 Tributo and 812 GTS, the current flagships will all be on hand for a big show. Yes, the SF90 Stradale and its drop-top Spider sibling will be making runs up the Hill. That’s in addition to the incredible Monza limited-series car and of course, a number of spectacular racing cars from the present and past of the Scuderia. Forza Ferrari!
Genesis as a newcomer have been very clever. It’ll be at the 2021 Festival of Speed for the first time ever just as it’s now in Europe for the first time ever. How is it introducing itself? With exactly the thing it knows we’ll love. The simply delightful G70 Shooting Brake. Yes, it’s a Europe-exclusive sloped-back estate from this on-the-ups Korean brand. Come on in...
Another key debut at the Festival will be the Hyundai Ioniq 5, what has to be one of the coolest EVs we’ve yet seen. With a strong presence at Goodwood, Ioniqs will be both on the Hill and featuring in our Electric Avenue display.
The Kia EV6, the marque’s first ground-up EV, will be at the Festival, marking the first time the Korean brand has made the trip to Goodwood. Alongside the EV6, Kia UK’s skunkworks Stinger GT420 one-off will also be storming up the Hill.
Would it be a fully-fledged Festival line-up these days without a jaw-dropping restomod? First there came Eagle, Singer, and Automobili Amos. Now, meet Kimera and the stunning Evo37. Yes, it’s a restomod Lancia 037, as if anything more perfect could exist. Of course, photoshop is wonderful but the proof is in the metal. Well, the Evo37 will be at the 2021 Festival of Speed making noise.
An unlikely machine to find on the Hill but one that’s often featured nonetheless, the Land Rover Defender. This time, it’s the all new model, with the addition of that old gargling supercharged V8 engine. It’ll be getting its UK debut right here at the Festival of Speed, just as the old limited Defender V8 did and indeed the prototype of the new one.
Lastly but quite obviously not least, the Lotus Emira. As the central marque at the Festival this year, the Lotus Emira might just be the most important debut this year. An all-new Lotus, the last petrol-powered Lotus, its significance can’t be overstated. If you’re coming along this year, you’ll be able to see it up close…
Maserati’s return to the supercar stage is getting rave reviews each time someone tries it. Now, the MC20 and its clever new Nettuno V6 engine will be making its UK debut at the 2021 Festival. Is this the most exciting supercar of the moment? It’s certainly one of the prettiest and based on early impressions, one of the best to drive.
One of the quirkiest road car debuts at the Festival of Speed will be the Mini Electric Pacesetter. This crazy-looking little car struts its stuff like a JCW GP hyper hatch but underneath is the powertrain of the Mini Electric. This special build has the honour of being the Safety Car in Formula E. At Goodwood, Charlie Cooper, grandson of John Cooper, will be driving.
Okay, so it’s not exactly a production car, but the Precept is Polestar’s pre-pandemic promise of a Taycan-sized luxury EV that it’s not letting us forget. That’s because Polestar fully intend to see the Precept make production. Its appearance at the 2021 Festival of Speed will be our first chance to see its swish Scandinavian haunches up close.
It took them near-on 20 years but they’ve finally done it. Porsche has stuck a GT badge on the back of a Cayenne. Don’t worry, though, it’s a serious bit of kit. The Cayenne Turbo GT has rear-wheel-steering, more power than any Lamborghini Huracan, a sloping coupe roofline and enhanced active aero. It’s a bit of a weapon, and a Nürburgring lap record-holder and Porsche has every intention of showing you exactly how at Goodwood when this thing clobbers the Hill.
You might think Rolls-Royce a curious company to be celebrating anything to do with speed. On the contrary, there’s precedent for the marque in pushing the envelope. The Dawn and Wraith Black Badge Landspeed collection celebrate Captain George Eyston’s record-breaking runs on the Benneville Salt Flats in the Rolls-Royce aero engine-powered Thunderbolt land speed car.
All eyes may be on the SCG 007 and its Le Mans Hypercar mission but the 004S is still a spectacular retro-influenced supercar and racing car. Now fully tested and ready to go racing, the road car needs to strut its stuff too. Well, that’s where the 2021 Festival of Speed comes in…
One of the most fantastic little sportscars to get its debut will be the Toyota GR 86. It follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the GT86, which also got its debut at the Festival, back in 2012. Now back with more torque, more power and an enlarged 2.4-litre flat-four, the GR 86 is poised to hit the ground running right where the GT86 left off.
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