The engines have been turned off after another Goodwood Festival of Speed, leaving just a faint fog of tire smoke around the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. Along with the usual smattering of loud, powerful supercar debuts, Lord March opened his driveway to the latest in electric racing tech, drifting champions and stunning classic racers. Read on for a closer look at the pick of the priceless cars on display.
Ode to Ecclestone
As is tradition, the central Festival of Speed installation is designed around one particular theme. In a break from tradition, however, that theme isn't a car manufacturer. Instead, the soaring sculpture focuses on ex-Formula 1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone this year. Designed by Gerry Judah, it consists of five F1 cars chosen to celebrate his time as a racer, manager, team owner, impresario and legend in the sport.
"Coming up with a sculpture for Goodwood is always a challenge," says Judah. "They have to be different, dynamic and dangerous, as motorsport itself. This year is no exception given we are celebrating an individual, a phenomenon, and what better way than producing a firecracker."
Getting drifty with it
This year's Festival of Speed played host to the first ever Goodwood drifting competition. A troupe of Formula Drift stars, including three-time world champion Chris Forsberg, went head-to-head in a thoroughly entertaining (and incredibly smoky) event on the track.
The five competitors were judged on their mid-corner, along with how well they kept their cars sideways up the 1.16 mile (1.86 km) Hillclimb. The public also had a say, voting Mad Mike Whiddett and his quad-rotor MX-5 the first ever Goodwood Festival of Speed Drift Champion.
A seriously powerful Porsche
The Porsche 911 has an extensive back catalogue of powerful, lightweight special editions, but the new GT2 RS makes them all look a bit tame. With 700 hp (522 kW) on offer from its twin-turbocharged flat six engine, the most powerful road-going 911 ever built will hit 60 mph (97 km/h) in 2.7 seconds on the way to a 211 mph (340 km/h) top speed.
Along with the more powerful engine, Porsche has put the GT2 on a serious diet. Titanium has been used for the exhaust, magnesium features in the roof construction and a healthy smattering of carbon fiber parts cut curb weight to just 3,241 lb (1,470 kg) in standard trim, although a Weissach Pack can be added to shave another 40 lb (18.1 kg) from that sticker.
Porsche has reworked the stability control system, presumably because 700 hp is, well, a lot of power to channel through rear wheels. Drivers can turn the stability and traction control completely off, too, and find out if the GT2 RS lives up to the "widowmaker" billing bestowed upon its predecessors.
Lightning quick, stealthy and silent
The Festival of Speed is always littered with stunning classic cars, but that doesn't mean fans don't get to enjoy the latest in racing technology as well. Mahindra sent its Formula E car up the hill this year, cutting through the usual storm of engine noise with its high-pitched electric whine.
Roborace also had a car on display, but the self-driving racer didn't make a run up the hill. Maybe that's something we can expect next year?
This is just a brief taste of the metal on show at Goodwood this year. Take a look through our 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed gallery for some stunning shots of modern supercars, classic F1 cars, hulking four-wheel drives and everything else in between.
More information: Goodwood Festival of Speed
