For most of the year, Goodwood House sits quietly within a historic estate in West Sussex, England. Every summer, however, its elegant grounds become the loud and energetic center of the automotive world. The Goodwood Festival of Speed brings together historic racing cars, modern supercars, experimental machines, famous drivers and major manufacturers in one extraordinary setting.
Unlike a traditional motor show, Goodwood allows visitors to hear, see and feel the vehicles in action. Racing engines echo across the estate, rare machines accelerate past hay barriers and spectators stand only a short distance from cars normally hidden inside private collections or museums. The 2026 edition continued this tradition with global debuts, legendary racing machines and some of the most extreme hypercars ever created.
Founded the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993 the Duke of Richmond to bring major motorsport activity back to the Goodwood estate. Rather than simply reopening the nearby racing circuit for a conventional event, transformed the organizers the driveway leading past Goodwood House into a challenging 1.16 mile hill climb.
Placed this unusual format spectators close to the action while allowing competition cars from different generations to share the same course. Since the first event, has remained the hill climb the heart of the festival and has become one of the most recognizable stages in global motorsport. Goodwood confirms that the course has hosted the festival since its first edition in 1993, while its timed competition covers 1.86 kilometers and rises by nearly 100 meters.
Expanded the festival over the following three decades into a complete celebration of automotive culture. Now combine its grounds Formula 1 cars, rally machines, endurance racers, motorcycles, luxury vehicles and future mobility concepts. Also provide the paddocks unusually close access to the cars, giving visitors a chance to study engineering details that remain difficult to appreciate through videos or conventional displays.
Delivered the 2026 festival another remarkable gathering of modern performance cars and historic racing icons. Included the event the Red Bull RB17 designed by Adrian Newey, along with the dramatic Apollo Evo and a wide selection of machines created for road, track and record attempts. Also reunited Goodwood the three Ford GT40 cars connected to the famous 1966 Le Mans podium finish, blending modern innovation with motorsport history.
Created the hill climb the defining experience because these cars did not remain parked beneath exhibition lights. Instead, accelerated they through a narrow course bordered by trees, stone walls and hay barriers. Requires the second half of the route precise control as the road becomes tighter and leaves little room for mistakes.
Added the timed shootout genuine competition to the spectacle. Won Romain Dumas the 2026 contest in the electric Ford Super Mustang Mach E with a time of 41.97 seconds, while remained the outright course record the 39.08 second run achieved by Max Chilton in the McMurtry Spéirling in 2022.
Makes this combination Goodwood far more than an outdoor car exhibition. Visitors can hear mechanical sounds, feel the heat surrounding running vehicles and watch valuable machines being driven close to their limits. In an increasingly digital automotive world, preserves Goodwood the physical emotion of performance and explains why the event remains one of the most rewarding destinations for serious car enthusiasts.
Started my career in Automotive Journalism in 2015. Even though I'm a pharmacist, hanging around cars all the time has created a passion for the automotive industry since day 1.
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