2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed report

But cars didn’t have to be quite in that bracket to be desirable and quick. The new Aston DB11 made its Goodwood debut, the new Jaguar F-type SVX put its manufacturer back in the 200mph club (which it left when the XJ220 finished production) and there several potent V8 coupes from Lexus on show, plus BMW’s stripped-out M4 GTS (with 493bhp to play with). The Honda NSX was there, along the McLaren 570 Sprint, and even those didn’t end it.

Want to go cheaper still? FoS had the quickest Golf GTi in the breed’s 40-year history, the Clubsport S, Maserati’s Levante, the SUV in which they’re investing huge hope, then new “affordable” Tesla Model X, and even a 108bhp Renault Twingo GT, though including such a car in a “Festival of Speed” seemed to be stretching the friendship.

Of course, the F1 stars and their cars were on hand in force, headed by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who at one stage told hacks that he’d like to be involved in the development of a car like the Mercedes-AMG GT R (also new to Goodwood). Most of the performing GP cars were a few years old — the “real” ones will be in Austria next weekend — but one off special interest was the Ross Brawn’s own championship-winning Brawn BGP 001, specially restored to its race guise for this appearance and very well driven by Martin Brundle.

There were incidents. The rally track at the top of the course saw some spectacular driving. The rally raid drivers, traditionally warned not to too much “gardening” on Lord March’s verges, proceeded to chamfer them anyway. Ford Le Mans ace Marino Franchitti, required to drive in streaming rain, briefly took to the grass in his Le Mans Ford GT and stunt driver Terry Grant blotted his copybook by two-wheeling a Jaguar F-pace right onto its side.

As always, Goodwood mixed the new with the familiar. This, Lord March would tell you, is the secret. In 2016 he mixed the elements in just the right proportions for an audience, many shocked by the EU referendum result, who at times talked more more politics than cars. But Goodwood provided the reassurance it always does. Whatever happens to our country, it will be back next June, doubtless better than ever.

Watch a replay of the final day below:

2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed - blog

SUNDAY

17.55 And with that our coverage of the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed draws to a close. This year's event was undoubtedly one of the best ever. Scroll down to catch up with what we got up to at Goodwood, and look through our gallery above to see what hot metal was involved in the action.

17.20 And the results for the Supercar Shootout are in after another exciting session. Fastest is Olly Clark in the mad-looking Subaru Impreza 'Gobstopper II' which posts a 46.29sec run, beating Kenny Brack in the McLaren P1 LM and his time of 47.07sec. Amazing pace from both cars, and the rest of the runners for that matter.

16.55 It's not been a positive day for all runners. Another crashed car is carried back to the paddock. This one's the Chevrolet Cruze of British Touring Car Championship runner (and Emmerdale actor) Kelvin Fletcher.

16.10 Matt Prior reveals that the Aston Martin Vulcan is this year's Michelin Showstopper award winner. Social media and a 'cheerometer' (or something) created the shortlist of six cars. A group of esteemed judges - plus some motoring journalists, including Prior - then voted for a winner.

Shortlisted were the Aston Martin Vulcan, the Koenigsegg One:1,  the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, the Noble M600 Speedster, the Mercedes-AMG GT-R, and the Ferrari 458 MM Speciale.

Three of the cars nabbed two votes each from the judges: the Aston, the Ferrari and the Koenigsegg. Which meant that, fittingly given this week's political shenanigans, the deciding vote went to the public. Pretty uncontroversial, though: the Aston Martin  Vulcan won, which left Aston CEO Andy Palmer 'very proud' of the tireless work of the team who put the £1.8m, track-only limited run hypercar together.

15.25 Plenty of Honda NSX love at Goodwood this year with the arrival of the new production car. Along with the two old NSXs running up the hill all weekend, a few have been spotted in the car parks, including this nice yellow example.

15.15 Fans of bikes might like this one: a drag racer with a 5.8-litre V8 Chevrolet engine, reached 174mph in a quarter mile sprint 50 years ago.

In the picture below you can see Clyde Henley (the bearded chap), the bike's owner and the man responsible for its restoration. Originally raced by legendary rider E. J Potter to three world record drag racing runs. The bike was so mad and dangerous it was quickly nicknamed the widow maker.

14.45 Another great Claire Evans car park spot: a Cobra-theme Ford Mustang. Got to be the meanest looking car at the show, no?

14.30 Claire Evans has now spotted these two lovely looking Alfa Romeos, a 1971 Tipo 33/3 Le Mans car and 1970 1750 GTAm. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

14.20 Matt Prior is looking over a Koenigsegg One:1 as part of his judging duties on the Live Stage. With its 1341bhp drivetrain its surely got to be one of the favourites.

14.10 Claire Evans has stumbled across this a Mercedes 280 E rally car that came second in the 1977 London-Sydney rally. Evans explains it was the first time Mercedes had contested in rallying for some time and it proved to be well worth it because it gained a double victory. Aside from chunky sand plates instead of bumpers and a roll cage inside the cars were close to production models.

The rally lasted six and a half weeks, demonstrating the impressive durability of 1970s Mercs.

14.05 Autocar's Matt Prior is now joining a group of judges including touring car racing legend Tim Harvey on the Live Stage, where 12 shortlisted cars from the Supercar Paddock will be judged and a favourite picked. There's a cheerometer for extra points so if you're at the show and want to take part, head over now. 

13.55 Plenty to see away from the hill climb at Goodwood, including a wide selection of supercars in the festival's car parks. This Porsche Carrera GT has been grabbing the attention of passers by for some time now. We have fond memories of the wonderful sounding 5.7-litre V10 that's nestled in the back.

13.45 Mark Higgins's record breaking Subaru WRX STI was just on the hill demonstrating its astonishing pace and agility. The car recently averaged more than 128mph on the Isle of Man TT's daunting course, fair to say the speeds were a little lower here.

13.35 Matt Burt says Bugatti test driver Andy Wallace is confident he could coax more speed out of the £1.9m Chiron up the Goodwood hill, but he’s mindful of the fact that “the course gets very narrow towards the top and I don’t want to damage the car. This is a French company, and there’s a guillotine around the back of the show stand just in case I need any further motivation to not damage it”. Burt thinks he was joking…

13.25 The last group to go up the Goodwood hill was made up of classic F1 and sports cars, including this gorgeous 1966 US GP winning Lotus 43. The clock was running for many of these cars, although it looked like most drivers are keeping things well within limits. No surprise given the seven-figure value of several of these cars...

13.00 Talking of mighty fine, two Ferrari XX cars - an FXX Evo (below) and 599XX - have been real crowd pleasers. With two V12 engines producing more than 1500bhp between them, there's been no shortage of burnouts and flame spitting.

12.55

We mentioned the special edition McLaren P1 GTR that has been decked out in the colours of 1976 Formula 1 world champion James Hunt's helmet earlier. Our snappers have caught up with it returning to the paddock, and doesn't it look mighty fine?

12.45

Still blue skies at Goodwood (well, mostly) and as well as the benefit for all the fans trackside, it also raises the prospect of the hill course being cleaned up ahead of some dry runs in this evening's Supercar Shootout runs, although the drivers coming up the hill right now are still complaining that the road surface is very muddy. What will be fastest? Yesterday it was the Porsche 911 Turbo S driven by Paul Rees followed by the Nissan GT-R driven by factory race car driver Jann Mardenborough and McLaren 570S Sprint driven by Ciaran Haggerty. get those stop watches ready...

12.30

Matt Burt again: "Another highlight of the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ lawn is a magnificent collection of old Lancias. However, admiring them is tinged with a touch of sadness at how far the famous Italian marque has declined in modern times. Can’t imagine a Ypsilon having this much presence after 60 years."

12.20

We've not spent a lot of time talking about the rally stage that sits at the top of the hill climb course, but as ever the drivers have been having a lot of fun and - of course - they are entirely undeterred by the rain or mud. To give you a taste of the action, enjoy th ephoto of Steve Perez in action.

12.05

More from Matt Burt, who somehow found time to take in some of the static displays inbetween watching the track action and interviewing CEOs. "One of the things I most enjoy  about Goodwood is stumbling across a curious car you’ve never seen or heard of," he writes. "This Meyrignac caught my eye on the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe’ lawn. Made in France by an enthusiast named Denis Meyrignac in 1977, it is based upon the Alpine A110 1600S Berlinette underpinnings. I can’t imagine a scenario where the forthcoming Alpine will inspire such bespoke creations…"

11.53

Enjoying the live video above, watching the F1 machinery? It's hard to pick a favourite, but the sight and sound of the championship-winning Brawn BGP 001, being driven by Martin Brundle is high on our list.

11.45

That last point from Matt has prompted us to add a picture of the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Avio to our gallery. We've got a lovely (and growing) selection of shots from our photographers Stan Papior and Luc Lacey from the weekend, and you can see them in all their beauty by clicking on the lead gallery image and scrolling through.

11.40

Matt Burt had a busy day yesterday, and is ruminating on some of the highlights. "I sat down for a chat with new Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali yesterday. Having seen him on television every other weekend in the days when he was running Ferrari’s Formula 1 team, I always though he seemed like a likeable chap and that was borne out during our chat at Goodwood. He’s aware he’s moved to the Sant’Agata sports car company at a pivotal moment in its history and is relishing the challenge ahead. Look out for a full interview on autocar.co.uk soon."

11.30

Deputy editor Mark Tisshaw has been busy this morning, getting behind the wheel of Honda UK's recently rebuilt original NSX. After a run up the hill, he's also been checking out the difference between the car he drove and its successor, due to launch in the UK imminently. We'll look forward to his thoughts later.

11.20

None of the F1 drivers have as much power as anyone lucky enough to get behind the wheel of a Bugatti Chiron, of course. That chance will come for us later in the year, but for now editor Matt Burt has done the next best thing. "I can just about imagine how excited Lord March was about his run up his own driveway in the jaw-dropping new Bugatti Chiron," he reports. "Yesterday, as Bugatti boss Wolfgang Dürheimer and Le Mans legend Andy Wallace showed me around the car I was invited to sit in the driver’s seat and start the engine. On fire up the 16-cylinder power plant sounds dauntingly visceral but Wallace reassures me it is actually easy to drive. Almost as good as the noise is the view from the driver’s seat, with the dashboard dominated by the large central speedo bearing three-digit numbers that you don’t normally see on speedos in lesser cars."

11.15

And as those F1 cars fire up, let's take you back a few years to when Autocar got to drive the Honda F1 car. Our collective heart rate has just about returned to stable...

11.10

While we wait for the Mercedes Formula 1 team to fire up its engine for Nico Rosberg, let's stick with the supercar run for a moment. Lotus is back in profit and buzzing again as it launches a string of new and revised products. At the heart of them all is the new 450bhp 3-Eleven which we've just seen. Want to know more: click here.

11.02

As the supercar run continues, let's pick an unexpected highlight - the Bristol Project Pinnacle, which we expect to see in undisguised form this September. It's wonderful news to know the marque is still fighting, and you can read what we know about the car here.

10.45

Apologies for the short break while we added a few new pictures to our gallery. We're back just in time for the day's first supercar run to kick-off, always a highlight for Autocar readers. The aforementioned Bugatti Chiron has kicked things off, but we've spent a lot of time writing about that this weekend, so let's take a moment to get excited about the rally-inspired Alpine Celebration concept that's running up the hill. It's one of two Alpine concept cars at Goodwood that will spawn the roadgoing version later this year, ahead of sales in 2017. The other concept - which looks closer to the mooted production car - is pictured below. The firm's quietly confident about elbowing its way into the sportscar market and reckons its philosophy of compact dimensions, light weight and just enough power should give it room to compete for customers alongside the likes of Porsche. We're quietly excited, too.

10.20

A tribute to James Hunt - a feature on all days of this week's Festival - is running now, featuring some of the 1976 world champion's finest race and road cars. McLaren has really entered into the spirit of the occasion, preparing a P1 GTR in a livery celebrating Hunt's helmets colours. Read more about it here.

10.00

The track action is just getting back underway now, led by the Bugatti Chiron. You can read more about it here, while pondering the mind-blowing fact that regular driver (and former Le Mans winner) Andy Wallace was pulling more than 200kph in it on the hill climb route yesterday. Lord March is in the car and behind the wheel for this special run, though - the lucky man - but we suspect he may not see 200kph on his first run in the car.

09.50

Ahead of the 2016 Festival of Speed our video team was in action, trying to nominate the best car this year's featured marque BMW hads ever built. Fun? You bet? Controversial? We suspect so. Click the play button below to start the discussion...

09.45

If you're watching the live feed above, can we take a moment to distract you? The Autocar team has been reflecting on the events of the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed since Thursday, as well as taking part in some of them. The comment and opinion blogs from the team can be found by following these links:

Burnouts in a 535bhp Vauxhall Maloo at Goodwood

Supercars shoot it out for hill supremacy at Goodwood

The Vuhl 05RR shows Mexico's track car start-up has taken a tidy step up

The world according to Alex Zanardi

Lewis Hamilton on danger, V12s and the Mercedes-AMG GT R

Why a chauffeur ride in a Bentley Flying Spur can be better than driving

Tesla takes its place in history at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed

What the Honda NSX can learn from a weekend of motorsport

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: the best sculpture yet?

09.35

Some further news in from Matt Prior relating to the Supercar Shootout. He reports that neither the KTM X-Bow nor the Ariel Atom 3.5 R were timed during the Supercar Shootout yesterday, because neither was fitted with standard-equipment tyres. The Ariel team were a bit caught out by that: they'd fitted a set of 'wet' fronts to more quickly get heat into them, because the car is lightly loaded on the front and the track is so slippery. But Goodwood's marshals said that meant it couldn't be timed. "We watched the onboard footage last night - thought for complicated reasons neither we nor Ariel can broadcast it - and timed the run at around 60sec," concludes Matt.

09.27

Our man in the supercar commentary booth, Matt Prior, reports: "Last night this pathway was deep in mud, but Goodwood staff have been out overnight laying down fresh chippings so it is not as muddy as it could be. It's currently dry though, the hill is still damp in places, and a few showers predicted later mean it's unlikely to dry completely." Best add a brolly to our previous packing advice list...

09.25

Scroll down a fraction and look at last night's final photo of the muddy pathway. Seems like the local loose chippings businesses in West Sussex have enjoyed a bumper night of business, as Goodwood's officials try to head off the tide of slushy mud in the most used areas of the estate.

09.20

Let's start with a weather update for anyone who hasn't left yet: the advice is to bring wet weather gear and hardcore footwear, but given the conditions it seems Goodwood's tireless workers are doing a pretty good job of keeping the event on an even keel. Further evidence of that to follow in a second.

09.00

Welcome to our coverage of the final day of the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The engines are running again and the cars preparing to head up the hill for a final day of action, and our reporters are on the ground ready to bring you back the best of the action, news and photography. 

SATURDAY

17.30

And that brings our Saturday coverage to a close. We'll be back with live updates and fresh pictures tomorrow, but while it looks like it'll be drier, Matt Prior still advises you bring sensible footwear. "Goodwood does temporary walkways pretty well but in some places it's like most outdoor festivals: either dusty or, in this weather, muddy. If you're coming tomorrow, white espadrilles are not choice footwear."

17.10

BMW tech boss Andrew Furse says the brand will be a leading force in the rollout of connected cars, reports Sam Sheehan, who's been chatting to Furse this afternoon. Everyone of BMW's new cars features a sim, and there are 500,000 connected BMWs in Britain.

16.50

As promised, here's Priors report on the Supercar Shootout, which saw 24 carmakers take part and included a slidey run in a Caterham 620R.

Meanwhile, Hill action is under way again: cars are heading up for the Qualifying Shootout, timed runs ahead of tomorrow's top 20 Final Shootout. Which is why the Laguna was pressing on so hard in the first place, Prior says.

16.40

Matt Prior reports from trackside: "A Renault Laguna touring car has hit the hay bales hard near the flint wall and ended up stranded broadside across the track. That has suspended action on the hill for over half an hour and counting."

16.30

Cars are struggling on the rally stage as well. As if traction wasn't hard enough to find in good conditions, the heavy downpours are pushing driver's skills to the limit. You can see some of the action on the live stream.

16.25

Paul Rees won the Supercar Shootout in a Porsche 911 Turbo S earlier, clocking a time of 57.63sec around the sodden track. Our man Matt Prior was there to see it unfold, and his report of the stopwatch battle is coming up.

16.05

The changing spells of rain and sunshine has made for some hair-raising runs up the hill, with driver's having to gamble on using slicks, intermediates or wets. No serious incidents so far though, thankfully. Sam Sheehan braved going up in a rear-wheel drive, V8-engined pick-up.

"The Maloo has so much torque I didn't notice I'd left it in second gear before doing a series of burnouts. Anyone driving that thing in the wet should throw a few bricks in the back first..."

15.45

This year's sculpture celebrates 100 years of BMW and includes the Le Mans-winning BMW V12 LMR, the Brabham-BMW BT52 F1 car, and the 328 Mille Miglia Roadster, which is in the picture below. But is it the best sculpture yet? Jim Holder has his say.

15.25

Matt Saunders has a tip for celeb-spotters. "Make your way out towards car park A and you'll find this: Goodwood's helicopter terminal - where another 'eggwhisk' arrives or departs every ten minutes. Was that Jenson Button? Is that Bernie Ecclestone or Keanu Reeves? Is that the biggest one yet? Literally minutes of fun."

14.45

Sam Sheehan is about to drive the 536bhp Vauxhall Maloo up the hill. In the wet. Good luck to him. Follow us on Instagram to see even more pictures from the weekend.

14.15

And we've also seen the road-legal version of the 986bhp McLaren P1 GTR. Just five production models of the P1 LM will be made by Hampshire-based specialists Lanzante - one grey and four orange - and it's about as hardcore as hypercars get.

14.10

Let's have a quick run-down of some of the new metal that we've seen so far. The 577bhp Mercedes-AMG GT R is the manufacturer's most powerful road car to date, and has been one of the most significant reveals at Goodwood.

13.45

Away from Goodwood, the world is still reacting to the UK's vote to leave the EU. The British car industry was strongly in favour to remain, and you can click here to read how some manufacturers have reacted to the results.

13.15

Tesla doesn't really do marketing. So it's a surprise to see them showing off a two-storey stand at Goodwood, and it's absolutely jam-packed with spectators. Our editorial director, Jim Holder, has been to have a look around, and you can read his thoughts here.

12.55

Matt's drive up the hill almost didn't happen, and not because of the dodgy weather.

"The Vuhl’s being driven by F1 test pilot Jordan King for most of the weekend – and that’s who the Goodwood marshals were expecting to see in the car this morning.

"When they saw me instead, in my jeans and best woolly jumper rather than fireproof overalls, they nearly sent me back to the paddock. Note to self: get a romper suit for next year."

It's a nice jumper though, Matt.

12.45

Our other Matt, of the Saunders variety, is now extremely jealous of anyone in the market for a trackday car. He's been up the hill in the new hardcore Vuhl 05RR, and you can read how he got on here.

12.20

Matt Burt is back from his poke around one of the most popular cars of the weekend.

"Just been shown around the sensational new Bugatti Chiron by Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer and Le Mans legend Andy Wallace, who is driving the car up the hill this weekend.

"Wallace said he saw 203kph on the speedometer as he crossed the finish line on one run. It’s possible that he could go faster still, but the course is very narrow there and he’s mindful of not bending the £1.9m car..."

11.55

Here comes the rain. The Le Mans-winning Ford GT is going round at the minute with Marino Franchitti at the wheel, but the slippery tarmac has caused it to take a slight off-road detour. Don't forget you can watch all the action live using the link at the top of this blog.

11.35

Matt Saunders is already quite well acquainted with the hill. He's in the Vuhl right now, and yesterday managed to hitch a ride up it in a Bentley Flying Spur - here's why he thinks being chauffer driven can be better than driving at Goodwood.

11.05

Meanwhile, chief tester Matt Saunders is lining up on the startline to drive the Vuhl 05 RR. He's reporting spots of rain - always guaranteed to settle the nerves - and will be writing about his experience later on today, so be sure to keep checking back with us.

11.00

Speaking of F1 drivers (and we've featured Alex Zanardi and Nico Hülkenberg this morning), let's move on to reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, who Sam Sheehan has been catching up with. The pair caught up at the launch of the aforementioned Mercedes-AMG GT R last night. Click this link to read what they chatted about.

10.40

If you enjoy an insprational tale or two, our man Mark Tisshaw has been talking to perhaps the most inspirational racing driver (and Olympic gold medal winner, and more) of them all - Alex Zanardi. Catch what he had to say as he reflected on life, his accident and the current state of F1 here.

10.20

Matt Burt again, now getting up close with the Bugatti Chiron, which is running in public in the Uk for the first time. He marvels: "Just spied the new Bugatti Chiron negotiating the hill course, so that’s one of this year’s ‘must sees’ ticked off. Amazing how it just seems to glide so effortlessly, despite going at a fair lick." You can read the full tech insight here.

10.05

In case you missed it, the extreme Mercedes-AMG GT R was revealed last night, ahead of it running at the Festival today. Powered by a 577bhp twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, the GT R boasts the label of Mercedes-AMG's most advanced road car, and you can read the full story here.

09.45

Some of you may have seen the amazing images of stunt driver Terry Grant driving a Jaguar F-Pace on two wheels up the hill, with a passenger performing gymnastics on the side of the car as he did so. Unfortunately, it appears the car tipped over yesterday. Everyone's fine... but the F-Pace is sporting a few grazes.

09.35

You've got to love this. Matt Burt is trackside: "Nico Hülkenberg has just raised his profile in the ‘cool Formula 1 driver’ stakes. He’s shot past Goodwood House in the V8 Sunbeam Tiger land speed record car. To see a 90-year-old car to be spiritedly driven in the manner its maker originally intended neatly encapsulates the thing that makes the Festival of Speed so fantastic." Kudos to Hülkenberg - we can't think of many other F1 drivers who would be willing to do that.

09.25

BTCC ace Andrew Jordan has just charged up the hill in Mattias Ekström’s Audi S1 World Rallycross car. He almost looked tempted to perform some donuts in front of Lord March’s house, but instead settled for a standing start that showcased the tremendous acceleration of the four-wheel-drive, 600bhp hatchback. Strictly speaking donuts are banned at Goodwood, but there's always one or two drivers who know they can get away with it.

09.15

Autocar editor Matt Burt has been staring at the skies. If you're travelling to Goodwood today, he's advising you pack for every eventuality. "Dry and pleasant at the moment but the early sun is slowly giving way to more cloud cover," he says. "If you’re heading down to West Sussex, best to pack suncream, a hat and wellies to cover every eventuality. Drivers saying the course is very slippery at the moment." So there you have it. Michael Fish has nothing on our man Burt...

09.10

Today’s action begins with the BMW centenary run, featuring a host of racing cars from the German manufacturer’s illustrious past. Versatile racer Marc Surer drove the BMW M1 Procar up the hill, and reminisced about the short-lived one-make series for the car in 1979-80.

Like many Formula 1 drivers of the time, he was invited to compete in the series which ran on the undercard of grands prix. “For us it was a big challenge,” he said at Goodwood. “We Formula 1 drivers could show how good we were. Although it wasn’t completely fair because we were allowed to start from the front of the grid…” [Ed's note: during the Procar racing series, any F1 driver who took part was allowed to start at the front of the grid, as opposed to having to qualify against the non-F1 drivers who were competing.]

09.00

Welcome to Saturday's coverage of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Autocar editor Matt Burt has already been out and about soaking up the atmosphere and interviewing executives and we have the rest of the team lined up to bring you the atmosphere and news, plus of course a selection of the very best photographs from the action. Stay tuned!

1730

We've just put a final batch of pictures into our Goodwood Festival of Speed gallery above, as we bring our coverage of today's festival to a close. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to check back tomorrow for all the latest.

1700

Renault has given us a unique look at the Goodwood hillclimb, by fitting its 1985 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo with a 360-degree camera. Take a look at the video below, which works especially well if you're watching on a mobile phone.

1645

The Festival of Speed isn't the only outing for Honda's NSX this weekend - it's also competing at the Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado - so what's Honda planning to learn? Find out here.

1620

Prepare to be jealous of Matt Saunders, who has just been driven up the Goodwood hill in a new Bentley Flying Spur. Read his blog on the experience here.

1600

We've just updated our gallery above with more pictures from the Festival of Speed! Here are some of our favourites, but check out the full set above.

1540

Mark Tisshaw has been talking to Honda bosses about the new NSX, and in particular what they plan to learn both from the car's Goodwood outing, and from its experience at the Pikes Peak hillclimb event in Colorado this weekend. Read his blog here.

1520

More from Tisshaw's stop at the Mazda stand now, where the Mazda MX-5 RF is making its UK debut. Its program manager Nobhurio Yamamoto says the model now allows MX-5 buyers to "choose between red wine and white wine".

1500

Mark Tisshaw has been over to the Mazda stand, where he's been looking at the success of the MX-5. "Mazda has now built 1million MX-5s, some 15% of which have made it to the UK," he says "At Goodwood this year is the MX-5 Spyder concept, which the MX-5's program manager Nobuhiro Yamamoto, a 22-year veteran working on the car, describes as the "dream" version of the roadster icon."

1430

The Red Arrows have made it to Goodwood! We're glad to see them today, because yesterday's planned display as part of the Moving Motor Show was called off due to bad weather conditions. If you see them passing by, wave!

1400 

Bristol's long-awaited Project Pinnacle has just broken cover at the Festival of Speed, too. It's giving us a sneak peek at what the new Bristol sports car could look like when it arrives next year. Read more about Project Pinnacle right here.

1330

The Jaguar F-Pace made its first run of the day up the hill in an unusual fashion, as stunt driver Terry Grant balanced it the whole way up on two wheels. It made for a remarkable sight...

1245 Steve Cropley thinks the Bugatti Chiron is drawing fewer visitors than any Bugatti in living memory, including old ones. Chap next to him, while snapping away, says: "that is so bad". Cropley thinks the Chiron is lacking in originality: "I reckon we've seen it all before, but better. What would the great Louis Chiron think?".

1230 Honda tells us it has made a few tweaks to the Honda NSX since we drove it in the US earlier this year. They are all software changes, mainly focuses on the feel of the DCT and power steering systems. The software is now frozen however, and European customers should get their cars in the autumn.

1220 Honda's NSX boss Ted Klaus is at Goodwood for the first time. But he's a regular at hillclimbs - he competes in them in the US with his father, although he probably doesn't need to bring along the new Wellington boots he's bought this morning to those events.

Mark Tisshaw has learned that the first two Honda NSXs have been delivered - to the same customer. US car collector and race team owner Rick Hendrick bought chassis number one at auction for $1.2m to add to his car collection museum. But he's also now bought number two to drive.

1200 Mark Tisshaw has been speaking to Aston Martin about its new GT12. The car maker won't reveal how much the buyer of the one-off GT12 Roadster has paid, but the deal does include the fact that no-one else can commission another one, so it will remain a one-off.

Aston Martin has made one-offs before, but the buyers have chosen to keep them private. So it hopes that the GT12 Roadster will be a good advert for future business. The CC100 concept was going to be sold as a one-off, but Aston actually made two in the end.

1100 Steve Cropley says there's a big fuss surrounding the Fiesta ST200, which is limited to 1000 examples in the UK. Ford says it uses a rear suspension setup with a beam that's 27% stiffer, giving the car more aggressive turn-in and allowing for a slightly more linear steering response.

1040 Cropley has met the new head of Alfa Romeo design, Scott Krugger, who as the name implies, is American. "He was raised in Pennsylvania, worked at Dodge, has never had a job outside the US before and - unless you look beneath the skin of the thing - seems about as unsuited to the best job at Alfa as any foreigner could be. And yet...

"His last job was working on the Viper SRT, a car of amazing proportions, and a fully sculpted body. It's part of the Dodge family, which is as beloved by Americans as Alfa Romeo is by Europeans (and Americans) so he understands the emotional connection between people and cars.

"He loves the new Giulia, feels completely humble about his mission, is acknowledged to work well with engineers and other designers, and is committed to this to the extent that his wife and two young kids have moved to Turin straight away. The job offer came out of the blue - in a 10min meeting with FCA group design boss Ralph Gilles - and Krugger realised 'in a couple of seconds' that he wanted it. So this may look an unconventional appointment, but it could also be full of exciting and unexpected potential." 

1030 We reckon this year's BMW sculpture is one of the Goodwood's best ever. Don't you agree?

1020 Interesting remark by JLR sales director Scott Dicken branding Goodwood as "our home show". The comment reinforces Lord March's contention that this event is UK's equivalent of Geneva or Frankfurt. Last year Goodwood Festival's 200k visitors netted 85,000 visitors to JLR stand and "2500 really strong leads". "It's expensive", says Dicken, "but it's worth it".

1005 We've already welcomed the arrival of a new one-off Aston Martin, the GT12 Roadster. The topless, track-focused model uses the same 592bhp V12 engine of the regular GT12, but now its occupants are even more exposed to its silky tone.

1000 It's a sunny morning here at Goodwood for the first public day. We'll be here bringing you the action all day so stay tuned. With new arrivals and dynamic debuts to look forward to, there'll be plenty of action to keep up with.

Before the show we examined some of the key cars to look forward to. you can familiarise yourself with them below:

Abarth 124 Spider

The Abarth 124 Spider has made its debut in finished form at this year's Festival Of Speed. The hot version of the Fiat 124 Spider uses a modified turbocharged 1.4-litre Multiair engine sporting higher torque and power output figures. Other modifications include the addition of a limited-slip differential and a bespoke tuned Bilstein suspension set-up.

Aston Martin DB11

Goodwood is the backdrop to the DB11’s UK debut, giving the public its first chance to hear Aston's new forced-induction 5.2-litre V12 to gauge whether it's lost any of the aural magic of the old naturally aspirated 6.0-litre. Driving the DB11 is company CEO Andy Palmer, who'll be hoping to prove the car is a worthy successor to the long-standing DB9.

Audi R8 Spyder

Having already made its UK debut in April, the new R8 Spyder has been shown to the public at Goodwood. Audi has trimmed 113kg off the kerb weight of the previous R8 Spyder, using a combination of aluminium and carbonfibre for the spaceframe. Representing a £8700 premium over the coupé, the soft-top gets the same 5.2-litre V10.

Audi S5 coupé

The new Audi S5 has made its first UK appearance at the Festival of Speed. Audi has discarded a supercharged engine for a more frugal and powerful turbocharged unit for this latest generation. S5 buyers will get the option to have Audi’s 12.3in Virtual Cockpit, as seen in the latest TT and A4. Prices will start from £43,790. 

Audi TT RS Coupé

The new TT RS has made its dynamic debut at Goodwood. The hardcore TT RS has a power output of 395bhp, 50bhp more than the Porsche Boxster S. Features include carbon-ceramic brakes, launch control software and a large fixed spoiler, as well as dual exhausts. Prices will start from around £50k.

Audi Q2

Audi has added the new Q2 to its SUV range. Built on the the same platform as the Audi A3, it is taller and wider but comes in a shorter package and will be available with either front or all-wheel drive. Prices are set to start at around £20,000.

Bentley Bentayga

The ‘fastest SUV in the world’, according to Bentley, is blasting up the Goodwood hill this weekend powered by a twin-turbo W12 6.0-litre engine, churning out 664lb ft of torque. This will be the £160,000 luxury SUV’s much anticipated first showing on home soil. The Bentayga will be pitching itself against top-end Range Rovers such as the long-wheelbase £156,000 SV Autobiography. 

Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley’s fastest production car yet is joining the Bentayga at Goodwood. Sharing the W12 engine but in a slightly different configuration, the 626bhp 6.0-litre powerplant is capable of wafting the GT Speed to a 206mph top speed. This fastest version of the GT still maintains its status as a true ‘mile muncher’. Also making its debut at Goodwood will be Bentley’s Flying Spur V8 S.

BMW M4 GTS

BMW's most aggressive BMW M4 earnt itself a 4.5-star rating when we first drove it earlier this year, confirming the M4 GTS's status as a genuine rival to the Porsche 911 GT3. The stripped-out coupé uses an uprated version of the M4's twin-turbocharged straight six engine to produce 493bhp, a significant 68bhp up on the regular M4. It made its UK debut at Goodwood.

BMW 2002 Hommage concept

After its world debut in Italy, the BMW 2002 Hommage concept has appeared for the first time in the UK at Goodwood. Sharing its underpinnings with the BMW M2, the 2002 Homage is a tribute to the BMW 2002 Turbo of the 1960s and 1970s, a car that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. With plenty of design cues pointing towards the 2002 Turbo, including the return of the shark-like nose, the 2002 hommage has its own bespoke bodystyle.

Bugatti Chiron

The successor to the Bugatti Veyron, the Chiron, flexed its W16 muscle up the Goodwood hill. It's highly unlikely that the Chiron will be able to demonstrate its 261mph top speed, but what's certain is that the £1.9million hypercar will cause quite the spectacle. Read more about the Chiron in detail here.

Elemental RP1

Elemental brought a production-ready version of its RP1 track weapon to Goodwood. We've driven the RP1 and loved it, so now's your chance to see the 500bhp-per-tonne track car in action in the flesh. There are two RP1s at Goodwood: one on static display and one taking to the legendary hill. Read more about how the RP1 is made here, and read our review of it here. 

Ferrari 488 Spider

The Ferrari 488 Spider packs a 3.9-litre V8 engine and is some 50kg heavier than the hard-top 488 GTB, but the drop-top matches the GTB's 0-62mph dash in a staggering 3.0sec.

Ferrari California T Handling Speciale

The more focused Ferrari California T has already impressed our road testers with its sharper handling and more entertaining exhaust note, but the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the first time the British public has experienced the new model in the metal. The Handling Speciale - or HS - uses the same turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 as the regular California T, adding a bespoke chassis set-up, exhaust and standard carbon-ceramic brakes to make it a louder and harsher-riding sports car but one that's far more satisfying to drive on the limit.

Ford Fiesta ST200

Ford’s hottest production Ford Fiesta made its world debut at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, but Goodwood was the first chance for the British public to lay their eyes on it. The new ST200 builds on the performance of the regular ST to produce up to 212bhp and uses revised chassis settings to offer sharper performance.

Honda NSX

Honda has run a production-ready version of its Honda NSX at Goodwood, marking the first opportunity for the British public to see and hear a version of the hybrid sports car they can actually buy. The 2016 NSX uses a twin-turbo V6 engine and electric motor to produce 573bhp and has been described by some as an affordable version of hybrid hypercars such as the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Jaguar F-Type SVR

Fresh out of Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division, the new range-topping F-Type SVR is capable of reaching 200mph. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine produces 567bhp and sends this F-Type from standstill to 62mph in less than four seconds.

It's available as both a convertible and a hard-top and its first outing was at Goodwood.

Lexus LC 500

Lexus's new performance flagship has been driven up the famous Goodwood hill by a trio of star racing drivers: Mike Conway, Scott Pruett and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz. This was the first time the hot coupé has been seen in action in Britain. The 2+2-seat LC 500 uses a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 that produces 467bhp, making this a serious rival for the BMW M4.

Lexus RC F GT Concept

The track-focused concept gets some mild upgrades from the RC F production car it's based on. It gets the same 5.0-litre V8 powerplant and eight-speed automatic transmission but is 350kg lighter.

Maserati Levante

The Levante is Maserati's first SUV and the UK will receive only the diesel option - a 271bhp 3.0-litre engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With prices starting below £55,000, the Levante will face stiff competition from the accomplished Porsche Macan.

Mazda MX-5 RF

The Mazda MX-5 RF made its European debut at Goodwood. The 2016 model features a retractable hard-top to create a coupé-esque roofline and better insulation. Despite all that extra metal, the RF adds only 40kg to the regular MX-5’s kerb weight, and given the practical benefits, it’s expected to be the strongest seller of the current MX-5 line-up in Britain.

Mazda MX-5 Icon

Joining the Mazda MX-5 RF at Goodwood is the new MX-5 Icon, which made dynamic its debut. With only 600 Icon MX-5s due to be made, it represents another limited-edition MX-5 alongside the Sport Recaro. It has the same engine as the base MX-5 but comes with a raft of extras and exclusive exterior design.  

McLaren 570S Sprint

The sprint version of McLaren’s 570S is a track-only machine. It takes a slightly tamer form than the similar 570S GT4, which is eligible for several world racing GT categories. Many parts are shared between the two and McLaren hopes they form the basis of success in sportscar racing. The same engine from the road car sits in the monocoque chassis. Notable developments include a new bodykit for improved downforce.

Mercedes-AMG GT R

A harder, more powerful version of Mercedes’ GT sports car is to make its world debut at Goodwood. Called the GT R, it’s expected to produce as much as 570bhp from its uprated twin-turbocharged V8 engine and will rival the Porsche 911 GT3 RS when it goes on sale - most likely later this year.

Mini Seven

The Mini Seven has made its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Prices start at £18,545. The Seven comes with a 6.5in screen housing Mini’s latest infotainment system, with smartphone connectivity and automatic dual-zone climate control. Add the optional Chili Pack and the Seven also comes with leather seats and sat-nav.

Porsche 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition

Priced from £107,216, the motorsport-inspired limited edition model gets the same 3.0-litre flat-six engine as the Carrera S it's based on but comes with some extra sporty tweaks. A sports exhaust, rear-wheel steering and Dynamic Chassis Control are just some of the standard features included.

Porsche 911 R

The 911 R is a back-to-basics GT3 RS. Sharing its track-biased brother’s naturally aspirated 493bhp engine, the 911 R is instead equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox rather than the PDK. Developed more as a road car, this 911 the brainchild of Porsche GT supremo Andreas Preguriner and are participating in the hillclimb.

Renault Mégane Sport Tourer GT205

Renault’s new Mégane Sport Tourer has made its UK debut at this year's Festival of Speed. The range-topping GT205 will be propelled by Renault’s Energy TCe 205 unit, which produces more than 200bhp and is paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The Sport Tourer will also benefit from the French manufacturer's four-wheel steering system to improve agility and manoeuvrability. The Sport Tourer range starts from £19,070.

Renault Twingo GT

The hottest version of Renault's rear-wheel-drive, rear-engined city car gets 108bhp from an uprated version of the Twingo's 898cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine. A revised air intake and new engine mapping has boosted power by 19bhp and raised torque by 25lb ft to a total of 125lb ft. It is expected to be priced above the current range-topping Dynamic S TCe's £13,445.

Riversimple Rasa

Riversimple has been on quite the publicity trail with the hydrogen-powered Rasa, following a headline-grabbing appearance at the London motor show, at which it revealed plans for two or more new models. For now, the Rasa is the only car Riversimple makes, which will be making its way up the Goodwood hill this weekend. Sure, it may not claim the fastest hillclimb time, but it's one of the more unusual offerings at this year's Goodwood.

Tesla Model X

The Tesla Model X’s outing at the Festival of Speed is its first in the UK. It shares the same drivetrains as the Model S saloon and the largest and most powerful battery configuration, the P90D, will launch the SUV to 60mph in less than four seconds.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall has brought two big cars to the Goodwood Festival. The Maloo LSA - 'the UK's fastest commercial vehicle' - made its UK debut, both participating in the hillclimb and on static display. The GT Concept, which was first seen at the Geneva motor show in March, is also be on display, alongside two concepts from the 1960s.