Best supercars of Goodwood Speed Week 2020

The ongoing pandemic may have led to the cancellation of the Festival of Speed and Revival, two of the UK's premier motoring events, but the show must go on. Goodwood has instead transformed itself into an online-only affair for 2020, broadcasting the very best in historic and present-day motorsport along with the most iconic sports and supercars on sale.

There was no shortage of metal in the supercar paddock, with names like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren and Aston Martin all getting a chance to lap the famous Goodwood Circuit for the cameras.

These are just a few of the highlights.

The most powerful road car taking part in the supercar shootout this year wasn’t powered by petrol. The Lotus Evija uses multiple electric motors to output an incredible 1923bhp when the driver shifts into Track Mode, which also enables the highest level of torque vectoring and drag reduction system (DRS).

There were actually two examples of Hethel’s upcoming EV doing the rounds: a yellow prototype and a second track-ready model that had been liveried in the iconic John Player Special colours. However, despite taking part in parade laps, Lotus declined to make an attempt on the Goodwood circuit lap record.

A modern incarnation of the 1969 Mustang Mach 1, this yellow devil was all too eager to light up its rear tyres at every opportunity. Which should hardly come as a surprise, given that’s where all 454bhp is being sent from a 5.2-litre V8.

Even better, this new version is coming to Europe, so won’t remain a US-only toy for much longer. It bridges the gap between the standard Mustang GT and the Shelby GT500, now that the GT350 is set to end production by the end of the year.

Woking's open-roof speedster is a rare sight in any form. McLaren were originally going to produce 399 of them, but its customers argued that wouldn't be exclusive enough - not when Ferrari was making considerably fewer Monza SP2s. So now there will be just 149, and this Gulf-liveried creation is a one-off.

Built using the same carbonfibre tub technology as the rest of McLaren's supercar range, and powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 producing 804bhp, the Elva is good for 62mph in “under three seconds” and has a claimed 0-124mph time of 6.7sec – faster than the track-focused Senna. If you're looking to add one to your collection, you'll need a cool £1,425,000 - and that's before you start customising it.

OK, we’re stretching the definition of supercar slightly here, but Ford’s hot crossover had one of the more lurid colour schemes on display, and so was impossible to miss. Sharing its 197bhp three-cylinder 1.5-litre powertrain with the Fiesta ST, easily our favourite hot hatch, it promises to be a real hoot when customer deliveries begin early next year.

The big new addition is a mechanical limited-slip differential, which Ford reckons is a first for the compact crossover class. We’re just hoping it can live up to the endlessly entertaining Fiesta ST, both on the road and on track.

Announced the same week as this year's Goodwood festivities, the V8-powered Flying Spur arrives as a more driver-focused Bentley saloon. If the W12-powered sister car is more about cross-continental adventures in maximum comfort, the lighter V8 is more agile and responsive.

With 541bhp on tap, it's no slouch, and can crack 0-62mph in just 4.1 seconds - just 0.1sec slower than the Continental GT coupe. Both cars share the same 198mph top speed.

It certainly wasn’t the most powerful road car on display at this year’s event, but the upcoming Gazoo Racing supermini was certainly one of the most manoeuvrable. It took part in the rally super special, competing with dedicated rally cars and looking right at home.

With 257bhp from a turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive, this £30,000 supermini promises to be something of an off-road weapon - a clear statement of intent for Toyota’s racing division, which is looking to continue its winning ways in world rally into 2021 and beyond.

The latest Blue Oval creation to wear the GT badge was hand-crafted for endurance racing dominance, but Ford saw fit to make a limited number available to lucky customers that could prove their worth. Even if you had the money, only those that successfully completed a lengthy application process were allowed to buy one.

With only 1350 ever set to be built, and far fewer registered here in the UK, the GT is rarer than many of the McLarens, Ferraris and Lamborghinis it shared a paddock with. 

Power comes from a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6. It originally produced 638bhp, but saw a slight increase in 2020 to 651bhp with the addition of  higher-energy ignition coils and a new type of ‘gallery-cooled’ piston design. Ford claims a sub-3.0sec time to 60mph and a top speed of 216mph.

A fresh face and new technology for the 2021 BMW M5 - though we could only see the former while it was blasting around Goodwood circuit. The 616bhp super-saloon brings the fight to the Mercedes-AMG E63 with a retuned chassis that promises better comfort, thanks to uprated shock absorbers borrowed from the M8 Gran Coupe.

Here in the UK we’re only getting the top-end M5 Competition, which is on sale from £98,095 and will begin customer deliveries before the end of the year.

Released to celebrate Audi’s success at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the Green Hell edition R8 stands out from the regular car with bespoke paint, alloy wheels and a full-body wrap, so it’s impossible to miss.

Underneath, its mechanically unchanged from the top-spec V10 Performance model, meaning 0-62mph in just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of almost 206mph, courtesy of 5.2-litres and ten naturally-aspirated cylinders.

How can you make a 503bhp 4.0-litre V8 super-GT even more exciting? Take the roof off, of course - and none do it faster than the Vantage Roadster. Aston’s latest can get topless in less than seven seconds.

You pay a small performance penalty for the privilege, 0.2sec to be exact compared to the Vantage coupe - but this is machine is still capable of 0-60mph in just 3.7sec, and goes onto a 190mph top speed.