Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022: preview

The Goodwood Festival of Speed proved to be as spectacular as ever last year despite its Covid-enduced hiatus in 2020 and it will return this year, running from Thursday 23 June to Sunday, 26 June. 

This year’s theme for Goodwood FoS is ‘The innovators – masterminds of motorsport’ and it celebrates innovation in motorsport – from disc brakes to turbocharging, hybridisation and much more.  Of course, a lot of the genius that has seen motorsport grow over the past century has found its way into road cars too. 

Making a return will be ‘Electric Avenue’ – a showcase of electrified vehicles and zero-emission transport that proved a hit last time out with everything from the Lotus Evija hypercar to our Car of the Year, the Ioniq 5, making an appearance. 

As ever, this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will play host to some of the world’s most exciting automotive debuts and we’ve totted up the ones you need to look out for during this unmissable four-day event below. 

Celebrating 50 years of the fabled M division, BMW will be making sure it stands out from the crowd with plenty of its iconic M cars on show. 

What has always been a notable omission from BMW’s M lineup is a Touring version of its M3. That won’t be the case from this year as we’re set to see a new M3 Touring model debut at Goodwood. It’s been seen testing already so we’ve got a good idea how it’ll look and with the same 503bhp, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine, it should drive just as sweetly as the regular M3 Competition. 

There’s a possibility that the new M3 Touring might be shown up by BMW’s other new M car – the XM. We’ve driven a prototype model and seen it in concept form, sporting almost cartoonishly large kidney grilles and some wacky design details, but under the bonnet lies a serious powerplant. 

The XM will be only available as an M car – the first time that’s happened since the M1 – and it’ll get a turbocharged, V8 hybrid powertrain producing 739bhp and 1,000Nm of torque. There have been murmurs that this setup will find itself in the next M5 super saloon, set to launch in 2024. 

BMW’s M2 quickly cemented its position as not only one of the best M cars of the past decade, but one of the finest sports cars you could buy, too. There’s a second-generation model coming and it’ll once again feature the traditional M car layout of a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine, manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. 

For only the third time in its history, BMW has stuck a CSL badge on one of its road cars – creating the new M4 CSL. Just like the M3 CSL of 2003, it features plenty of weight saving measures (it’s 100kg lighter than a regular M4) and a bump in power. 

With 542bhp on tap, the M4 CSL will go from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 190mph. It’s not clear whether Goodwood attendees will be able to see it in action on the famous hill climb route but they’ll at least have a chance to check out the new aggressive bodykit and decals on a static display.

We might not love pick up trucks as much as Americans do, but thanks to a chunky bodykit, added off-road prowess and more power, it was impossible not to enjoy Ford’s Ranger Raptor when it was launched fairly late in the previous generation’s lifecycle back in 2019.

The second-generation Ranger is now out and a hot new Raptor version will make an appearance at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed. Like on the old Raptor there’s an aggressive bodykit, but now there’s a new 3.0-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost petrol V6 producing 284bhp – an increase of 74bhp over the old model. 

The Raptor appearing on the hill climb route seems unlikely, Goodwood’s forest rally stage would make for a more suitable environment should Ford wish to show off its hot pick–up truck’s off-road ability. 

Genesis has already given us the Electrified G80 saloon, the GV60 coupe-SUV and now it’s time for the third all-electric model in the premium car-maker’s lineup – the Electrified GV70. 

Based on the GV70, the EV model will boast a dual-motor four-wheel drive setup producing 483bhp, and offers 350kW rapid charging capability. This should make it a competitor to the Audi e-tron, BMW iX3 and Mercedes EQC. Genesis also claims the Electrified GV70 will offer over 310 miles of range. 

Granted, the T.50 made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Revival back in October last year, but any chance to hear this hypercar’s raucous V12 should be taken. 

The combination of a Cosworth-developed 650bhp 3.9-litre V12 and a six-speed manual transmission makes the T.50 one of the most exciting cars in recent years and with the original debut stunted somewhat by bad weather, Festival of Speed showgoers will finally have a chance to listen to the T.50 reach its 12,100rpm redline. 

Gordon Murray has developed a slightly tamer hypercar to accompany the new T.50 – called the T.33. Tame might be underselling the T.33 a bit because it uses a version of the T.50’s 3.9-litre V12. It does, however, get a new chassis that’s still made from a mix of carbon fibre and aluminium. 

GMA says it’s more practical than the T.50, ditching the three-abreast seating to open up more luggage room. It’s half the price of the T.50, at £1.37 million, and all 100 units have already been sold ahead of expected deliveries in 2024. 

Lexus showcased three new fully-electric concepts late last year and this sports car concept was one of them. The brand says the concept has been inspired by the LFA supercar and the new car should offer plenty of performance. 

Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda outlined that the model has a target 0-62mph time “in the low two-second range” and added, “with both proportions and low ride height essential to a sports car, it will showcase the unique driving performance of a Lexus”. A range of over 435 miles has also been targeted. 

There should be plenty of electric sports coupes for it to compete against when it launches in the next few years – including the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore, Piech GT and Tesla Roadster.  

First shown in 2017 as the Mercedes-AMG Project One, the long-awaited hypercar was recently unveiled in production form and soon we’ll see it in the metal for the first time.

Utilising plenty of tech from the Mercedes-AMG Formula One car of 2016, the One features a 1,048bhp, turbocharged 1.6-litre V6 that drives the rear axle through a seven-speed automated manual gearbox. It’s combined with an 8.4kWh battery, feeding no less than four electric motors. These motors deliver four-wheel drive and a 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds. A top speed of 218mph has been claimed as well. 

Despite the incredible performance of the One, it’ll still have tough rivals in the shape of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Gordon Murray T.50. 

As Mercedes-AMG looks to ditch its renowned V8s for hybridised four-cylinder power, the GT 4-Door should make for a fitting send-off as one of the last V8-engined Mercedes sports cars. 

Developing 831bhp and a whopping 1,400Nm of torque, the widely-used 4.0-litre biturbo V8 engine certainly doesn’t lack for power. It takes just 2.9 seconds to complete the 0-62mph sprint. Expect to see it post a pretty quick time at the iconic Goodwood hill climb sometime during the event. 

Recently unveiled at the Nurburgring 24 Hours (though not officially), the new plug-in hybrid C 63 is set to mix the same four-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the A 45 S hot hatch with electric power. A total power output of 671bhp is claimed – 168bhp more than its rival, the BMW M3. It’ll be on display at the Mercedes-AMG unit just behind the paddock 2 grandstand.  

No brand can yank on the heartstrings of its devotees quite like Porsche. The Sport Classic is a collection of the bits that have made the 911 an iconic sports car. 

The ducktail spoiler, Fuchs-style rims and re-trimmed interior are all nods to 911s of yesteryear. Powering the rear-wheels only is 542bhp, 3.7-litre twin-turbo flat-six lifted from the Turbo model, but unlike that car the Sport Classic forgoes the air ducts to retain a more classic 911 look. 

Retro car recreations have become huge business in recent years with Kimera Automobili 037, Eagle Speedster, and Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer a notable few. 

Entering the fray now is Prodrive. Its Subaru Impreza of 1997 is one of the most recognizable rally cars ever and the Banbury-based motorsport company is looking to make 25 ‘P25s’ at £552,000 a pop. Unfortunately, the P25 isn’t likely to be let loose on the rally stage or even the hill climb, but for rally enthusiasts seeing Prodrive’s ‘new’ car for the first time will be quite the experience. 

The Toyota Supra has a huge following amassed through its various generations. The new fifth-generation ‘A90’ model might not be as loved as its Mk4 forbear, but the addition of a manual gearbox should give driving purists something to cheer. 

The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be held on 23-26 June this year and tickets are selling out fast. Tickets are still available but there’s now limited availability only on Thursday and Friday.

Adult tickets are priced from £66 for entry on Friday and £47 on the Thursday. Kids under 12 go for free.

Will you be going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed? Let us know in the comments below…