In true Goodwood spirit, no-one allowed the weather to dampen their spirits this weekend as the Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrated another hugely successful event this weekend; instead, rally cars, hot hatches, 4x4s, supercars, and F1 cars all came together to make this year’s annual event a fantastic one. If you were unable to attend, Signature Car Hire has the lowdown of the weekend for you right here.
Goodwood Sculpture Honours BMW’s Centenary Year
2016’s Goodwood Festival of Speed theme was ‘Full Throttle – the Endless Pursuit of Power’ and it celebrated BMW’s centenary year as a manufacturer. A sculpture, made by the legendary Gerry Judah, took centre-stage throughout the festival and paid tribute to the brand’s long-standing career and huge contribution to the automotive world. The huge sculpture features the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster, the Le Mans-winning BMW V12 LMR and a Brabham BT52 Formula 1 car – three noteworthy pieces of BMW history.
One-Off Aston Martin Vantage G12 Roadster Revealed
Aston Martin has been busy developing a bespoke, one-off Vantage G12 Roadster for a customer, and was kind enough to allow us to set our eyes on it at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car is said to learn its ethos from the original Vantage GT12 Coupé, adding in “the visceral thrill of open-top driving” and maintaining the same, current 595bhp naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 and the same seven-speed Sportshift III automatic gearbox. Vice president and chief Special Operations officer David King commented: “In just nine months we took a customer’s dream and realised it, with a fully-formed, exactingly engineered and fully road-legal one-off. That is the essence of the Q by Aston Martin service”.
Fastest Audi TT RS Yet Revealed at Show
Finally, Audi unveiled the most fastest, most powerful Audi TT RS to date to the British public this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car challenges many a supercar, accelerating from 0-60 MPH in a minuscule 3.7 seconds and is able to hit a top speed of 174 MPH. At 394 BHP, the Audi TT RS would be a menace on the roads; Audi insists they have ensured the car keeps it’s uniquely deep and rich engine sound while improving both engine performance and consumption.
Mercedes AMG GT-R Wows at Goodwood
The Mercedes AMG GT-R, without doubt, stole the show this year; flaunting a 577 BHP twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, there was no stopping this beast as it hurtled around the track and officially introduced itself to both the roads and us. 0.2 seconds faster than the GT-S, the new car can get from 0-60 MPH in only 3.6 seconds – perhaps not a noticeable difference but a difference all the same. Concealing the most powerful version of its engine, Mercedes has also blessed the GT-R with a lighter body through the use of aluminium wheels, a titanium silencer and a carbon-fibre roof.
Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG, said: “With the GT-R, we have reached the next level of driving performance. It combines the dynamics of our latest GT3 racing car with the practicality of the standard GT.” The brand’s most advanced car to date, the GT R looks to be available to us by next March…just in time for that lusted-after 17 plate.
Goodwood got you in the mood for some serious driving? Head to the Signature Car Hire London Experience Centre, and get yourself in on some of the action…never hesitate to Make your Marque with Signature Car Hire.