Goodwood stars to eclipse show?

Racing stars set to turn out for this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Sam Hardy

21st April 2008

Want to see a host of new car debuts this summer? Well, head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed rather than the British Motor Show! Organisers say they’ve pulled out all the stops to make the West Sussex event as much a showcase of new metal as it is a motor-sport gathering. So, it could upstage the exhibition at ExCeL in London’s Dock-lands just over a week later.

Fiat will reveal a 500 with a new 900cc two-cylinder turbo petrol engine, based on the Aria concept from Geneva, while Audi – which won’t be present in the capital – is set to unveil its new Q5 SUV, as well as the A5 Cabriolet and sensational R8 V12 TDI diesel.

Also on display at Goodwood will be the Mercedes F700 saloon concept, while the new Ford Fiesta will appear alongside the firm’s Kuga compact SUV (tested on Page 32). Land Rover will run its LRX concept up the famous hill, and other eye-catching machines on the move will include the Aston Martin Vantage V12 RS, Alfa Romeo 8C Spider and Mazda Furai supercars.

It’s not going to be all manic speed, though – a raft of green cars will also appear, ranging from the Tesla Roadster and Morgan LifeCar to the Fisker Karma and Toyota i-Real.

The festival opens on 11 July, and entrance is strictly by ticket only. Click on www.goodwood.co.uk to book.