The Goodwood Festival of Speed began in 1993 as a modest gathering at Charles Gordon-Lennox’s estate in West Sussex, England. The then Lord March, now the Duke of Richmond, expected two or three thousand people to come up the hill from his own driveway. In their place came around 25,000.
Since then, that single afternoon has become a global stage for the debut of new vehicles, hosting everything from concept cars to record-breaking hypercars.
He Festival of Speed 2026 It will take place from July 9 to 12 at Goodwood House and will be built around the theme “The Rivals: Epic Racing Duels.” Singer, known for his reworked versions of the Porsche 911, headlines the festival’s Central Feature sculpture this year. Beyond that, here are five show cars we expect to see on the hill this year.
5
Bentley Design Theme by Mulliner
You’ve never seen a two-tone paint like this.
A paint fade that changes color from one side of the car to the other might sound like a gimmick, but it fits exactly what surrounds the Supersports: a two-seat coupe designed entirely for the driver. The bright color shown here always lands on the driver’s side, whether the car is configured for left-hand drive or right-hand drive.
Mulliner’s Design Theme is available only on the Bentley Supersports, a two-seat, rear-wheel drive coupe that starts at £343,900 (around $486,000) and is limited to just 500 units worldwide. The package features Bentley’s first side-by-side paint fade, with a bold highlight color on the driver’s side blending into a darker shade on the passenger side. The Supersports itself is a member of the Continental GT family, although it swaps the standard car’s focus on grand, long-distance touring for track performance.
Buyers can choose from three specifications: Dragon (Dragon Red that fades to Black Crystal), Electric (Electric Blue that fades to Dark Sapphire), and Brodgar (Pale Brodgar that fades to Brodgar).
The theme extends to the cabin, where the brighter color surrounds the driver’s seat and the darker shade covers the passenger side. Likewise, the shift lever matches the color of the driver’s seat, with contrast stitching on the dash and headrests.
The Supersports has a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 657 horsepower and 590 lb-ft. of torque, reaching 62 mph in 3.7 seconds. Bentley recently brought a similar driver-centric approach to its core lineup with the Continental GT S and GTC Swhich is inspired by the design of the Supersports and combines it with a new hybrid propulsion system.
4
Yangwang U9 Xtreme
The fastest production car in the world.
If you want proof that electric hypercars can outperform any gasoline engine, this is the car that wins that argument. Watching a car stop at 300 mph without a drop of gas will be one of the defining moments of the festival, and few attendees will have seen something this close.
The Yangwang U9 Xtreme makes its European debut at Goodwood this year. Ultra-luxury brand BYD tested the car at Germany’s ATP Papenburg proving ground, where it achieved a certified top speed of 308.4 mphthe fastest speed recorded for any production car.
Four electric motors produce a combined power of more than 3,000 horsepower, running on a 1,200-volt platform, a first for a production vehicle. The car posted a lap time of less than seven minutes on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Yangwang plans to build only 30 units.
3
BMW M Concept New Class
A look at where the M3 is headed
The BMW M Concept Neue Klasse will appear at Goodwood following its world premiere at Le Mans in June 2026. As BMW celebrates 40 years of the M3the Concept Neue Klasse gives us an idea of where the nameplate could be headed.
The concept runs a four-motor M eDrive powertrain combined with BMW’s M Dynamic Performance Control system, built on an 800-volt architecture with a battery exceeding 100 kWh.
BMW brings the M Concept Neue Klasse along with its M3 Touring race car, which finished fifth overall at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours, and a new M Performance Track Kit for the m2 coupe.
2
Honda Prelude HRC Concept
The Prelude’s return gets some bite
My How to make geek colleague Adam Gray and I I saw the Honda Prelude at the 2026 Detroit Auto Showalthough it was closed. Although journalists could see the car from outside, no one was allowed to look inside or sit in it.
That closed-door experience makes Goodwood feel like something important, as it’s the first time we’ve heard the Prelude. Honda hasn’t sold a Prelude in the US since 2001, so seeing the badge return with worn-out parts built by Honda’s own racing division is the moment fans have been waiting for for a long time.
The HRC Concept, inspired by the production Prelude that went on sale in September 2025, first appeared as a static display at the Tokyo Motor Show in January 2026. HRC Performance Parts, developed by Honda’s racing division to improve handling and response, inspired the concept’s name.
Aston Martin Aramco ambassador driver and F1 Academy Director Jessica Hawkins will pilot the Prelude HRC Concept up the hill, with driver Tiago Monteiro also behind the wheel over the weekend.
1
Toyota GR GT and GR GT3
The road car meets its track brother
Toyota tested these cars for a full year on Japanese circuits in secret, but this year’s Goodwood marks their first uncamouflaged appearance outside of Asia. It also fits with this year’s “Rivals: Epic Racing Duels” theme, as parking the street car next to its GT3 racing counterpart shows exactly how much engineering separates a street car from one built to compete at Le Mans.
Both share a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, and the road-going GR GT pairs the engine with a single-motor hybrid system. The GR GT3 is built to FIA GT3 specification on an all-aluminum frame, a first for Toyota (4,785 millimeters long with a 2,725 millimeter wheelbase).
Toyota positions the GR GT as a rival to cars like the Porsche 911 GT3.
One weekend, five incredible cars
Between a paint job designed around a single seat, a 308mph production electric vehicle, and a streetcar meeting its own racing family member, this year’s Goodwood field touches on just about every direction the industry is heading in right now.
The five cars mentioned above join a broader lineup that includes new models from BYD, Alpine and Gordon Murray Automotive. The 2026 Festival of Speed begins on July 9 and runs until July 12 at Goodwood House in West Sussex, England.
