Recapping the Star-Studded 2026 Goodwood FOSJack Whyte - Car and DriverIt was 1993 when English motoring enthusiast Charles Gordon-Lennox, known better to fans of the Goodwood events as Lord March, first invited some folks to take a run up his driveway in Chichester, England for the inaugural Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS). The event was one-tenth its current size, but the idea was the same as it is today: Run what you brung—as long as what you brung was a head-turning classic, a race-winning veteran, or a high-tech new debut.The event is bigger now, but the FoS still offers a chance to see the newest releases from hypercar and luxury builders, one-off moonshots, record-breaking racers, and rare collector cars from the earliest days of automobiles up to the present. Unlike most car shows, though, those machines don't stay static at Goodwood; instead, they're being whipped up the hill by some of the most famous names in racing. There isn't anywhere else on the planet where you'll see Travis Pastrana swing donuts in a Subaru Brat 30 seconds before F1 racer Lando Norris rips through in a new McLaren hypercar prototype followed by a trio of Andrettis in the actual GT40s that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's automotive-hero overload, but the Festival of Speed remains remarkably accessible and surprisingly democratic for an estate that is older than voting rights in the UK. Buy a ticket (entry is around $100 USD) and you can stroll through the same spaces as Yuki Tsunoda or Rowan Atkinson, watch rally cars kick dust up in the woods, or stand so close to the hay bales that you might get your hat blown off by the downforce-generating fan of a Gordon Murray T.50.From new reveals to ridealongs, here are some of the stand-out moments for us at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed.Jack Whyte - Car and DriverBentley's New BlowerBentley's "Car Zero" of the Blower Continuation Series is a great example of how the Goodwood Festival of Speed meshes modern and historic to create an event where every car in the paddock has an interesting story to tell. The Blower that I rode in may have looked like it was hammered together in the late '20s, but it was built in 2020, designed using laser-scanning technology and all the high-tech measurement and data tools at Bentley's Crewe factory and then replicated using hand-fabrication and period-correct materials.AdvertisementAdvertisementThere were faster runs up the hill, but riding in an open cabin with the vibration of a 4.5L four-cylinder rippling the leather while driver Jonathan Smedley sawed the wheel to slide it past the overhanging rock wall and through the tunnel of trees and hay bales towards the top of the hill is a thrill the riders in the modern Supersports and Bentaygas can't replicate at twice the speed.—Elana ScherrJack Whyte - Car and DriverMcLarens AplentyMcLaren had a major presence at Goodwood this year, with the debut of the 788HS, a limited edition high-performance version of the 750S, and a public showing of its Le Mans contender, the MCL-HY hypercar, as well as several race winners from Formula 1 and runs in the new W1.What caught our eye even among all that eye candy was the factory re-creation of the M6GT. The M6GT was a little-known attempt at a McLaren production car from way before the Gordon Murray F1 supercar that never made it past the prototype stage due to Bruce McLaren's tragic accident in 1970. Like the Bentley Blower continuation, McLaren used modern scanning and printing technology along with the original molds and new-old-stock parts sourced from archives and eBay to bring Bruce's dream of a street car back to life.—Elana ScherrJack Whyte - Car and DriverThe Beast of TurinAs the adage goes: There ain't no replacement for displacement. No car understands that logic better than the Fiat S76, better known by its nickname, the Beast of Turin. This sun-blotting monstrosity was built in 1910 to beat Mercedes' land-speed-record attempts, and the Italians certainly picked an interesting method of execution. Under this car's impossibly-sized hood is an inline-four engine with a displacement of more than 28 liters. The piston rings are probably the size of your belt. It produces an impressive 300 horsepower at just 1400 rpm, and the engine was originally meant for use in airships.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Beast of Turin must be experienced in person. An engine that large, spinning at what seems like low speeds (by modern standards), produces an absolute cacophony at full clip, with enough bass in its register to overpower the heartbeats in your chest cavity. Each of its individual exhaust ports is capable of belching fire. It looks like the Beast's pilot is atop some sort of freak mechanical elephant, sawing at its large tiller in an attempt to get this wheeled dirigible up the hill. If you're lucky, you'll be able to catch the Beast's team starting it up in the paddock, where you will curse yourself for leaving your earplugs on the other side of the Atlantic.—Andrew KrokJack Whyte - Car and DriverSights and (Some) SoundsThe transparent variety of what runs up the hill at the Festival of Speed continues to grow each year. One thing that's been pretty easy to notice with each progressing year is the transparent quantity of electric vehicles appearing at the hillclimb. Some don't stick around very long—the McMurtry Spéirling broke the overall record then stopped while the getting was good—but like a hydra, cutting off one head will reveal three more.This year, electrics came in all shapes and sizes, and while you don't get the same kind of visceral experience that you do when, say, a Ferrari FXX rattles your skull as it blasts past at wide-open throttle, there's still an interesting soundtrack to accompany some of the "quieter-running" cars. The Formula E car, which managed an impressive second-place overall finish this year, screamed a note so high-pitched that every dog in England started barking. Ford's Pikes Peak wunderkind, the Super Mustang, emitted a slightly different ear-shattering pitch as it wheeled its way to the top of the timing. Mercedes-AMG's newest models, the CLA45 and the GT 4-Door Coupe, spent their time on Lord March's driveway shrouding the entire crowd in lurid tire smoke, albeit at a volume low enough to where you can still hold a conversation while it happens. The times are a-changin', indeed.—Andrew KrokJack Whyte - Car and DriverA Little Bit of Everything for EveryoneIt's easy for the hillclimb alone to eat up the lion's share of your time at the Festival of Speed, but if you want to add a few dashes of the spice of life, all you need to do is put your feet to the ground and take a walk. The paddocks are accessible to the public and allow you to get up close and personal with the same cars that run up the hill. It's not too often that you can say you bumped shoulders with a McLaren Formula 1 car right after walking past a Porsche 917.AdvertisementAdvertisementAs the quantity of reveals ramps up, the autoshow-like portion of the Festival has truly taken off. A number of international automakers have large booths displaying a wide variety of wares both new and old—Renault, for example, had both new and vintage 5s on display—but it also gave Yanks like us the chance to get up close with an array of metal we don't get at home, namely Chinese marques like BYD.But wait, there's more! Fans of two-wheeled antics are privy to not just a few motorcycle hillclimbs, but also an entire motocross park complete with all the flips and stunts you can handle. If you'd rather do a bit of shopping, there's a whole section of the grounds devoted to art collections, die-cast models, and other small-purveyor offerings. Even the parking lots are cool; skip over to the VIP lot and you have a chance to see sheetmetal that is more exclusive than some cars running up the hill. Heck, there's even a food vendor that sells porridge. Like we said, something for everybody.—Andrew KrokYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029