Coolest Cars of the '26 Goodwood Festival of SpeedJas Lehal - PA Images - Getty ImagesThe 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed ran from July 9–12, 2026 at the Goodwood House estate in West Sussex, UK. The house has a long driveway up which the Duke of Richmond drives most of the year, but once every summer he opens the driveway up to the public to watch, and to a very select group of very famous drivers to drive.This year's Festival theme was "The Rivals—Epic Racing Duels," celebrating motorsport's most iconic rivalries alongside spectacular supercar debuts and the famous Hillclimb Shoot-Out. The event spotlighted legendary head-to-head battles from over a century of racing, featuring historic racers, rally cars, and Formula 1 legends from teams like Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.The entry list included a mix of modern and historic stars, such as Sébastien Loeb, Travis Pastrana, BTCC champion Jake Hill, and young talents from F1, alongside Captains Dario Franchitti and Gordon Shedden.AdvertisementAdvertisementScroll through and pick your favorites. (Above, Lightning McQueen makes his debut run up the hill.)Ford Super Mustang Mach-EFor the third year in a row France's Romain Dumas drove his Ford Super Mustang Mach-E to the win at Goodwood's Timed Shoot-Out, the climax of the Festival of Speed, with a time of 41.97 seconds. Dumas' time was almost two seconds ahead of Dan Ticktum in the latest Formula E Gen4 which tripped the lights at 42.46. Alex Summers was third in his black UOP Shadow DN4 Can-Am car at 46.30.Just two weeks before Goodwood, Dumas had notched his sixth win at the 104th Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb presented by Gran Turismo. Dumas ran an 8:18.202 up Pikes Peak in the same electric 2025 Ford Super Mustang Mach-E.Jakob Ebrey - Getty Images1966 Ford GT40sIt is one of the most famous race finishes in history. On its third attempt at winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, Ford finally topped rival Ferrari in 1966—and in compelling style. Three GT40s crossed the line in formation for a photo finish that locked out all three steps of the podium.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat historic moment was recreated at Goodwood with the very same cars that were in La Sarthe for that history-making moment. The three cars have recently come under the same ownership of the Miller Family Automobile Foundation, which previously owned the first and third placed cars. They will return to West Sussex again for September's Goodwood Revival.GoodwoodPenske-Mercedes PC23Al Unser Jr. drives the Penske-Mercedes PC23 up the hill at Goodwood. The PC23 was one of the most successful Indy cars of all time, powered by the secretly built 209 cid Mercedes-Benz pushrod engine, which was capable of a reported 1,000 horsepower. Unser won the Indy 500 in 1994, after lapping the entire field.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesBenetton-BMW B186F1 veteran Gerhard Berger drives the Benetton-BMW B186. The car competed in the 1986 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Designed by Rory Byrne and powered by the ferocious BMW M12/13 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, it produced a staggering 1,350 horsepower in qualifying trim.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesRed Bull RB17One of the supercars on the hill at Goodwood, the Red Bull RB17 was designed by former Red Bull Racing designer Adrian Newey.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesAdvertisementAdvertisementNissan R-35 GT-R2007 D1GP champion Masato Kawabata drives a Nissan R35 GT-R up the hill, albeit a little sideways. Kawabata drove Nissans throughout most of his career.Nissan made the so-called Godzilla from 2007 to 2025, with power ranging from 473 hp at the start of production up to 720 in the GT-R50.Simon Galloway - Getty ImagesMercedes-AMG F1 W13 EDanish-born Mercedes F1 reserve driver Fred Vesti powers a Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E up the hill. Vesti also competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Whelen.The Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E was designed to compete in F1 for the 2022 season, driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.Simon Galloway - Getty ImagesAuto Union LuccaWhile the original was built to set a land speed record way back in 1935, this car is a recreation made in 2026 by Audi Tradition. The original was aimed at beating Mercedes-Benz, whose Silver Arrows were going pretty fast, too, in the day. The original Lucca achieved a staggering 203 mph in the flying-start mile on an Italian autostrada, briefly holding the title of the world's fastest road-racing car.Simon Galloway - Getty ImagesAuto Union LuccaHere's another angle on the Auto Union Lucca, hinting at how its shape took aerodynamics to a new extreme in 1935.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesAdvertisementAdvertisementToyota DKR GR HiluxToyota DKR GR Hilux gets off-road in the Goodwood dirt. The truck is a purpose-built rally-raid vehicle developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing to dominate the Dakar Rally.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesSinger SculptureEvery year there's a huge sculpture hanging over the Goodwood Estate called the "Central Feature." This year's was designed by British artist and sculptor Gerry Judah. The temporary, gravity-defying steel sculptures have been centerpieces of the event since 1997, typically celebrating a major automotive manufacturer or racing legend.This year the feature honors Singer Vehicle Design. The dramatic, soaring, triple-arch suspends three 911s meticulously reimagined by Singer: the Classic, Classic Turbo, and DLS. Fancy a Singer for yourself? Prices are said to be approaching $1 million.John keeble - Getty ImagesFerrari 499P ModificataThis car, available to anyone with $5.4 million, smacked a hay bale going up the hill. No one was hurt and the front end of the 499 looked okay after they towed it out with a Land Rover.Jakob Ebrey - Getty Images2012 Chevy Impala Cup CarPaul Clark drives the Chevrolet Impala SS NASCAR Cup car up the hill during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.AdvertisementAdvertisementPart of the Festival this year was 75 Years of NASCAR.Simon Galloway - Getty ImagesFerrari 156 'Sharknose'Arturo Merzario drives the Ferrari 156 "Sharknose" at Goodwood. Despite his own career successes, Merzario is best remembered as the man who pulled Niki Lauda from the burning wreckage of his car at Nürburgring during the 1976 German Grand Prix.There was another Sharknose at Goodwood, driven up the hill by F1 World Champ Phil Hill's son Derek (who also did stunt driving in the latest Ferrari movie).Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesMountain Dew Buick RegalDarrell Waltrip drove the 1981 championship-contending, green-and-white #11 Buick Regal—sponsored by Mountain Dew—to 12 wins and a fierce run in the 1981 Winston Cup Series.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesSubaru Brataroo 9500 TurboTravis Pastrana drove this highly modified, custom-built 1978 Subaru BRAT up the driveway at Goodwood.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe car was designed for Pastrana's Gymkhana film series. Engineered by Vermont SportsCar, it features a 2.0-liter turbocharged boxer engine making 670 horsepower, a 9,500-plus rpm redline, and an advanced active aero system.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesReal Racing HeroesEmerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Emanuele Pirro, and Tom Kristensen during Disney and Pixar's Cars 20th anniversary.Shane Anthony Sinclair - Getty ImagesSuzuki RGV500 XR80Kenny Roberts Jr. wheelies his Suzuki RGV500 XR80, the bike on which he secured the 2000 500cc World Championship, up the Duke's driveway.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesAuto Union Type CTom Kristensen drives the Auto Union Type C, proving he'd be good in any decade.The Auto Union Type C is a legendary 1936 Grand Prix car designed by Ferdinand Porsche. Famous for its 520-horsepower, 6.0-liter supercharged V16 engine, this mid-engined pioneer was notoriously difficult to drive but propelled Bernd Rosemeyer to the European Championship.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesAdvertisementAdvertisement1937 Mercedes-Benz W 125Bernd Schneider drives the vintage Mercedes up the hill. The W125 was built under the 750-kg formula, meaning car had to weigh no more than 1,654 pounds dry. German entries from Mercedes (and Audi) got around this, at least in part, by removing any paint, thus creating the Silver Arrows.The W125 featured a supercharged 5.6-liter straight-eight engine producing up to 637 hp. Driven by Rudolf Caracciola, it dominated the European Championship, achieving speeds of over 186 mph (300 km/h).Jakob Ebrey - Getty Images1933 Napier-RailtonThe Napier-Railton is an aero-engined racing car built in 1933. It's still the fastest car to lap the Brooklands Outer Circuit, hitting 144.33 mph on track in 1935. The Brooklands Museum, which brought it to Goodwood, lists top speed at 170.Commissioned by Brooklands driver John Cobb and designed by Reid Railton, it was built by Thomson and Taylor at their engineering works within the Brooklands Track.Jas Lehal - PA Images - Getty ImagesUOP Shadow-Chevrolet DN4Alex Summers drives the Shadow-Chevrolet DN4.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe UOP Shadow-Chevrolet DN4 was built for Group 7 sports prototype racing in 1974 for the Can-Am series. Powered by a massive 494 cubic-inch (8.1-liter) Chevrolet big-block V8 making roughly 800 horsepower, the featherweight 1,587-lb monster famously dominated the final season of the original Can-Am era.Driven by Jackie Oliver (car #101) and George Follmer (car #1), the DN4 was the ultimate answer to Porsche's previous dominance, sweeping the 1974 championship and securing UOP Shadow's place in motorsport history.Jakob Ebrey - Getty Images1977 Porsche 934/5Owner Saif Assam drives his 1977 Porsche 934/5 up the hill.The 934/5 (or 934½) was a highly exclusive, factory-built racing hybrid designed for IMSA Group 4 that combined the 934's chassis and engine with the 935's massive rear wing and wide tires. Porsche produced exactly 10 units in 1977. The cars were famously campaigned by Saif Assam and Maxted-Page.AdvertisementAdvertisement"What a pleasure it's been working with @maxtedpage on restoring the Desperado Porsche 934/5 the last of 10 factory cars built in period which dominated (and were subsequently outlawed) in the US," Assam said on his IG page. "Chassis 10 was delivered to Vasek Polak and campaigned by folks like 'Clif-O' @cliftonkearns and Milt Minter at places like Sebring and Daytona."The result is outstanding, every single detail; a delicate balance respecting the history of these things while performing necessary changes to make them safe so that they can continue to do what they were born to do out on track in today's events."Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesPorsche 962 and Silk Cut Jaguar XJR9 LMThis one fulfills the Epic Rivalries category, with Porsche and Jaguar having done battle at Le mans in the late '80s and early '90s with these two cars.Jakob Ebrey - Getty ImagesDamon HillDamon Hill won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1996 driving for the Williams-Renault team.Matt Alexander - PA Images - Getty Images