A BMW peeling rubber at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Photo by Goodwood Festival of Speed

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Held annually in the parkland surrounding Goodwood House, the Goodwood Festival of Speed has over time morphed from a ragtag assemblage of gearheads racing up Lord March’s driveway for bragging rights into an entire weekend celebrating horsepower.

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While there’s no shortage of official competition, car companies have also cottoned to the idea of using the place as a launching pad for concept cars and special editions. Several supercar marques and boutique brands brought their newest debuts to the event, and we’ve rounded up the ones we feel are especially appropriate for this year’s soiree of speed.

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2027 McLaren 788HS

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2027 McLaren 788HS Photo by Red Bull

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Representing a send-off to the 7xx-series of supercars from McLaren, the 788HS (it’s for “High Sport,” don’tcha know) is a 777-horsepower special edition capable of ripping to 100 km/h from zero in 2.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). Its own aero package features a multi-zone carbon-fibre front splitter, S-duct bonnet, raised active rear spoiler, louvred under-wing panel, and Formula One–inspired rear diffuser. An aggressive quartet of exhaust tips poke out between the taillamps, surely waiting to set body panels alight after the first owner installs a crackle tune.

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The HS “High Sport” name returns for only the third time in McLaren’s history; with that in mind, the company plans to produce just 100 coupes and 100 convertibles. 

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2027 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4Matic+ EV

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2027 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4Matic+ Photo by Mercedes-AMG

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Even speedier than the Macca – at least in terms of raw acceleration to 100 km/h from rest – the all-electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4Matic+ EV uses its trio of axial-flux motors to generate 680 horsepower of peak output. That’s sufficient for this four-door sedan to fell the 100-km/h figure in just 2.7 seconds whilst deploying the likes of an active rear spoiler to keep things shiny side up.

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While you might see the base CLA EV in Canadian dealerships, word is this AMG performance spec won’t be making it to our shores.

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2027 Zenvo Aurora Tur

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2027 Zenvo Aurora Tur Photo by Zenvo

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It would appear any notions that the V12 engine has been relegated to the pages of internal-combustion history have been greatly exaggerated. Zenvo, the manufacturer that unleashed the TSR-S and its bonkers tilting-at-speed rear wing, has introduced the Aurora Tur, a machine packing a 6.6L quad-turbo V12.

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Engineers are targeting a total of 1,250 horsepower from the gas-burner but, when tag-teaming a trio of electric motors, the entire powertrain is expected to belt out 1,850 horses. These numbers are sufficient for it to claim title of the world’s most powerful V12 engine ever installed in a production series road car.

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Red Bull RB17

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Red Bull RB17 Photo by Red Bull

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Unlike that Zenvo, the RB17 is a track-only weapon, one that eschews electrification in favour of a solo-act 4.5L V10 engine. Billed as a Cosworth (or “Cossay,” depending on yer hometown) it is said to rev to a psychotic 15,000-rpm red-line, part of a concert that makes an even thousand horsepower.

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If you’re thinking it looks reminiscent of the Aston Martin Valkyrie, well done. It turns out Adrian Newey was heavily involved in both cars — and is slated to wheel this one at Goodwood. Current Red Bull F1 pilot Isack Hadjar will also have a go. This thing is allegedly planned for production, with 50 units to be offered at a cool US$6.7 million (CDN$9.2 million) each.

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RUF’s new 1,000-hp boxer-eight

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RUF flat-eight engine Photo by RUF

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Most Porschephiles will only be too glad to natter on about the benefits of a flat-style piston layout, though road-going Porsche cars have historically been limited to six cylinders when it comes to their mental pancakes. That changes with this powertrain by RUF, displacing 4.8L across eight cylinders, with two turbochargers hanging off its duff.

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The 1,000-hp engine is presently in a bespoke car, one which mashes half of a 911 with a tubular-steel rear chassis from Canada’s own Multimatic. Plans call for it to be installed in a RUF production vehicle, though those details aren’t yet ironed out.

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Neils van Roji Design’s Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage

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Neils van Roji Design Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage Photo by Niels van Roij Design

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There’s little argument that the original Ferrari Daytona is one of the most stunning cars ever produced, though apparently there was at least one designer back in the day hankering for a wagon-type take on the fabulous Fezza. This is the Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage by Neils van Roji Design, built for a wealthy Dutch customer using a 599 GTB as the donor car. A five-year gestation period was the result of some intentional pauses in the project, but also the obvious complexity of the build. 

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McLaren Special Operations M6GT

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McLaren Special Operations M6GT Photo by Red Bull

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Said to be one of the very first expressions of Bruce McLaren’s road-car ambitions, the original M6GT never made it past a trio of prototype vehicles. Decades later, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has decided to change that by finally building this car.

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Part restoration and part new build, its structure was verified against historic McLaren reference vehicles; and after the original moulds for the M6GT were uncovered in the U.K., MSO were able to recreate the bodywork to the exact historical dimensions. A small-block V8 engine is period-correct, as well. The company says it’s keeping this car, calling it the start of a heritage collection at MSO.

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2027 Automobili Mignatta Rina Barchetta

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2027 Automobili Mignatta Rina Barchetta Photo by Automobili Mignatta

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Making its debut at Goodwood after being announced last year, the Rina is hewn by an Italian outfit called Automobili Mignatta. It is a carbon-fibre beauty powered by a familiar-to-most 5.0L Coyote V8 plucked from Ford’s cupboard, though the manual gearbox is slung out back for better weight distribution. Rear-wheel drive is the order of the day, naturally, are is an estimated 1,000-kilogram curb weight and a US$290,000 price tag. The convertible “Barchetta” shown here will appear at Goodwood, with a coupe to apparently show up at a later date. 

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