Over 200,000 petrolheads descended on Goodwood House in West Sussex for the 2026 Festival of Speed (FoS) from July 9-12.
The Rivals – Epic Racing Duels was the chosen theme for this year’s event and celebrated the most famous duels in racing history – including the 60th anniversary of Ford’s triumph over Ferrari at Le Mans and 50 years since Hunt and Lauda’s legendary battle for the Formula 1 Driver’s title in 1976.
California-based Singer, meanwhile, was honoured as this year’s Celebrated Marque. The firm founded by former Catherine Wheel frontman Rob Dickinson has spent the past 17 years obsessively reimagining the Porsche 964 and its Classic, Classic Turbo and DLS models formed part of the Gerry Judah-designed sculpture rising from the front lawn of Goodwood House.
As ever, it was The Hill that doubles as the Duke of Richmond’s driveway that was the event’s centrepiece as star drivers and a variety of manufacturers bid for the fastest time in Sunday’s timed Shootout.
Triple Le Mans winner Romain Dumas remained a dominant force in 2026 and piloted his all-electric Ford Super Mustang Mach-E to the top of the timesheet with a 41.98. It marked Dumas and Ford’s third successive Shootout win and the fifth of Dumas’ career. Dan Ticktum’s Gen4 Formula E prototype secured second place, followed by the 1974 Shadow-Chevrolet Can-Am car driven by Alex Summers.
There was plenty to see on The Hill aside from full-bore competitive Shootout runs, too. An eclectic cast of machinery took part in demonstration runs, including the ever-popular Beast of Turin to Formula 1 cars, Le Mans racers, Group B rally cars and Moto GP bikes. One of the most memorable cars to take part, however, was none other than Lightning McQueen, who celebrated the 20 years of Disney Pixar’s Cars franchise in front of thousands of fans.
Many of the motor industry’s exciting new creations were seen in action on the 1.16-mile course, too. Toyota took the opportunity to debut its GR GT, GR GT3 and Lexus LFA Concept in Europe, while one of the most unique sounds came from Ruf‘s 1000bhp eight-cylinder boxer prototype. Other highlights included the McLaren 788HS, Red Bull RB17 and the Bizzarrini 5300GT Aperta Lusso, among many others.
The Rivals theme saw the historic reunion of the three Ford GT40 MkIIs that locked out the podium at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. Before this year’s FoS, chassis P/1046, P/1015 and P/1016 had not run together since 1969, and completed their run in arrow-head formation to recreate their iconic Le Mans finish. The legendary Fords were driven by Mario, Michael and Marco Andretti.
Driven by Mario, Michael and Marco Andretti, the GT40s were also part of the event’s Americana celebration honouring 250 years since the US Declaration of Independence. The occasion saw around 50 American cars and bikes positioned in the Cathedral Paddock, as well as tributes to the 110th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 and 60 years of both Can-Am and Trans-Am racing.
The US-themed celebration coincided with the launch of the Goodwood Road Racing Club of America at the Festival. The club opens with a California-based membership in 2027 ahead of a major event at Willow Springs Raceway in 2028. The Californian circuit is currently being overhauled and was acquired in 2025 by Singer.
Formula 1 remained a major attraction following the celebrations of the series’ 75th anniversary at last year’s Festival. A new Fan Zone complemented the F1 paddock, offering a live stage, simulator experiences and stands selling food and merchandise, while 2025 World Champion Lando Norris drove the McLaren MCL60 he raced in 2023 up The Hill before greeting fans from the balcony of Goodwood House alongside his childhood hero, Valentino Rossi. Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli also made an appearance, as did Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Sir Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Damon Hill returned to the cockpit of his title-winning Williams FW18 to mark 30 years since his 1996 crown, while the McLaren M23D of James Hunt honoured the half-century since his intense duel with Niki Lauda and Ferrari.
The Cartier Style et Luxe concours lawn was another FoS highlight, providing a calm contrast to the high-octane action elsewhere. Over 40 motor cars were divided across seven categories in this year’s edition, with special classes dedicated to 100 years of Mercedes-Benz and the 60th anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura. Best of Show was awarded to the Pininfarina-bodied 1955 Lancia Aurelia Spider America that boasts the world’s first production V6 engine.
The Forest Rally Stage offered up some of the most boisterous entertainment of the weekend. The Rivals theme saw some of rallying’s most famous battles brought back to life on the woodland course – most notably the Lancia versus Audi battle of 1983.
The historic rally cars were joined by many of their modern equivalents, including the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 that won six of this season’s opening seven rounds in the WRC. Travis Pastrana’s 670bhp Subaru Brataroo proved popular with crowds, as did Richard Burns‘ championship winning Subaru Impreza and Legacy RS.
Notable by its absence was Bonhams’ traditional Festival of Speed sale, the auction house having consolidated its Goodwood auctions into a single fixture at September’s Revival. In its place came The World’s Smallest Car Auction, a twice-daily charity sale intended to introduce younger visitors to the bidding process.
The Festival of Speed returns on July 15-18 2027. For more information, click here.
