GOODWOOD Festival of Speed might be a celebration of ALL things automotive, but since the decline of the British Motor Show it’s where manufacturers debut sporty new models as they take to the infamous hill. And here are 5 hottest new cars at Goodwood.
Business Car Manager braved the mud and changeable conditions at the stately Goodwood estate, to bring you five of our favourites.
5 hottest new cars at Goodwood: Abarth 124 Spider
Dismiss the Abarth 124 Spider as just a fast MX-5 in drag and you’d be wrong. Okay, the two cars are built in the same factory, but whereas the MX-5 is more a comfortable cruiser, the Abarth is much more the extreme performance-orientated machine.
Powered by the same 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo engine as the standard 124, the power is turned up to 170bhp. Acceleration to 62mph in 6.8 seconds is impressive and we like the burbling engine note that you’ll be able to make the most of with that hood down.
5 hottest new cars at Goodwood: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Alfa haven’t had a mid-size saloon contender since the 159 was discontinued in 2011, but they’re certainly back with a bang with this 503bhp Quadrifoglio range-topper.
On top of the performance and looks, we’re told that drivers will be impressed with the sharp steering and handling. If this isn’t enough, interior quality is better than we’ve seen from the Italians for a while. That’s good considering its serious £59,000 price tag.
5 hottest new cars at Goodwood: Bugatti Chiron
The Chiron is unlikely to be at the top of business buyers’ company lists, mainly down to its £1.9 million price tag.
However what we believe to be the future production car speed record holder deserves its spot here, because of the unbelievable amount of power it makes – 1,479bhp in case you’re asking. Pretty impressive!
5 hottest new cars at Goodwood: Ford Fiesta ST200
Yes, the ST200 looks pretty much the same as the standard and rather good Fiesta ST hot hatch – so why is it one of our top five cars?
Well, as a 40th birthday present to its best-selling hatch, Ford has turned up the power to 200PS, or 212bhp when you fully wring out the overboost function. The result is the fastest Fiesta and having driven it, we reckon it’s even more fun than the original. See our review: Hot hatch to beat gets even better.
5 hottest new cars at Goodwood: MINI John Cooper Works Challenge Edition
Yes, it’s another fast MINI, but this one is a bit special as just 100 will be made and is the closest thing you can find to the Challenge racers pounding UK tracks – hence the name!
For £32,000, those lucky owners will benefit from adjustable Nitron suspension, a proper limited-slip differential and Team Dynamics alloys with super sticky Michelin Cup tyres. Having tried this car in anger on the track at Goodwood, we can report the handling changes make a big difference to how this MINI drives.
