GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2022 – Battle of the Hypercars - The Garage Queen

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Featured: GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2022 – Battle of the Hypercars
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GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED 2022 – Battle of the Hypercars

Photography by: Henry Jackson Article by: G.D.S

Date Posted: June 29, 2022

The Festival of Speed was back in full force after the long covid break attracting thousands of car enthusiasts from around the world to the historic racetrack in the south coast of England. The theme of for year's annual event was 'The Innovators - Masterminds of Motorsport', which was carefully thought about to display some of the finest cars from each era and showcase their technical advancements in the racing automobile world. The smell of fuel and burning tyres for petrolheads is music to their ears and the four day event can be considered to be the equivalent of the Glastonbury music festival, with the car parks opening their doors at 6:30am, and the sound of engines revving late in to the evening. The weekend attracted the biggest names from the motoring world including Sir Jackie Stewart, Jenson Button, Nigel Mansell, and Damon Hill to name a few, as well as celebrities such as Ex footballer David Beckham and famous chef Gordon Ramsey, both of which have their own well regarded car collections.

The Festival of Speed caters towards all types of cars, but if Hypercars are your thing well there were plenty on display at the iconic track. Ferrari made sure to bring out the best of what they have to offer by displaying the ultra rare FXX K Evo. This example belonged to Alexander West in a striking blue and yellow combination with a number 81 on the side, it was difficult to not notice this Hypercar. The FXX K Evo has a 6.3 litre V12 engine and an electric motor that puts out a whopping 1036 bhp and over 664lb-ft of torque.

Designed by Marco Fainello, Adrian Mendez and Samuel Rodriguez owning one comes at a hefty price of $2.6 million and requires a rigorous selection process by Ferrari. Perhaps even more fascinating is that this car is not road legal, and Ferrari will bring the car to a track along with a dedicated team for the owner to be able to use it. Despite the permitted track use, Ferrari does not allow this car to be raced in any series and part of the ownership agreement requires the owner to frequently use their track toy, so that Ferrari can continually monitor, track date and improve the overall performance of the car. Facing you in the drivers seat – the steering wheel has been purposely designed to give the look and feel of an F1 car, and if you are lucky enough to be one of the owners of this crazy Hypercar, then the inner Michael Schumacher will come out of you with every stretch of track you are fortunate to drive it on.

Enthusiasts were excited to see the new Ferrari 296 GTB. which was making its UK debut in a colour scheme of Rossa Corsa, blue racing style livery, blue wheels, and even blue seats, all of which are optional extras as part of the ‘Asseto Fiorano pack’ inspired by Ferrari’s historic racing from the 1960s. The revolutionary V6-hyrbid engine has a 3.0 litre twin-turbo engine producing 654hp coupled with a 123kW (165hp) electric motor and overall output of 830hp .

Another future icon to grace it’s presence at Festival of Speed was the Ferrari Daytona SP3 with it’s naturally aspirated 6.5 litre V12 engine and a limited 599 models being produced, this car is priced at $2.25 million, and unsurprisingly all the models have sold before being fully manufactured. Paying homage to the legendary victory by Ferrari in the famous 1967 Daytona race the SP3 is capable of producing top speeds of 211mph and 0-62mph in 2.85 seconds.

Alongside the SF90 was the stunning Ferrari SP38 entered by a private client for this years festival. The SP38 takes it’s design features from the iconic Ferrari F40 (the poster car of every Ferrari enthusiast), and based on the same chassis and engine of a Ferrari 488 GTB, Ferrari allowed the owner a one off chance to customise their perfect Ferrari – this one had a lot of carbon added by the owner.

Although not a Hypercar by definition, it would be rude not to acknowledge the magnificent Ferrari Monza SP2. The elegant beauty is something you would expect to see casually driving around in the south of France is part of the rare Icona range. The roofless speedster has a naturally aspirated V12 6.5 litre engine, and an impressive 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds with top speeds of 188mph. Petrolheads were treated to seeing the Monza SP2 make its dynamic debut and feature in the hill climb.

At the forefront of the track was the latest addition to the icona range the Ferrari SP3, keen to showcase their modern fleet the SP2 is based on a mid-engined platform and carbon fibre chassis. The SP3 achieves homologation status with worldwide road use being permitted and like other cars it made its much anticipated dynamic debut at FOS.

It wasn’t just Ferrari who bought out the big toys, British car manufacture McLaren came locked and loaded with their own special fleet of cars including the P1 and the Speedtale. Specatators were treated to the cars going through their paces on the track and both looked the part in their stunning colours.

The P1 was launched in 2013, and had a total of 375 units produced by the end of production in 2015. There is believed to be about 7 in the UK and would cost you £1.4 million to buy in today’s market. Capable of achieving top speeds of 217mph and a 0-62mph time in 2.8 seconds the V8 twin turbo 3.8 litre single electric hybrid engine has a combined power of 903 bhp, and it doesn’t end there the P1 achieves 186mph in 16.5 seconds from standstill.

If you thought the P1 specs were impressive the Speedtail operates in a league of it’s own, unveiled in 2018 with 106 units in production since 2020 (all of which have been purchased), the Speedtail is the fastest McLaren ever made with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, combined with an electric system to generate 1,036 hp and 848 lb-ft of torque. In comparison to the P1 it manages to hit 186mph in 12.7 seconds and has a top speed of 250mph. Upon unveiling the Speedtail – McLaren priced this car at $2.1 million, however due to the rarity prices have reached in excess of $3 million in recent car auctions.

Continuing with McLaren – UK engineering firm Lanzante displayed this made to order bespoke Verde Ermes Green over tan P1 conversion known as the HDK (High Downforce Kit). At the core of the conversion the 3.8 litre engine has been increased to a 4.0 litre engine with a little help from their friends over at Cosworth and has added an extra 100bhp to the standard P1. With an increase of 100bhp the engine produces some serious power and torque that has improved the overall drive of the car.

Lanzante made sure to add plenty of Carbon Fibre on the inside as well as the outside, and with a ceramic coated exhaust system poking out from the rear like two giant telescopes, this car is certainly unique being only the second conversion of it’s kind. Number 3 is rumoured to be in completion for later this year

Next in the arsenal for Mclaren was their much anticipated McLaren Valkyrie – the name derives from Norse mythology and is a female with angel like wings who is the “chooser of the slain” that decides the fates of the warriors in battle.

The angel like wings have been incorporated in to the design of the doors - when fully open they resemble the shape of angel wings and make this Hypercar unique. If the looks and angel wings haven't won you over yet, the 6.6 litre V12 naturally aspirated and electric motor will. Built and designed with Cosworth the combined power output is 1160bhp and 0-62mph in under 3 seconds.

Swedish powerhouse Koenigsegg raised the bar even higher by appropriately bringing their fleet of flagship cars – The Regera, The Jesko, and The Jesko Absolut to the forefront of the battle between the best Hypercars in the world at the Festival of Speed

The Regera was the Swedish manufacturers first hybrid Hypercar and had a production run of just 80 cars. Boosted by three electric motors and a total of 1500bhp from a twin turbocharged 5.1 litre V8 petrol engine, it has some impressive stats of 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds and a maximum speed of 255mph. The Regera has pathed the way for it’s successor The Jesko and The Jesko Absolut, of course both are designed to carry on the torch and legacy for Koenigsegg.

Presented in a tang pearl orange colour The Jesko is powered by a 5.0 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 1261bhp and if E65 fuel is used that jumps to 1600bhp. In order to achieve the incredible acceleration and performance Koenigsegg developed a nine speed gearbox called the Light Speed Transmission (LST), allowing for quicker gearshifts. The magnificent engineer’s have built a rear wheel-steering system that conventionally turns in conjunction with the front wheels and improves the overall handling.

With the Jesko being the track version – Koenigsegg have also built a road legal example of effectively the same car and named it ‘The Jesko Absolut’. The reason behind the name is that the company have vowed that this will be the fastest car they will ever produce and with top speeds of 330mph, it’s a bold statement by them.

Presented in graphite grey with a tang orange line across the car, one notable difference between the track version is that The Jesko Absolut does not have the rear wing, but instead has two fins resembling a fighter jet ready to go to battle. Although the capable top speeds will never be put to use in any legal road The Absolut is quite the Unicorn and with only 125 Jesko’s being built, then buyers should expect The Absolut to be even more expensive and with fewer models made.

Next in the battle of the Hypercars was the all electric Lotus Evija. The British car manufacturer will only produce 130 models, and each one will be bespoke to the buyer in terms of colour choices and options they select. Just short of 2000bhp the Evija is capable of top speeds of 200mph and 0-62 in 3 seconds, and 186mph in just 9 seconds. The electric battery is reported to allow for 225 miles of ‘normal driving’, oh and if you were you were wondering if you can get your hands on one, the answer is simply no! All models are already spoken for.

No Hypercar battle would be complete without Italian boutique brand Pagani. Often confused as to whether they are Italian or Argentenian, Pagani is the last of the supercar brands that is still owned by its founder Argentenian native: Horacio Pagani. For the avoidance of doubt the company is based just outside of Modena, Italy in a town called San Cesario sul Panaro, and has a renown reputation for making some of the worlds best cars in very limited numbers.

One of the highlights of this years event and making its debut was the Pagani Huayra Codalunga – which in Italian means ‘long tail’. Pagani will only produce 5 of the super rare cars and all 5 have been accounted for at a price tag of £6 million. The design of the car is inspired by 1960s race cars and comes equipped with a mid-mounted 6 litre V12 twin-turbo engine producing 827bhp.

Another car in the exclusive Pagani fleet was the Huayra BC Tempesta, enhancements from the standard model include: an upgraded engine producing 827hp, improved suspension, front splitter and a rear spoiler where there is a central fin.

Perhaps Pagani’s most eccentric car to date is the one off Pagani Zonda Revo Barchetta, which made its first public appearance outside of the Pagani factory. The eccentric car resembles something from a transformers movie with a bold colour scheme and futuristic looks. If you took a Zonda Revolucion and a Zonda Barchetta then left them alone in a factory, well this is what the love child would be. Pagani will only produce 3 units and command a price tag of €15 million. The Zonda Revo Barchetta takes it’s engine from the Zonda Revolucion, producing 791bhp from a 6 litre naturally aspirated V12 engine

Whilst we saw the Swedes, Italians and the British manufacturers put their best cars forward, nobody could disregard the German powerhouse Mercedes who displayed their highly anticipated Mercedes -AMG One. Five years since it was initially announced – the car Mercedes claim is as close to a road legal F1 car made its world debut at The Festival of Speed, and the stats are pretty impressive for a car that has a 1.6 litre V6 turbocharged engine, with 4 electric motors and F1 derived technology.

Mercedes boost stats of 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-124mph in just 7 seconds flat, and a top speed of 219mph with a combined 1036bhp. All 275 models have been snapped up, however the car is not road legal for the US market due to the strict rules and requirements. After the long wait and delays to unveiling the car opinion was divided, however this is still an amazing car that is up there with the rest.

In summary, the technological advancements from the car manufacturers are extremely impressive, and a testament to how far engineering has progressed by continuing to push the boundaries of speed – the reality is that the majority of the human population will only ever get to admire and experience these cars from a distance. Owning one is part of a very exclusive club due to the price and limited production numbers.

Attempting to pick a favourite between them all is difficult, as each one has their own appeal and like-ability factor. Personally if I could design my own, I would pick the FXX K Evo in a colour choice of Verde Ermes Green from the P1 Lanzante McLaren and l would have made the car road legal, so that I could use it as a daily (of course we can all dream). Feel free to comme

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