Tag Archives: Goodwood Festival of Speed

NEW CARS

Gordon Murray’s 772-HP T.50s Niki Lauda Is Ready for Goodwood

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The next chapter in Gordon Murray Automotive’s pursuit of automotive perfection is about to make its public debut, and it’s every bit as uncompromising as you’d expect.

At this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Gordon Murray himself will take the wheel of the very first customer-bound T.50s Niki Lauda, piloting chassis number one up the famous hillclimb. While the road-going T.50 has already earned a reputation as a modern masterpiece, the track-only T.50s pushes Murray’s philosophy to its absolute limits.

Finished in white with a striking livery inspired by the South African flag, the first customer car pays homage to Murray’s first Formula 1 victory, achieved at the 1974 South African Grand Prix. A bold stripe running down the bonnet and colorful accents on the aerodynamic fins provide a subtle but meaningful nod to the designer’s roots and racing heritage.

Underneath the lightweight bodywork sits an evolved version of the T.50’s naturally aspirated 3.9-liter Cosworth V-12. For T.50s duty, output climbs to 772 horsepower delivered at a spine-tingling 11,500 rpm. Unlike the manual-equipped road car, the track-focused machine channels its power through a six-speed paddle-shift transmission engineered for maximum performance.

The centerpiece of the T.50s remains its driver-focused layout. As with the standard T.50, the driver sits in the middle of the cockpit, Formula 1-style. Surrounding that central seat is an aerodynamic package that transforms the car’s behavior on a racetrack. Adjustable aero elements work together to generate up to 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of downforce, giving the T.50s the kind of grip normally associated with modern prototype race cars.

Exclusivity, of course, is part of the appeal. Gordon Murray Automotive will build just 25 examples of the T.50s Niki Lauda, and every single one has already found a buyer. With prices starting at around $3 million, admission to this ultra-exclusive club doesn’t come cheap.

The T.50s won’t be the only attraction on the Gordon Murray stand at Goodwood. The company is bringing an impressive lineup that showcases both its present and future ambitions.

Making its European debut is the S1 LM design model, a machine that hints at Murray’s continued exploration of lightweight, driver-focused performance. Joining it will be the Le Mans GTR XP1 prototype, a development car that previews a limited-production run of just 24 customer vehicles inspired by endurance racing. Rounding out the display is the T.33 Spider validation prototype, known internally as VP12, offering a glimpse at the next phase of the company’s expanding lineup.

According to Executive Chairman Gordon Murray, production of the T.50s is already underway, while development of both the T.33 and T.33 Spider is progressing rapidly. More intriguing still is Murray’s suggestion that the company is working on an increasingly specialized family of vehicles designed to push the boundaries of his long-held engineering philosophy.

If the T.50 rewrote the modern supercar rulebook, the T.50s Niki Lauda looks set to tear out a few more pages. And with Gordon Murray driving the first customer car up the Goodwood hill himself, there’s no better stage for the latest expression of one of the automotive world’s most relentless perfectionists.

Source: Autocar

CONCEPT CARS

MG’s Electric Future Arrives at Goodwood with Two New Concepts

Before July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed has even opened its gates, MG is already teasing what could be the most important glimpse yet into its electric future. The Chinese-owned brand, which continues to lean heavily on its British roots, has confirmed that it will unveil not one but two concept cars at the famed hillclimb event—and unlike many auto-show fantasies, both are destined for production.

The first of the pair is a small all-electric hatchback aimed squarely at Europe’s fiercely contested B-segment. While MG hasn’t revealed a name, the company has released enough teaser imagery to paint a clear picture of where it’s headed. The compact EV adopts a smooth, rounded front end free of any traditional grille, while friendly-looking headlights give it a more approachable personality than the aggressive faces increasingly common in the EV world. Around back, sharp LED lighting and a prominent roof spoiler inject a dose of sportiness, and the MG badge has been relocated to the C-pillar for a cleaner, more contemporary look.

Scheduled to arrive in production form in 2027, the hatchback is expected to serve as MG’s fully electric counterpart to the MG2 Hybrid. That places it directly in the crosshairs of a growing list of European rivals, including the Renault 5 E-Tech, Nissan Micra EV, Volkswagen’s upcoming ID. Polo, the Cupra Raval, Mini Cooper Electric, and Peugeot E-208.

MG is keeping its second concept firmly under wraps, describing it only as an “electric design vision.” The vague wording may sound like classic concept-car marketing speak, but MG has already confirmed that this vehicle, too, will evolve into a production model. According to the company, it previews a “desirable future model” that will further expand the brand’s increasingly EV-focused lineup.

The concepts won’t be the only attraction at MG’s Goodwood stand. The manufacturer plans to bring a broad selection of current and upcoming models, including the MGS9 PHEV, MG4 EV, ZS Hybrid, HS PHEV, Cyberster roadster, and the IM5 sedan introduced last year. Several of those vehicles—including the MGS9 PHEV, MGS6 EV, and Cyberster—will tackle Goodwood’s legendary hillclimb, providing visitors with a chance to see them in action rather than simply sitting under show lights.

In a move that sounds appropriately futuristic for an EV-heavy showcase, MG’s exhibition area will also feature interactive robots designed to entertain and engage visitors throughout the event.

The full story, however, won’t be told until July 9, when both concepts make their official debut. The presentation will be led by MG’s global design chief, Jozef Kaban, whose résumé includes influential work at brands ranging from Volkswagen to BMW. If the teaser images are any indication, Goodwood could mark the beginning of MG’s next major push into Europe’s rapidly expanding electric-car market.

Source: MG

News

BMW Art Cars Take Center Stage at the 2025 Goodwood Revival

This September, the Goodwood Revival will look a little more like the Tate Modern than a racetrack. From September 12–14, the Earls Court Motor Show will play host to five of BMW’s legendary Art Cars—rolling sculptures that have been blurring the lines between speed and creativity for half a century.

Since 1975, the Bavarians have handed over some of their most iconic metal to artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, and David Hockney, asking them not for horsepower or lap times, but for art. The result? Twenty wildly different interpretations of what happens when you let imagination loose on a chassis. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the BMW Art Car Collection is on a global tour, and Goodwood Revival is its latest stop.

The Five Stars of Goodwood

1976 | Frank Stella’s BMW 3.0 CSL
Known as the “Batmobile” in racing circles, the 3.0 CSL was already legendary before Frank Stella got his hands on it. He covered its body in a stark grid of black-and-white lines—part blueprint, part hallucination—that echoed the mechanical soul beneath. With a 750-hp engine and Le Mans credentials, it was less canvas, more predator.

1977 | Roy Lichtenstein’s BMW 320i Turbo
Pop Art exploded onto the grid a year later when Roy Lichtenstein applied his signature Ben Day dots and comic-strip lines to the 320i Turbo. The car itself raced at Le Mans with Hervé Poulain—the man who dreamed up the Art Car concept—behind the wheel. For Lichtenstein, it wasn’t just a livery, it was a narrative: the painted horizon lines suggesting speed itself.

1982 | Ernst Fuchs’ BMW 635 CSi
Dubbed Fire Fox on a Hare Hunt, Ernst Fuchs’ 635 CSi was the first Art Car to start from a production vehicle rather than a race-bred machine. Its surreal imagery—flaming, mystical, almost gothic—was a departure from the pop stylings of earlier works. Fuchs made the everyday 6 Series into something mythological.

1995 | David Hockney’s BMW 850 CSi
When David Hockney turned the 850 CSi into a canvas, he decided to peel back the skin. Painted outlines reveal what lies beneath—engine parts, a driver silhouette, even a stylized vent. It’s not so much decoration as X-ray art, an invitation to look deeper into a grand touring coupe that was already complex.

2010 | Jeff Koons’ BMW M3 GT2
The most recent of the five, Jeff Koons’ M3 GT2 is a burst of energy frozen in lacquer. With vibrant streaks of color exploding across its body, the car looks as if it’s breaking the sound barrier even while parked. Built to compete at Le Mans, it embodies Koons’ knack for spectacle—unapologetically loud and kinetic.

Why It Matters

The Goodwood Revival is normally about tweed caps, pre-war racers, and nostalgia-fueled paddocks. Dropping five vividly painted BMWs into the mix sounds almost sacrilegious—but that’s the point. These Art Cars remind us that automobiles are more than transportation or even engineering marvels. They are cultural artifacts, blank canvases onto which an era projects its obsessions.

BMW’s collection, spanning from the analog growl of the 1970s to the digital optimism of the 2010s, tells a story of how art and technology have danced together over the decades. For Goodwood’s vintage crowd, it’s a reminder that speed has always been about more than lap times—it’s about expression.

This year, then, the Revival won’t just echo with the sound of carburetors and straight-sixes. It’ll pulse with color, dots, grids, flames, outlines, and streaks. For a few days in September, Goodwood will prove that sometimes, the most powerful thing a car can do is stand still and make you feel something.

Source: BMW