The most talked about cars of 2024’s Goodwood Festival of Speed

The central sculpture even carries an electric car for the first time, as MG celebrates its centenary with the new Cyberster.

Highlights so far include Polestar building a track car concept and an energy drink company showcasing a hypercar amongst lots of other exciting reveals.

Keep reading to discover the key details of the new metal being unveiled at this year's show, and some of our other favourite things on display.

This Alpine A220-inspired, Zagato road-racer is one of the most expensive four-cylinder cars to go on sale.

Based on the Alpine A110, it is a 248bhp ultra-lightweight racer for the road, borne out of a joint venture between Zagato and Polish supercar dealer La Squadra.

Zagato will build a total of 19 examples, with each taking more than 1000 hours to assemble. The car is priced from €650,000 (£550,000), excluding taxes.

Everything we know about the AGTZ Twin Tail

Renault’s performance brand's first EV is a warmed up Renault 5, aiming to prove EVs can be fun to drive.

In true hot hatch tradition, the Renault 5-based Alpine A290 borrows the powerplant from its bigger sibling, the Renault Mégane E-Tech. With 215bhp and a series of chassis tweaks, it aims to prove that EVs can be fun to drive.

Everything we know about the Alpine A290

The Second iteration of Ariel’s wild off-roader gets 60%-stiffer frame and a new Ford engine from the Focus ST with up to 305bhp.

In typical Ariel fashion, the £65,000 newcomer (for which a queue of 80 potential customers had already formed before anyone outside the company had even seen it) is different from its predecessor in almost every mechanical detail except the filler cap and pedal box but remains entirely true to the hugely successful original concept (of which several hundred copies have been sold from Ariel’s tiny Somerset works since 2015).

Everything we know about the Ariel Nomad 2

The track-focused reimagining of last year's Valour commissioned by Fernando Alonso made its public debut at this year's FoS. The Valiant packs a 734bhp twin-turbo V12 that's mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The supercar is a bespoke commission from two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and just 38 will be produced.

Everything we know about the Aston Martin Valiant

The next-generation, plug-in hybrid Continental GT took to the hill as the marque looks to cement its 771bhp beast as the sporting alternative to the old W12.

A timed run up the Goodwood hill will tell us if the marque is correct that it’s the quickest version yet. With 771bhp, an official 0-62mph time of 3.2sec and a heavily reworked chassis, it’s in with a chance.

Read our Bentley Continental PHEV review

Far removed from its low-slung, two-door 1970s namesake, the electric Capri is derived from the Ford Explorer crossover and will enter production alongside that car in Cologne, Germany, in the coming weeks.

Like the Explorer, it rides on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture and will be offered with a choice of either a 282bhp single rear motor for 0-62mph in 6.4sec, or a 335bhp twin-motor arrangement that enables 0-62mph in 5.3sec.

Everything we know about the electric Ford Capri

Completely opposite to the Capri, this wild 800bhp road-going racer made its dynamic debut on the Goodwood hill. Order books for the new model opened recently, with it priced from £315,000 in the UK.

Everything we know about the Ford Mustang GTD

Built for the Dakar Rally, this dune-bashing bruiser gets bespoke suspension, carbonfibre bodywork, 37in tyres and a Coyote V8.

Made in collaboration with Red Bull and M-Sport (a loyal motorsport partner to Ford since 1997), the Raptor T1+ will be driven by World Rally Championship legend Carlos Sainz Sr and Nani Roma, who won the Dakar Rally in both 2004 and 2014.

It will make its competition debut at the August 2024 Baja Hungary, before being taken to October's Rallye du Maroc shortly after and then entered into the 2025 Dakar Rally next January.

Everything we know about the Ford Raptor T1+

Ineos’s new Arcane Works division promises to drastically broaden the scope of customisation available for the Grenadier off-roader. It will launch a series of limited-run specials, which customers will be able to tweak to their exacting requirements.

Everything we know about the Ineos Arcane Works

Ineos partnered German modifiers LeTech to equip the Grenadier with substantially raised suspension, portal axles and offset wheel hubs. The result, it claims, is an increase in ground clearance from 250mm to 514mm and a boost in wading depth from 800mm to 1050mm.

Ineos notes that it has already delivered portal axle-equipped Grenadiers to a German fire brigade, but has not indicated whether it could offer them as an option to regular customers.

Everything we know about the Ineos Portal Axles concept

This new addition to the Defender line-up is Land Rover's most extreme 4x4 yet, packing the same twin-turbocharged mild-hybrid 4.4-litre V8 as its more road-focused sibling, the Range Rover Sport SV. It made its dynamic debut at the Festival of Speed.

Everything we know about the Defender Octa

Mini demonstrated both the petrol and electric versions of the next-generation John Cooper Works (JCW) hot hatch as part of the First Glance display.

The petrol will be automatic only, while the E will have an impressive 50/50 weight distribution.

Everything we know about the Mini John Cooper Works and John Cooper Works E

Mercedes' performance car division unveiled a track-focused version of its GT Coupe. The snappily titled Mercedes-AMG GT 6 Pro 4Matic+ variant has four-wheel drive and 603bhp. UK sales will begin in late 2024.

Everything we know about the Mercedes-AMG GT Pro

A stunning two-seat track-honed supercar-baiting concept from Polestar?! You better believe it. Based on the forthcoming Polestar 6, the Concept BST kicks things up a notch with a vented bonnet, front splitter, huge rear wing and a wider track.

Everything we know about the Polestar Concept BST

Alongside the Cyberster roadster, MG surprised by showing off a pretty fixed-roof version, simply called the Cyber.

It will offer the same choice of 335bhp rear-motor and 503bhp quad-motor variants, with prices starting from about £55,000 when it arrives next year.

Everything we know about the MG Cyber GTS

The all-new HS SUV promises 75 miles of EV range for less than £32,000. An MG insider suggests it’s based on the Chinese-market Roewe RX5 but restyled to suit European tastes.

Expect it to be as big of a hit as the current generation car has been.

Everything we know about the new MG HS

Another Chinese showing, a plethora of Hongqis were on display as the manufacturer prepares to launch across Europe shortly.

Expect Germanic levels of quality and tech for less money.

Everything we know about the arrival of Hongqi

You’ve already seen the Concept BST which uses the 6 as its basis, but Polestar was also displaying the lines of the original 6 concept, which it plans to put into production from 2026.

Everything we know about the Polestar 6

Red Bull’s first hypercar was formally unveiled. With a 1184bhp V10, it is described by Red Bull Advanced Technologies CEO Christian Horner as Adrian Newey “unleashed”. Its reveal was accompanied by a celebration of Red Bull’s 20 years in Formula 1, with demonstration runs for several of the brand’s historic racers.

Everything we know about the Red Bull RB17

A very undramatic mid-life facelift for the Cullinan, but nevertheless Rolls-Royce sent it flying up the hill, showing off its massive 23in wheels as it did so.

Everything we know about the Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Chinese EV-making giant BYD’s luxury arm demonstrated its new hypercar, the U9, on the Goodwood hillclimb and it made an impression as it did so.

While many people aren’t familiar with the brand, the Yangwang’s bold looks turned heads and is helping the firm build up brand recognition in Europe before its imminent arrival.

Everything we know about the Yangwang U9