54 articles by Seper Arjmandi
2027 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 680: 603 hp V8, illuminated grille, self-righting wheels
Mercedes-Maybach revealed the 2027 GLS 680 with a facelifted M177 twin-turbo V8 producing 603 hp and 627 lb-ft, up 53 hp and 89 lb-ft from the outgoing GLS 600, plus a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, an illuminated grille and standing star, and 22-inch wheels with an optional 23-inch forged set that keeps the Maybach logo upright at speed.
BMW M850i Edition M Heritage: the 8-Series bows out in five E31 colours
BMW is sending off the current 8-Series with a 500-unit Edition M Heritage, sold as a fully loaded M850i xDrive Gran Coupé and orderable in any of the five paints the E31 wore at its 1989 Frankfurt debut. 523 hp twin-turbo V8, M carbon roof, Merino/Alcantara diamond-quilt interior, one build spec.
Apollo EVO 'Caribbean Dragon': the Intensa Emozione's successor finally exists
Apollo Automobil brought the first production Apollo EVO to Goodwood 2026. Its signature detail is a set of ceramic-coated exhaust manifolds finished in a dragon-scale texture that gives the car its 'Caribbean Dragon' name. It is the successor to the Intensa Emozione, uses an HWA-reworked Ferrari 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12, and will be built in a total of ten units.
BMW M2 Turbo Design Edition: a hand-painted love letter to the 2002 Turbo
BMW revealed the M2 Turbo Design Edition, a limited North American run built around the manual G87 M2 with Alpine White paint, hand-painted M tricolour stripes, and a hood graphic that spells 'turbo' in mirror writing, the same trick the 1974 2002 Turbo pulled on the road cars ahead of it.
Honda Prelude HRC Concept: the sports coupe went back up the Goodwood hill
Honda gave the Prelude HRC Concept its world dynamic debut at Goodwood 2026. Honda Racing Corporation's take on the newly reborn Prelude was driven up the hill by Jessica Hawkins and Tiago Monteiro. The concept exists to signal what a performance variant of the production Prelude might become.
Pagani Huayra 70 Derecho: Horacio's second birthday present, and it's a 7-speed manual V12
Pagani world-premiered the Huayra 70 Derecho at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026. It is the second of three bespoke one-offs marking Horacio Pagani's 70th birthday, and it does the thing every enthusiast quietly hopes a modern hypercar will still do: pair a naturally-aspirated-feeling V12 to a proper H-pattern manual.
RUF Boxer 8: the Pfaffenhausen shop just built its own flat-eight
RUF revealed the Boxer 8 (B8) 'Erprober' prototype at Goodwood 2026. It uses the CTR3 mid-engine chassis as a testbed for a bespoke 4.8-litre twin-turbo flat-eight making around 1,000 hp, paired to a six-speed manual. This is RUF developing its own engine architecture rather than adapting Porsche's.
Zenvo Aurora Tur hits production spec: 1,850 hp of Danish hybrid V12
Zenvo brought two Aurora Tur validation prototypes to Goodwood 2026 in production-spec form. The AWD Tur variant combines a Zenvo-designed quad-turbo 6.6-litre V12 with three electric motors for a combined 1,850 hp. This is the last step before the Aurora enters customer production.
Alpine A110 Future prototype: the electric A110 makes its first hill run
Alpine brought the A110 Future prototype to the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed and had Pierre Gasly drive it up the hill from July 9 through July 12. It is the first dynamic public look at the third-generation A110, built on Alpine's new APP platform with an 800V split-battery layout, dual rear e-motors, and third-party estimates in the 480 hp range.
Bentley at Goodwood 2026: a hybrid GT S, a RWD Supersports, and Mulliner's first gradient paint
Bentley used Goodwood 2026 to introduce three related but distinct Continental variants: the 680 PS GT S hybrid, the 666 PS non-hybrid RWD Supersports (UK debut), and the Mulliner-built Supersports Design Theme with the brand's first side-to-side gradient paint fade.
Ferrari 849 Testarossa Spider: 1,050 PS and a folding hard top, revealed at Goodwood
Ferrari gave the 849 Testarossa Spider its public debut at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The open-top version keeps the 1,050 PS twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid, adds a retractable hard top that folds in 14 seconds at up to 45 km/h, and matches the coupe's sub-2.3-second 0-60.
Ferrari at Goodwood 2026: 296 Speciale A hillclimb, Amalfi dynamic debut
Ferrari brought two dynamic debuts to Goodwood 2026: the 296 Speciale A, an 880 PS plug-in hybrid V6 spider that hits 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, and the Amalfi, a front-mid-engine V8 2+ coupé built as the modern spiritual successor to the Roma. Both ran the hill on July 9-12.
McLaren 788HS: the 720S bloodline's last, hardest V8
The McLaren 788HS made its debut at Goodwood on July 9, 2026 as the closing chapter of the 720S / 750S family. 788 PS from the same twin-turbo 4.0L V8, no hybrid help, 200 examples split evenly between coupe and Spider. This is the final McLaren Super Series with a combustion-only powertrain.
Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+: the hot hatch's spiritual heir is a 671 hp electric sedan
The new Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 4MATIC+ is fully electric: three axial-flux motors, 671 hp (680 PS) and 1,297 lb-ft, a 94 kWh battery good for up to 416 miles WLTP, and 0-62 mph in 2.7 seconds. It comes as a sedan and a Shooting Brake. Revealed July 9 at Goodwood.
Red Bull RB17: Adrian Newey drove the 15,000 rpm V10 track hypercar up the Goodwood hill
Red Bull Advanced Technologies ran the RB17 track-only hypercar up the Goodwood hillclimb on July 9, 2026, with designer Adrian Newey behind the wheel for its first public track appearance. It uses a naturally aspirated Cosworth 4.5-litre V10 revving to 15,000 rpm, a 200 hp electric motor, and weighs under 900 kg. 50 units at approximately $6-7.5 million each.
Hennessey Venom F5-M: the world's most powerful manual hypercar has an owner
Hennessey brought the first customer Venom F5-M to Goodwood 2026, delivered to a UK buyer. It uses the same 6.6-litre 'Fury' V8 as the automatic Venom F5, produces 2,031 hp, and routes all of it through a gated six-speed manual. That combination did not exist in a production car until now.
BMW M Ignite: F1 ignition tech arrives in the M2, M3, and M4 to keep the S58 alive
BMW M Ignite brings pre-chamber ignition to the S58 inline-six in the M2, M3, and M4. Dual spark plugs per cylinder, flame jets at near-sonic speed, unchanged power figures but lower fuel consumption under load. Production starts July 2026 for M3/M4, August for M2. Europe only for now.
2027 Porsche Taycan: eight fake gears, a real rev limiter, and the battery it should have had from the start
The 2027 Taycan gets E-Shift virtual gears with paddle shifters and a rev limiter, 105 kWh battery standard on all variants, native NACS charging, and a new infotainment system. Orders open now from $111,900. Deliveries begin fall 2026.
Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale: 830 CV, a gated shifter, and a clutch pedal that does not exist
Ferrari revealed the 12Cilindri Manuale on July 3 with a 6-speed gated shifter and clutch pedal layered over the existing 8-speed DCT. 830 CV from the 6.5-litre NA V12, 1,499 units at roughly $675,000, all built through Tailor Made. Deliveries begin early 2027.
2027 BMW X5 G65: five powertrains, X-shaped headlights, and the biggest battery BMW has ever shipped
BMW revealed the fifth-generation X5 (G65) on June 30. Five powertrain types including the iX5 60 xDrive with 570 hp, 141 kWh battery, and up to 845 km WLTP range. Petrol and diesel on sale November 28, 2026. PHEV and EV follow March 2027.
Lamborghini Urus SE Performante: 801 hp, titanium exhaust, and a Rally mode nobody asked for
Lamborghini's Urus SE Performante combines a twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor for 801 hp and 1,000 Nm. 32 kg lighter than the SE, with a titanium Akrapovic exhaust, dual-chamber air suspension, and 23% more downforce. Orders open now.
Aston Martin's S trio: DB12 S, Vantage S, and DBX S all at once
Aston Martin used Goodwood 2026 to reintroduce the S badge across three model lines at once: a 690 hp DB12 S, a 670 hp Vantage S, and a 717 hp DBX S. It is a coordinated refresh disguised as a special edition, and it makes sense once you stop expecting 'S' to mean 'flagship'.
Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear: a racehorse, 30 cars, and the most extreme Jesko yet
Koenigsegg unveiled the Sadair's Spear in June 2025: a track-focused Jesko limited to 30 units, all pre-sold, with a double-blade active rear wing and 1,625 hp on E85. It already beat the Jesko Attack's lap record at Gotland Ring by 1.1 seconds.
2026 Subaru WRX Series.Yellow: 350 units of Sunrise Yellow, manual only
Subaru's 2026 WRX Series.Yellow wraps the tS in Sunrise Yellow paint, matte black wheels, and yellow-stitched Recaro seats. 350 units, manual only, $45,995. No mechanical changes over the tS.