The show-stopping supercars of Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018

We round-up the best of the Michelin Supercar Paddock at Goodwood FOS, including the one-off McLaren P1 GT and track-focused Brabham BT62

The Supercar Run has long been one of the highlights of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, always yielding surprise debuts, shock oddities and obscure delights that get you simultaneously Googling the value of your kidneys and exclaiming “What on Earth is that!”. For this, the 25th-anniversary FOS, the Michelin Supercar Paddock looks better than ever, brimming with weird, wonderful and nauseatingly expensive exotica. Let’s take a look.

Apollo IE

Brabham BT62

We counted down the reasons why the Apollo IE might be the greatest supercar of this year’s FOS and a good many of those have held true. Chief among them is the incredible V12 noise. If you want to make a Vulcan sound timid, the Intensa Emozione is THE weapon of choice.

Brabham BT62

Brabham BT62

This legendary racing name has ridden a veritable wave of anticipation and trepidation. Will they go back to the track? Will there be a road car? Will they pull it off? From our ride with David Brabham up the hill yesterday, we can tell you it’s very much for real and an utter monster. Bring on Le Mans and a road-faring machine with Brabham on its rump.

McLaren P1 GT

McLaren P1 GT

This was a FOS surprise if ever we saw one. McLaren racing wizards Lanzante have been fettling track-prepped P1s for a while now. So, what follows road-registered P1 GTRs and the monster P1 LM? The P1 GT, of course, complete with extended rear-end bodywork, a fixed wing and roof scoop.It’s designed to ape the F1 GT of the late ’90s and looks stunning. 

McLaren P1 GT

McLaren P1 GT

Another of that extended rear end. The fixed wing is prominent – we’d expect nothing less of something based on a GTR. Multi-spoke wheels add a touch of class, as does that lovely green.

NIO EP9

NIO EP9

This could be what supercars of the future look like – a fully electric, Nürburgring-munching, Bugatti-baiting monster that in spite of its EV powertrain, does make a noise. Or rather, the air around it makes a noise as its active rear wing waggles in the wind braking before Molecomb. It’s a pleasing noise, too, albeit one that requires serious speeds…

Ferrari FXXK Evo

Ferrari FXXK Evo

The masters of the V12 – Ferrari are rarely to be seen laying down in the supercar stakes. The FXXK Evo is the latest iteration of its track-only hopped-up LaFerrari-based machine (because a LaFerrari is tame, apparently). The Evo adds even more aero addenda and even more noise – all wrapped in a lovely black and yellow colour scheme.

Porsche 911 Speedster Concept

Porsche 911 Speedster Concept

Throttling back from the extremes of the previous entries, the new 911 Speedster Concept is Porsche’s birthday present to itself. It likely heralds the imminent demise of the 991-generation 911 but what a way to go out. Retro wheels, mirrors and a tan interior are tasteful callbacks to Porsches of old.

Aston Martin Vantage V600

Aston Martin Vantage V600

Talking of goodbyes to outgoing models, the Vantage V600 might just trump the Speedster as a cool farewell. Complete with GT12 powertrain and widened track, but with a manual gearbox and a more sculpted, bespoke style, the V600 is the ultimate-ultimate Vantage. Then again, any Aston bore would know that just from the name.

Nissan GT-R50 by Italdesign

Nissan GT-R50

At first, you might think Nissan and Italdesign are something of a curious pairing. Then again, common celebrations yield common allies. As such, the GT-R50 by Italdesign celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of both the GT-R badge and the famous styling house. It works, too, given it’s a rebooted 700+hp GT-R Nismo.

Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro

Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro

The Vulcan, like the FXXK, is a bit of an ageing track-only bruiser. Not that an 800hp V12 can ever be considered decrepit… Regardless, last year Aston saw fit to give it the ‘AMR Pro’ treatment. Canards, a double-level wing and a resplendent livery from the recent Aston Martin Racing Festival mean the Vulcan is as jaw-dropping as ever, even as Valkyrie looms…

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

You can normally at any given time judge the strength of Aston Martin’s range by the quality of its flagship. While the Vanquish was a champion of heart-over-head desire, the DBS Superleggera that’s now replacing it should serve as the twin-turbo V12 700hp+ strong-arm Aston needs to fight off 800hp Ferrari super GTs. Our review is coming soon.

Koenigsegg Agera RS Final Edition

Koenigsegg Agera RS Final Edition

With the release of the Final Edition cars, the Koenigsegg Agera RS is no longer in production. Still, it dies a record holder and goes out a bang, with the ‘Thor’ and ‘Vader’ special FE models making a splash at FOS. There’s still no mistaking that turbo whir for anything other than an Agera. Let’s hope its replacement (due at Geneva) can live up to the legend.

Ferrari 488 Pista

Ferrari 488 Pista

The long lineage of track-honed mid-engined V8 Ferraris is one of the most revered bloodlines in motoring. That’s reflected both in reviewers’ impressions over the years and the prices old-generation cars continue to command. The 488 Pista is the latest and carries the torch with ease. Can they do no wrong?

Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta

Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta

You know a car is cemented in history as an all-time dream car if, five years on from its debut, it’s still grabbing headlines. The last of the LaFerraris – the open-topped Aperta – is perhaps the most desirable and looks every bit as fresh as the day the coupe debuted. A proper stunner, and classy in black with red highlights, too.

Ford GT

Ford GT

It’s still the supercar of the moment, as it was last year and the year before. Like the last one, and indeed the GT40 in the beginning, it will always be one of the greats. Since that incredible 1-2-3 at Le Mans in 1966, all GT-badged Ford supercars have been destined for greatness. This latest example is a successful racer, a jaw-dropping beauty and a competent machine in its own right.

W Motors Fenyr Supersport

Fenyr Supersport

Just count the angles, will you? The W Motors Fenyr Supersport looks like it was styled by a man with a minigun loaded with knives who was given five hours with a block of fibreglass. Underneath the incredible exterior beats an 800hp German heart of 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six muscle. It’ll be sure to turn heads boosting up and down Sloane Street on a hot summer’s afternoon, as it did on the Goodwood hillclimb. On sale now for £1.1m, if you’re curious.

BAC Mono

BAC Mono

The selfish supercar still hasn’t lost any of its gravitas. It’s one of those things that commands awe purely for its packaging and the level of engineering, plus its spine-tingling powertrain. It’s surely a tonic as a track (or hill) attack machine, but bad luck to any prospective passengers that fancy coming along for the ride.

Aston Martin Vantage

Aston Martin V600

As far as anyone with less than £300k+ to blow on something exotic is concerned, the new Vantage might just be the star of the show. With 500hp of twin-turbo V8 muscle and a chassis dripping with an ex-Lotus expert’s setup wizardry, the new Vantage blurs the line between sports and supercar with ease. It looks fabulous while doing it, too – an A+ effort from Aston yet again.

Lamborghini Aventador S

Lamborghini Aventador S

This isn’t a particularly new car anymore, nor the newest car in Lambo’s FOS lineup, or the most expensive, or the rarest. The Centenario Roadster takes those two with ease. The Aventador S earns its spot on our top-20 list for its stunning purple paint scheme alone. Any homage to the Diablo SE30 gets our approval, deliberate or otherwise. Also, something something V12…

What’s your favourite supercar of this year’s Goodwood FOS? Let us know in the comments below.

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Ethan Jupp
Ethan Jupp
I'm Content Editor at MR. Road trips music and movies are my vices. Perennially stuck between French hot hatches and Australian muscle cars.

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