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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Some people say that the best way to enjoy a party is to head to the kitchen. Indeed, Jona Lewie wrote a song about the very subject. It’s a similar story at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the car park is often just as exciting as the main event. We couldn’t send Mr Lewie to Sussex, so instead, here are some photos taken by MR’s newest recruit, Ethan Jupp.

Belgian waffle

A Cardiff-registered Aston Martin DBS Volante parked alongside a Belgian-registered Honda NSX. It begs the question, would you rather head to the Welsh hills in the Aston or to Belgium in the NSX?

McDelivery

You know what it’s like, you wait an age for a McLaren and then… blimey, how many are in this shot? We haven’t seen this many Maccas since we stumbled across a convention of Beatles tribute acts in Liverpool.

Waspish McLaren

What’s yellow and black and often turns up as an unwelcome guest at summer events? There’s something waspish about this McLaren Senna, although we wouldn’t recommend hitting it with a copy of the Daily Telegraph. Other papers are available.

Better than a Mirage

Our man Richard Aucock was fortunate enough to drive the McLaren Senna at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. We can’t recall his precise words, but he almost certainly said it was nicer to drive than a Mitsubishi Mirage.

Not a Mirage in sight

We’ve taken a closer look at this photo and we can’t find a Mitsubishi Mirage. Jupp needs to work on his car park spotting skills. Initial verdict: must try harder.

Absolutely fabulous

If the number plate is anything to go by, the owner of this Audi R8 V10 is a fan of the A262 in Kent. We prefer the fab A272, which makes for a nice journey home if you’re heading west from Goodwood.

Once you pop…

It’s never too early to break out a packet of Pringles. Once you pop, and all that. We suspect he’ll find it easier to close the lid on the GT3 RS, although he might want to remove that Wall’s chill bag first.

A Noble act

The Noble M600: built in Leicestershire and powered by a Yamaha 4.4-litre V8, as used in the Volvo XC90 and S80. You’d struggle to hit a claimed 225mph in an XC90, mind, especially seven-up with a dog in the boot.

Ferrari 250 GTE

Launched in 1960, the Ferrari 250 GTE was the first genuine four-seater from Maranello. This very car featured in Classic & Sportscar in September 1983. At the time it was worth between £5,000 and £6,000, roughly the same as a new Ford Sierra. It was also the year in which UB40 hit the number one spot with Red Red Wine. You’ll need a few glasses of that before we tell you that, 35 years later, it’s worth upwards of £300,000.

Loud and fast

This 2001 BMW M3 is worth considerably less, but we suspect that it’s louder than the Ferrari. Or, should that be L1OUDer?

A brace of CSLs

The BMW M3 CSL represents the embodiment of the ‘ultimate driving machine’ tag. CSL stands for Coupe Sport Leichtbau, which is German shorthand for ‘we give you less, you pay us more’. Values have shot up, with the very best examples knocking on the door of £100,000.

Pure GT3

Still relatively fresh from its debut at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, here is a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. The optional Touring Package does away with the fixed rear wing, but the car is equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox. It is, if you like, a 911 GT3 for the purist.

‘Elf and safety

If only to highlight the absence of the rear wing, here’s another view of the 911 GT3 Touring. It’s good to see that Elf, having found his father in New York, has made his way to Belgium. He should enjoy the chocolates. And waffles. And buns.

Romeo and Giulia

All eyes appear to be on the Audi, but we’d rather enjoy a drive home in this Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Advantage Vantage

Here’s an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster basking in the sun at Goodwood. It’s probably worth a cool £100,000.

Read more:

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