The 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed is well under way, as crowds descend on Goodwood for what promises to be one of the best motoring events of the year.
Officially opened yesterday with the Moving Motor Show, today the action moves to the famous hill climb route, as professional drivers and racers try to break the elusive hill record. The current record of 41.6 seconds, was set by Nick Heidfeld in 1999 and hasn't been broken since.
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Elsewhere, the festival is home to numerous new vehicle debuts including the new Ford GT and Focus RS - the latter of which will be heard in public for the first time today as Ken Block drives it up Goodwood's hill.
Also on display for the first time is the new Nissan Juke-R 2.0 - which is claimed to offer 'supercar-beating' performance and comes with 600bhp from its tuned 3.8-litre V6 engine.
Among the new models on display here are the Peugeot 308 GTi - the range-topping hot hatchback which gets 266bhp from its 1.6-litre turbocharged engine - as well as Seat's facelifted Ibiza, the all-new Mazda MX-5.
Dominating the area around Goodwood House is Mazda's central statue. Created by sculptor Gerry Judah, the 40-metre-tall statue celebrates Mazda's success in motorsport, and features the Le Mans-winning 787B alongside the LM55 Vision Gran Turismo concept car.
You can read our full 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed preview below, and read our 'how to do Goodwood' guide here. Remember to check back throughout the day as we'll be updating this page with new pictures and information from the Festival of Speed.
New metal
The Aston Martin Vantage GT12 and the Lexus GS F will both be driven for the first time in public at Goodwood, being driven up the hill by Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer and Toyota Gazoo racing driver Mike Conway respectively.
The McLaren 570S Coupe will also be making its dynamic debut in the Supercar Run, while Bentley's updated Continental family will also be on show, as will McLaren's 986bhp P1 GTR and the all-new Mazda MX-5.
Morgan will show off its all-electric EV3 for the first time at the event. Based on the successful 3 Wheeler, the EV3 is powered by an electric motor developing 101bhp. It's capable of travelling up to 150 miles, and can reach 60mph in 6.0 seconds.
Lotus is planning to unveil its new 3-Eleven at the Festival. The super-fast track-day sports car is understood to be capable of lapping the Nürburgring in just over seven minutes - just a few seconds slower than the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and LaFerrari - and should cost less than £100,000 when it goes on sale.
Also hotly tipped to appear at Goodwood following its Le Mans debut is the Renault-Alpine sports car. A display celebrating 60 years of the Alpine brand has already been confirmed, so a dynamic debut seems likely for the £50,000 two-seat coupé.
Volkswagen, meanwhile, is bringing its Sport Coupe GTE, XL Sport and Golf R400 concepts to the Festival, as well as its 2015 Polo R WRC car - all of which are making their UK debuts.
Motorsport stars
Attractions at the Festival of Speed include five current F1 teams - including current world champions Mercedes-Benz - on display, as well as MotoGP's Valentino Rossi. Marking the 60th anniversary of Sir Stirling Moss's victory at the Mille Miglia in 1955, seven of the remaining eight Mercedes-Benx 300 SLRs will also be on show.
Among the many cars set to take on the hillclimb course over the weekend is the 28-litre Fiat S76, which receives its first public run for 101 years. The car will be taking part in a new race category dubbed "Edwardian Leviathans".
Several motorsport stars will be honoured as part of the event, with displays commemorating the careers of Derek Bell and Gilles Villeneuve. Motorbike riding legends Casey Stoner, Freddie Spencer and Kenny Roberts will also be taking to the hill, while the Festival of Speed also features the largest ever representation of NASCAR racers, including a display by Richard Petty.
Other highlights this year include a dedicated category for drifting, which will see the likes of Ken Block taking to the hill to thrill fans. Block will be bringing his modified 850bhp Ford Mustang, dubbed the ‘Hoonicorn’ to the event.
Also taking to the hill in the ‘catch my drift?’ category will be Norwegian drifter Joachim Waargaard, and drift champion James Deane.
Concours d'elegance
As well as the hillclimb stage, the Festival of Speed also features the traditional Concours d'elegance, with categories celebrating the 80th birthday of Figoni et Falaschi cars, plus the 60th anniversary of the Citroën DS brand. The Michelin Supercar Run and supercar paddock also returns.
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Autocar's guide to the Goodwood Festival of Speed
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