Cups of Tea, Visit number, cars and overall BHP, we have some of the numbers for Goodwood 2015.

With the opening today of the Goodwood Moving Motor Show, the most eagerly-anticipated motoring event of the year – the Festival of Speed – is underway.

Lord March opened the Moving Motor Show this morning by driving the new Mazda MX-5 up the Goodwood Estate’s famous, 1.16-mile Hillclimb course. Mazda is being honoured with the iconic Central Feature situated outside Goodwood House and has chosen the Moving Motor Show to give the new MX-5 its UK debut.

But, while the Festival of Speed is already one of the most famous and respected motoring events in the world, the legendary four-day event still holds a few of its own secrets.

Ahead of the annual celebration of all things motorised and motor sport, in quintessentially British fashion, Goodwood has revealed the top 10 things you might not know about the Goodwood Moving Motor Show and Festival of Speed.

• Goodwood’s Moving Motor Show (Thursday, June 25) covers 5500m² of the Goodwood Estate – enough space to park 1200 classic Minis bumper-to-bumper
• Over 10,000 cups of tea will be served in Goodwood House over the Festival of Speed weekend
• 70,000 cars will be at the event (including competition and Moving Motor Show cars, display cars and those in the public car parks)
• 4,200 miles will be covered on the famous 1.16-mile hillclimb over the weekend – that’s the same as driving from Goodwood to New York
• This year’s Central Feature, which honours Mazda, is 37m high and weighs approximately 133 tonnes
• The collective horse power of all of the cars running on the hill across the weekend is approximately 120,000bhp
• 3,800 bales of hay will be used as crash barriers at the event
• 300 marshals will work across the weekend to keep the drivers and spectators safe
• Around 6,000 visitors will camp on the Goodwood Estate over the weekend
• The loudest car at the event will be Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat 1-B – an astonishing 1959 drag-racing machine
• Four active Formula 1 race winners, with 67 grand prix victories between them, will drive during the Festival of Speed; Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button.

The action gets underway on Thursday, June 25 with the Moving Motor Show; billed as the ultimate test-drive experience, the Moving Motor Show will feature global, European and UK debuts from many of the 20 manufacturers exhibiting, meaning that visitors to the event will be among the first in the world to see the newest models from the likes of Aston Martin, Ford, Ferrari and Peugeot.

More than 34,000 visitors are expected to attend the Moving Motor Show, with the total crowd for the Festival weekend expected to top last year’s number of 202,000.

Volkswagen announces pricing and specs for the All New T6 Transporter Van.

• Sixth-generation Transporter panel van priced from £17,745 (ex VAT)
• Broadest range of engines, trims and transmissions ever offered
• Engine range includes new Euro 6 unit with improved efficiency and lower emissions
• Higher equipment levels across the new Transporter range
• Kombi models priced from £19,840 (ex VAT)
• Order books open 6 July – deliveries start from September

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has announced UK prices and specifications for the new Transporter panel van and Kombi models. The sixth-generation model launches with the widest range of engine, transmission and trim level options ever offered by Volkswagen and introduces a host of new design and engineering features, along with new assistance and safety systems. 

Prices for the new Transporter T6 panel van start from £17,745 (excluding VAT and other OTR charges), with order books opening on 6 July.

The Transporter is Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ biggest selling model in the UK, and has consistently set the benchmark for quality, practicality and low running costs. The sixth-generation model – which is scheduled to arrive in the UK in September – is set to raise standards once more with a package that delivers improved efficiency, greater comfort and higher equipment levels.

Broader range, more equipment

The new Transporter panel van and Kombi range consists of three trim levels, all of which enjoy significant equipment boosts over the outgoing model.

Startline models are priced from £17,745 (panel van, excluding VAT) and introduce a host of new standard features including BlueMotion Technology, DAB+ digital radio, 5-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth phone connectivity and USB connection. Standard equipment also includes Volkswagen’s acclaimed Automatic Post Collision Braking system, which automatically applies the brakes after a collision, reducing the risk of a secondary impact.

Trendline models start from £19,755 (panel van, excluding VAT) and build on the generous standard specification of the Startline. In addition to new Simora cloth upholstery and a multi-function display, Trendline models benefit from new wheel trims, a full-height steel bulkhead (panel van), body-coloured bumpers and rear parking sensors. A Comfort pack consisting of foldable grab handles on A-pillars, additional storage compartments, dimmable cabin lights and additional noise suppression is also fitted as standard.

Highline models top the new Transporter range and are priced from £21,315. Among the many new features introduced to the sixth-generation version are a new leather multifunction steering wheel, heated windscreen, automatic driving light control, daytime running lights and 16-inch Clayton alloy wheels (17” Richmond alloys on T32 and/or 180PS engine). Highline models also come with front fog lights with cornering function and a Thatcham Category 1-approved alarm as standard.

In keeping with Transporter tradition, the new T6 model offers a range of body options and gross vehicle weights to suit the needs of all operators and drivers. In addition to three roof height options; standard (1,410 mm), medium (1,635 mm) and high (1,940 mm), the new Transporter is available with four gross vehicle weights (ranging from 2,600 kg to 3,200 kg) along with short and long wheelbase options.

Prices for Kombi models start from £19,840 for the entry-level 2.0 TDI 84PS Startline model.

Cleaner, more efficient engines

From launch, the Transporter engine range consists of four 2.0-litre TDI Euro5 engines with outputs of 84 PS, 102 PS, 140 PS and 180 PS (Highline only) and a 2.0-litre TDI Euro 6 unit that develops 102 PS. All models benefit from Volkswagen’s acclaimed BlueMotion Technology modifications as standard. These include low rolling resistance tyres, and regenerative braking and Start/Stop systems, to reduce fuel consumption meaning the new Transporter is cleaner and more efficient than the outgoing model. For example, the 2.0-litre 102 PS Euro6 panel van SWB can return 47.9 mpg on the combined cycle (a 10.2 mpg improvement) and emits 153 g/km of CO₂ (a reduction of 45 g/km).

The 2.0-litre TDI Euro6 engine will be joined by additional Euro6 units over the course of the next 12 months, with 150 PS and 204 PS powertrains added to the range. These advanced new units feature a range of improvements designed to increase efficiency and drivability.

All 84 PS and 102 PS engines are fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, with 140 PS and 180 PS units equipped with either a six-speed transmission as standard or a seven-speed DSG automatic.

Option prices for the new Transporter range, along with prices and specifications for Shuttle, Caravelle and California models will be announced shortly.

New top of the range special edition joins the Toyota GT86 range of coupe's

• New special edition model at the top of the GT86 range
• Finished in GT White Pearl with contrasting red and grey body decals
• GT86-embossed 18-inch alloys with anthracite finish
• Full leather sports seats with front seat heaters
• Individual numbered plaque for each car
• On sale from 1 July, price £28,500, customer deliveries from 1 August

Toyota has topped off its revised GT86 range with a new special edition model, the GT86 Blanco, a car that delivers all of the coupe’s acclaimed handling and performance plus an extra dash of one-off style.

True to its name, the new Blanco is finished in GT White Pearl pearlescent paint with contrasting sports decals in a combination of red and grey. A stripe decal runs up from the nose and across the bonnet and roof, matched by a GT86 twin-stripe along the sills. The front lip and rear diffuser are edged in red and red and grey flashes adorn the door mirrors.

The dedicated 18-inch alloys have a slim 10-spoke design, finished in Anthracite and embossed with the GT86 name. In the cabin the sports seats have full leather upholstery and, for the front seats, heaters. Each car features its own numbered plaque on the centre console, recording its place in the special edition production run.

Customers can add to their car’s specification with a nine-speaker JBL sound system and the Toyota Touch and Go touchscreen-controlled multimedia and navigation package.

The look may be different, but there is no change to the supreme balance and rewarding handling that continue to earn the 2+2 coupe critical plaudits. The car’s low centre of gravity and unique combination of a compact, naturally aspirated, front-mounted 2.0-litre boxer engine with rear-wheel drive deliver classic sports car performance, at an affordable price.

The new Blanco joins the recently revised range alongside the GT86 Primo, GT86 and GT86 Aero. It is on sale from 1 July, priced £28,500, with first deliveries to customers from 1 August.

Mazda produces one of the most simple, but most beautiful statues at Goodwood.

A spectacular 40-metre addition to the Sussex skyline celebrates Mazda’s racing heritage at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. Second in height only to the Chichester Cathedral spire, the Goodwood Festival of Speed centrepiece features two racing cars bursting out of the ground trailing spectacular twisted steel shapes.

Inspired by Mazda’s Kodo design philosophy of strength, beauty and tension found in the instantaneous movement of living things and the simplicity that reflects Japanese aesthetics, Gerry Judah’s clever interpretation of Kodo is a beautiful and simple form that expresses tension, lightness and movement that belies the complexity of the structure.

Stacked like matchsticks, 418 steel beams, each a different length and angle, turn the sculpture from right to left – hanging the cars over the spectators below.

Featuring 120 tonnes of steel that, put end to end, would stretch 1235 metres, the length of the Goodwood Hill Climb track, this is the most complex centrepiece yet.

“Usually,” commented Gerry Judah, “the one thing you never do with steel is to twist it, so this year we had an impossible challenge to find a way of corkscrewing the entire structure, and we succeeded with an elegant and graceful system that shows of the elegance and grace of the cars themselves.”

“When we first started talking about the central feature at Goodwood we wanted it to represent our brand through our design philosophy of Kodo,” said Ikuo Maeda, Mazda Executive Officer, General Manager Design Division.  “Gerry has faithfully represented our brand in a striking and beautiful structure that is clearly Kodo.  There is a lightness and strength to the structure, yet it gives the cars movement and energy, it is a sculpture that we are very proud to represent Mazda.”

The central feature celebrates Mazda’s motorsport heritage, a history that started in Europe in the late 1960’s to prove and promote its rotary engine in the tough environment of endurance racing.

Since then Mazda rotary engine cars have won 100 IMSA races; a class win in the Daytona 24 Hours; IMSA manufacturer and driver titles; the Spa 24 Hours; five class victories at Le Mans; two British Touring Car titles; and, most famously, Le Mans in 1991 with the 787B.

The two cars on top of the sculpture are the Le Mans winning Mazda 787B which took overall victory in the famous 24 hour race in 1991 driven by British driver Johnny Herbert alongside Volker Weidler and Bertrand Gachot. Mazda remains the only Japanese manufacturer to have won Le Mans 24 Hours and the only rotary engine to have won the famous French endurance race.

Next to the 787B is the Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo car.  Created for Playstation’s Gran Tursimo 6 racing simulation game, the stunning Mazda LM55 Vision Gran Turismo makes the leap from virtual concept car to physical concept with its towering position on the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed Mazda Central Feature. 

Named after the number 55 Mazda 787B that took victory in the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, the LM55 is both a homage to the dramatic proportions of the 787B and a vision of a futuristic sports prototype drawn with inspiration from Mazda’s KODO: Soul of Motion design philosophy.

Sharing the dramatic proportions of a Le Mans racer, the LM55’s sleek nose, sculpted wings and low rear-end deliver a uniquely dynamic shape that stays true to the KODO ethos of 'beautiful form full of life'. A stunning addition to the West Sussex skyline, the pairing of 787B and LM55 on the Mazda Central Feature perfectly encapsulates the celebration of Mazda’s 'Challenger Spirit' in the racing legends of our illustrious sporting past, and the stylish and spirited cars of Mazda’s future.

McLaren Automotive produces some great end of year financials, again, and only after four years of trading.

• McLaren Automotive records second consecutive year of profitability just four years after opening its first retailer
• 2014 sales increased 18 percent over 2013, another year of growth
• Already a sustainable business investing in its future and people
• An expanding range of luxury sports cars designed, engineered and made in the UK...and intending to stay that way
• More than 1,200 people employed, most in the UK, with 50 percent of parts UK sourced, and 92 percent of output exported

The incredible story of McLaren Automotive continues with the announcement of a second consecutive year of profitability four years since the company opened its first retailer.  The achievement is considered unprecedented in today’s motor industry.

  

The company has also recorded its fourth year of sales growth and is predicting more following the launch this year of a quartet of new models – two of which are already sold out – and the establishment of a three tier product structure reinforcing its future as a British based manufacturer of luxury sports cars, and only luxury sports cars.

Led by Chief Executive Officer Mike Flewitt, in 2014, the company generated an operating profit of £20.8m (2013: £12.4m, + 68 percent) and a profit before tax of £15.0m (2013: £4.5m +233 percent). These profits were generated from turnover that grew from £285.4m in 2013 to £475.5m in 2014.

The company ended 2014 with record sales as it has done every year since it first began producing its current range of cars in 2010.  A total of 1,649 vehicles were delivered to customers around the world, an increase of 18 percent over 2013.

Following the introduction of the 650S in Coupé and Spider form at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show where the two models were launched simultaneously, strong demand for the core McLaren model range saw sales reach 1,401 units.

In addition, 248 examples of the McLaren P1™ (2013: 36) were delivered – around two thirds of car’s total 375 unit production run.

  

McLaren Automotive has continued to focus on developing new product. During 2014 the Company invested £91.8m in R&D, up from £67m in 2013, which represents almost 20 percent of turnover.

Looking forward, this percentage is expected to be maintained in 2015 as the company continues development of its model range.  Crucial to this is the new Sports Series. The 570S Coupé is the first model and was revealed at the beginning of April 2015 at the New York Auto Show.

  

This has already been followed by a second, the 540C Coupé, which was launched a few weeks later in Shanghai.  Together they take McLaren into a new segment and put the brand within reach of a whole new audience.

A second body-style will be introduced in 2016 followed by another in 2017, by which time the Sports Series is forecast to more than double the production output of McLaren Automotive to around 4,000 units per annum. 

This number, while deliberately small in industry terms, will allow McLaren to thrive and is in line with the wish of its clients that its products should forever remain a rare sight to protect not just the brand’s exclusivity but also the investment of owners.

The core McLaren range, the Super Series, continues to find new audiences.  The track focused 675LT was launched in March at the International Geneva Motor Show.  

Limited to just 500 units globally, these all found buyers in just a couple of months.  Production commences in July alongside the 650S Coupé and 650S Spider which is currently the only open roofed, mid-engined sports car available globally that is capable of more than 200mph.

The final and 375th example of the McLaren P1™ is due to be produced later this year.  It sits alongside the track only McLaren P1™ GTR, production of which has just begun, in the third and most exclusive McLaren product tier, the Ultimate Series.  

To be produced in even more limited numbers, the McLaren P1™ GTR is a 1,000PS technological showcase for the brand and was displayed in production ready form earlier this year at the International Geneva Motor Show.

  

Owners will be offered the opportunity to join the McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Programme which has its first meeting at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain, later this year.  From October, the McLaren Production Centre will concentrate on production of the Super Series and new Sports Series, orders for which already take production well into 2016.

RETAIL NETWORK AND REGIONAL SALES SUCCESS

The network of McLaren retailers grew to cover 30 markets with the additions of Chile, Scotland and Thailand. New sales outlets were also opened in existing markets bringing the total number of outlets to 71. More development is planned in 2015.

Growth was recorded across all four of the McLaren regional business units. The Asia-Pacific region saw the biggest rise with sales increasing by 80 percent over 2013 with 11 new retail locations across the region helping to fuel this growth.

The North American market remained the largest market for McLaren accounting for more than 30 percent of overall sales, while sales in both Europe and the Middle East grew year-on-year by 10 percent and nine percent respectively.

EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

As well as investing in new products, McLaren Automotive continues to care for another important asset: its people.  The number of employees based across its global facilities increased by 25 percent against 2013 to a total of 1,283 employees.

  

Of these, 33 percent are employed in engineering.  This is an increase from 2013 reflecting a focus on creating a sustainable future for the brand through the constant development of new and exciting product.  

As production rises further, the number of people employed globally by the brand will grow even more.

Commenting on the 2014 year end performance, Mike Flewitt, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive explained: 

‘These latest results highlight that McLaren Automotive continues to push boundaries and are testament to the energy and professionalism of the teams in Woking and around the world, including our retail partners and suppliers.

We have seen the third consecutive year of growth for the brand, and a second year of profitability, which is a fantastic achievement and perhaps unprecedented in the modern automotive industry.

‘Since the opening of the first retailer in June 2011, McLaren has established a world-class network of retailers, with 14 key locations added in 2014. Add to this a range of groundbreaking models, to which four have already been added this year, and 2015 looks set to bring another strong result for McLaren.’

		2014	2013	% change
Deliveries to customers	Cars	1,649	1,395	18%
Employed	People	1,283	1,027	25%
Sales revenue	Thousand GBP	475,516	285,426	67%
Operating profit	Thousand GBP	20,756	12,375	68%
Operating profit as % of sales	%	4.4%	4.3%
Profit before tax	Thousand GBP	14,966	4,500	233%
Profit (loss) after tax	Thousand GBP	8,487	-      (3,670)	331%
Capitalised development costs	Thousand GBP	91,839	66,958	37%
Capitalised investments as a %age of T/O		19.3%	23.5%