Rolls ROyce and Goodwood go together like a hand in a glove, this year was no different.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated a successful Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, with a significant presence throughout the event. The highlights:

Dawn Black Badge

The Festival of Speed served as the perfect staging point for the global unveiling of the Rolls‑Royce Dawn Black Badge. Unveiled in the spectacular setting of the Rolls-Royce display area on the Laundry Green, Dawn Black Badge, flanked by its siblings Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge, drew huge crowds throughout the weekend.

Dawn Black Badge stands as the most luxurious, social space from which to take in the night air. This most glamorous, uncompromising expression of open-top luxury is given a new and darker sensual dimension through its suite of Black Badge engineering and design treatments. 

The car shown was presented in a deeply intense shade of black, created by the most exhaustive painting and polishing process ever used for a solid paint colour. 

The result clothes Dawn’s lines in the deepest, darkest and most intense black to ever grace a production car surface. The roof, which opens in a ‘Silent Ballet’ to allow in the sounds of the night, is in black canvas, whilst the rear deck is finished in black leather.

Rolls-Royce ‘Sweptail’

Rolls-Royce’s history as the world’s pre-eminent coachbuilder is at the very core of its identity as the world’s most celebrated luxury brand. 

The coachbuilt Rolls-Royce ‘Sweptail’ graced the Festival of Speed in the ‘First Glance’ category, drawing huge crowds whether at rest in the paddock or wafting up the Hillclimb. Inspired by the beautiful coachbuilt Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 1930s, the patron’s desire was for a coachbuilt two seater coupé featuring a large panoramic glass roof. Rolls-Royce ‘Sweptail’ is a truly magnificent motor car, exuding the romance of travel for its own sake, placing it in the pantheon of the world’s great intercontinental tourers.

Wraith Black Badge

The most powerful and dynamic Rolls-Royce in history, Wraith Black Badge effortlessly ascended the Hillclimb during the Supercar Shootout. Wraith Black Badge peaked at 126mph during the 1.16-mile course and recorded a speed of 102mph as the car crossed the finish line, proving that it is not necessary to sacrifice luxury for speed. Wraith Black Badge was driven by Endurance Racing legend Joerg Weidinger. 

The car was finished in Dark Indigo, with the interior in Seashell and Navy Blue contrast leather, and the fascia in Black Badge Technical Fibre.

Ghost Black Badge

The Course Car this year was a Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, resplendent with LED race lights and Goodwood decals. The car was driven by a team from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and seen on the course between each Hillclimb Run throughout the weekend, completing 85 runs and covering more than 200 miles in total. The car was finished in Andalusian White, with the interior in Black and Tan contrast leather and the fascia in Black Badge Technical Fibre.

Bradley Theodore

Celebrity artist Bradley Theodore created unique artwork throughout the event at the Rolls‑Royce Black Badge display area on the Laundry Green. Renowned for his instantly recognisable ‘Dia de los Muertos’ style, Theodore is dedicated to making his art accessible for all to see around the world, producing murals on the streets of Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Oslo and Paris. 

During the Festival of Speed he created artwork inspired by iconic Rolls-Royce images, including the Spirit of Ecstasy, Double R badge and radiator grille, and also the magnificent Rolls‑Royce ‘Sweptail’.

The Rolls-Royce Fleet

In addition to the cars on the Hillclimb, invited VIP guests were conveyed in luxury from the Home of Rolls-Royce on the south-eastern corner of the Goodwood Estate – in sight of Goodwood House – in a beautiful and rarely seen fleet of Bespoke Rolls-Royce motor cars.

Anyone wishing to filter relevant Rolls-Royce information from the event is encouraged to use the hashtag #BlackBadge

Aston Martins wildest ever car the Vulcan gets the AMR Package with F1 track driving.

• Upgrade package for track-only supercar forms pinnacle of the AMR performance brand
• Focus on increased downforce via extensive aerodynamic enhancements
• Gear ratios shortened to deliver intensified acceleration
• AMR package available to current owners of the 24 Aston Martin Vulcans

Aston Martin’s wildest-ever car - the track-only Aston Martin Vulcan - has been taken to breathtaking new extremes with a performance upgrade package developed by the luxury marque’s new performance brand, AMR. 

Making its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro sports extensive aerodynamic enhancements and shortened gearing to produce increased downforce, greater responsiveness and reduced lap times - improvements that underline its status as one of the world’s most extreme and exclusive track cars.

Built in a strictly limited run of just 24 cars and delivered to customers throughout 2016, the 820BHP Aston Martin Vulcan was conceived and engineered to deliver the excitement and exceed the performance of Aston Martin’s Le Mans-winning race cars. 

Over the last two years, Aston Martin Vulcan owners have received step-by-step driver training by Aston Martin’s expert team of instructors - among them Aston Martin Racing works driver and three-time Le Mans winner, Darren Turner.

The lucky customers have participated in exclusive driving events held at some of the world’s best Formula One circuits, including Circuit of the Americas in the USA, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi and, naturally, Aston Martin’s home circuit, Silverstone. By enhancing its already prodigious capabilities the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro offers customers the chance to further develop their driving skills and enjoy an even more intense driving experience.

The Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro’s aerodynamic enhancements begin at the front-end with louvred panels added above the front wheel arches to extract high pressure air and reduce aerodynamic lift. 

A sizeable pair of dive planes have been added to each side of the nose to help pin the front-end to the track and the huge front splitter has turning vanes fitted to its underside to improve steering response. Weight has also been saved with optimisation of the carbon fibre lay-up and core form reducing the weight of the engine cover by 5kg.

Changes to the rear are equally effective and even more dramatic, courtesy of a new rear wing. Now of dual plane design, rather than the original single plane item, the main element of this enormous rear wing features a 20mm ‘Gurney’ flap - a simple but hugely effective upstand on the wing’s trailing edge - which is supplemented by slotted wing endplates that sport additional 15mm Gurneys to maximise the amount of downforce.

The combined effect of these aerodynamic changes is a major increase in downforce, from the standard Aston Martin Vulcan’s 3150Nm to a colossal 4000Nm. This compares to 3104Nm generated by the 2017 Le Mans winning Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE. 

The aero changes have also improved the aerodynamic balance of the Aston Martin Vulcan, shifting its Centre of Pressure forwards bringing it closer to the middle of the car (47% compared with 41.5% for the standard Aston Martin Vulcan) to improve traction, steering response and front-end grip.

Aston Martin Racing works driver, Darren Turner, said of the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro: “I’ve been fortunate to drive the Aston Martin Vulcan throughout its development programme and at the numerous customer events held since the cars were delivered. It’s an incredible car in every respect - looks, sound and of course, performance. 

We worked hard to ensure it’s not a monster to drive, so it was important the AMR Pro upgrade remains true to that objective. By increasing the overall level of downforce front and rear, but also improving the balance of the car we’ve done just that. 

Together with the shortened gearing, which makes it even more punchy when you accelerate through the gears, the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro feels more agile and responsive to steering inputs. When you get the aero working through a fast corner it really is an unbelievable feeling. I can’t wait to see the customers’ faces when they experience it for themselves!”

Aston Martin Vice President and Chief Special Operations Officer, David King, said of the Aston martin Vulcan AMR Pro: “When we first conceived the Aston Martin Vulcan it was to create something that expressed Aston Martin’s wilder side. 

The result was an ultimate track car - one free from the regulations and constraints of World Championship competition. A flight of fantasy, if you like. But one we could share with our keenest customers. Like anything with a motorsport mindset, once we’d built and delivered all 24 Vulcans we started thinking about how to make it quicker. 

And so the Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro was born. The shorter gearing makes for truly explosive acceleration between the corners, while the aero package’s increased downforce and improved balance gives our customers the all-important confidence to explore the extraordinary performance on offer.”

The Aston Martin Vulcan AMR Pro upgrade package will be installed by Q by Aston Martin Advanced Operations. Work is already underway on the first upgrades, with the first customer cars expected to be completed in the Autumn. The Aston Martin Vulcan AMP Pro will make its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed today.

The All-New Electric powered TX5 London Taxi will gets a first Glance at this years Goodwood Show.

One of London Taxi Company (LTC)’s all-new range extended electric taxi test vehicles will feature in the ‘First Glance’ paddock at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this week. This vehicle class showcases the latest prototype and concept vehicles from around manufacturers around the world.

Each day of the Festival, which runs from Thursday 29 June until Sunday 2 July, the electric taxi prototype will silently make the world famous Goodwood Hillclimb, making its world dynamic debut in front of some of the 200,000 visitors at the West Sussex motoring extravaganza.

Taking the wheel will be young racing driver, currently the fastest woman in the Ginetta championship, 17 year old Katie Milner – completing a trio of firsts for the London Taxi Company at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS): the world dynamic debut of their electric taxi, the first taxi ever to feature on the famous ‘Hill’ and the youngest female driver ever to take part in the Hillclimb event.

Each day the electric taxi will also be presented on the live stage at the FoS Michelin Supercar Paddock, alongside some the fastest and most valuable cars on Earth. LTC have been invited to participate on this stage because of the taxi’s adaption of supercar manufacturing techniques. LTC’s extensive use of light weighting means that LTC can get the maximum distance out of the electric battery without impacting the strength and safety of the vehicle.

LTC’s appearance at FoS follows a rigorous period of testing across the world for the all-new electric taxi, which has included weeks and thousands of miles in both hot and cold climate endurance tests in the Arizona desert and Arctic Circle, respectively.

On sale later this year, LTC’s new electric taxi will be the most comprehensively tested product in the company’s history. With well over a million miles covered so far, these test vehicles have been more extensively tested than any of LTC’s last three taxis combined. This is not just to meet the exacting standards of London’s cab drivers but the requirements of drivers and climates of cities all around the world.

Bentley brings all the cars including Le Mans and GT3 to this years Goodwood Festival of Speed.

• Continental Supersports debuts in the UK, piloted by Derek Bell
• Continental GT3 and Bentayga take on the famous hillclimb
• Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase, Bentayga Diesel, Flying Spur V8 S
  and Continental Supersports on display
• Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype on special display in the paddock,
  as a celebration of legendary racing driver Tom Kristensen
• Bentley craftsmanship demonstrations and Forza competitions
  on the stand

Bentley Motors returns to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this month, with the UK debut of the Continental Supersports alongside a powerful display of new Bentley models for the road and track.

The Festival of Speed – known as the world’s most glamorous motorsport garden party – will form the backdrop for an impressive line-up of award-winning new Bentley models. The festival runs from June 29 to July 2.

Bentley Challenges the Famous Hillclimb

The exciting new Continental Supersports captures this year’s Festival of Speed theme, “Peaks of Performance”, perfectly. The model will be shown for the first time in the UK at Goodwood where it will be driven up the historic hillclimb by Derek Bell, renowned Le Mans champion and Bentley Boy. With its purposeful appearance, the world’s fastest four-seat car – and Bentley’s most powerful production car yet – is a true game changer, accelerating to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.

The Bentley Continental GT3 race car will also grace the hillclimb driven by Bentley Boy, Andy Soucek, the Blancpain GT Series racing driver. The Continental GT3 has competed in 360 races so far, claiming 74 podiums and 29 wins.

Also going up the hillclimb will be the Bentaya, the world’s most powerful and most exclusive luxury SUV.

Bentley’s Finest Models on Display

Joining a second Continental Supersports on Bentley’s stand at the Festival of Speed will be the Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase. Designed for customers with a preference for being driven, the Extended Wheelbase offers a first-class air-travel experience for the road.

The 250 mm extension of the Mulsanne’s wheelbase is entirely to the benefit of rear-seat passenger legroom. To make the best use of the additional rear legroom, Bentley has developed airline-style electronic leg rests which are integrated into the bases of the two rear seats. These extend outward and pivot, affording rear-seat passengers the luxury of choice between upright, relaxed and reclined seating positions.

The new Bentayga Diesel will also be on display, with its combination of go-anywhere four-wheel drive, luxurious handcrafted cabin and new, triple-charged 4.0-litre diesel-powered V8 engine.

It will be joined by the Flying Spur V8 S, a more performance-orientated version of the Flying Spur, with an uprated twin-turbo V8 engine delivering 528 PS (521 bhp).

Tom Kristensen Speed 8 Celebration

Away from Bentley’s main stand, the victorious Speed 8 Prototype race car will be on display in the paddock area. This car debuted at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2001, winning the famous endurance race in 2003 with Tom Kristensen behind the wheel.

As well as offering a fantastic spectacle, the car that marked Bentley's return to racing after a 73-year absence will form a celebration of 20 years of racing at Le Mans for Kristensen, as well as a nod to the legendary driver’s 50th birthday.

New Forza Game Challenge for Visitors

Guests are invited to take part in the new Forza game on a simulator; players on the stand will take part in an exclusive pre-release version of the game before its general release in September. A Bentley Boy will set the fastest lap on Forza before the festival begins, and a competition to beat the fastest lap will be run over the four days of the festival.

Live Craftsmanship Displays on Stand

Visitors to Bentley’s stand over the Festival of Speed weekend will also be invited to watch demonstrations by the craftsmen from Crewe. As well as an introduction to Mulliner, the Bentley’s bespoke commissioning division, guests will be able to observe craftsmen from the woodshop and trim departments, designing and making interior elements, using the finest quality leathers and woods.

Rolls ROyce enjoys a hugely successful event with Goodwood's famous hillclimb showcasing teh Wraiths Speed.

Rolls-Royce celebrated a successful Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, with a stunning ascent of the famous Goodwood Hillclimb, defying challenging weather conditions.

The highlights:

Wraith Black Badge. The most powerful and dynamic Rolls-Royce in history, Wraith Black Badge effortlessly ascended the Hillclimb during the Supercar Shootout, placing it ahead of entrants from McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari, amongst others. Wraith completed the 1.16-mile course in 65.05 seconds and recorded a speed of 94.8mph as the car crossed the finish line, proving that it is not necessary to sacrifice luxury for speed. Wraith was driven by Festival of Speed favourite, Justin Law.

Ghost Black Badge. The Course Car this year was a Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, resplendent with LED race lights and Goodwood decals. The car was seen at speed between each Hillclimb Run throughout the weekend.

In addition to Wraith Black Badge and Ghost Black Badge, invited VIP guests were conveyed in luxury from the Home of Rolls-Royce on the south-eastern corner of the Goodwood Estate in a beautiful fleet of Bespoke Rolls-Royce motor cars.

Anyone wishing to filter relevant Rolls-Royce information from the event is encouraged to use the hashtag #BlackBadge.