Goodwood 2024: hot Genesis models, fast EVs, rapid wrecks

Article content

Genesis debuted rolling versions of its new high-performance Magma models at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed with a six-time Le Mans winner at the wheel of the all-electric GV60 Magma Concept. Jacky Ickx became a Genesis brand ambassador earlier this year, and was on hand at Goodwood to bring some motorsport cred to the new Magma line-up, which include the GV60 Magma Concept; the G80 EV Magma Concept; and the GV80 Coupe Concept.

The South Korean luxury automaker also brought along the very special G70 Track Taxi Nordschleife, a hotted-up an G70 3.3T model built specifically for passenger rides at the fabled Nürburgring track in Germany. Alas, no such taxi rides were on the offing at Goodwood, but all four bright orange models made spirited dashes up the legendary 1.9-kilometre ribbon of blacktop snaking through the estate’s verdant grounds.

For Ickx – who, in addition to claiming a half-dozen outright Le Mans victories, won eight F1 races, and twice finished second in the F1 championship – electrification of the automobile simply represents the next step along humankind’s mobility journey.

“We started with the horse, then the train, then the automobile, and electric vehicles are just part of the future of mobility, which will be a mix of energies,” the Belgian told me during his break from appearances and autograph sessions. “Genesis to me represents the present and future, and its EVs are the first step into the new world of mobility.”

As we reported back in March from the New York auto show, the Magma models are high-performance variants of existing Genesis vehicles, with lower and wider bodies, enhanced chassis and suspension components, exclusive sound systems and a special interface. And while the concepts all sport bright orange livery, other colours will be available once the Magma line goes into production. The first to do so will be the all-electric GV60, slated to go on sale next year with upgraded battery, motor technology, chassis, aerodynamics and thermodynamics from the regular model.

Genesis also brought along the sexy and slippery — and orange — X Gran Berlinetta Concept, but it sadly was only a static display in the brand’s two-story display building near the start line of the hill climb.

Festival of Electrification

The atmosphere of the four-day celebration of the motor car that started 31 years ago is always electric, and with the automotive industry increasingly injecting electrons into its products, it was little surprise that EVs dominated the immaculate grounds of the Duke of Richmond’s country estate. Underscoring that was the fact that, for the first time ever, an all-electric vehicle was part of Gerry Judah’s iconic Goodwood sculpture, with an MG Cyberster joining a classic MGB in a soaring artistic celebration of the marque’s centenary.

Here is a look at some electrified highlights and headliners from this year’s event, with some internal-combustion models thrown in for good measure.

Polestar Concept BST

The all-electric performance brand with Swedish roots continues to debut new concepts, and at Goodwood it was the Polestar Concept BST that made its global bow, a sporty coupe with distinctive Polestar design cues and finished in a silver that wouldn’t look out of place on a race track. That motorsport theme is carried over into muscular flared arches, an extra-wide track, 22-inch forged alloy wheels, and an aerodynamically optimized hood with vent and an aggressive front splitter.

And there’s a big wing at the rear underscoring the aerodynamic design of the coupe. Polestar was also getting into the hill-climb action, with the drop-top Polestar 6 Concept giving the crowd a show. This limited-edition model will be available — hopefully — next year, and will represent the pinnacle of the Polestar lineup.

Ford Mustang GTD

It’s been about a year since Ford unveiled the Mustang GTD, a bewinged hot rod with a price tag well over a quarter-million bucks and a target of more than 800 horsepower as part of its mission statement. Our man in attendance got to see it in person, confirming it is indeed as outrageous as it looks in photos. Goodwood also marked the first dynamic display of the Mustang GTD, with a works driver flinging it up the hilly course to equal amounts of applause and exhaust din.

Red Bull RB17

Yes, an energy drink this author used to swill in his youth has launched an obscenely powerful hypercar. What’s next? The all-new Monster MS01? At any rate, the Red Bull RB17 was designed and developed (and manufactured) entirely in-house at Red Bull Advanced Technologies. It features a two-seat carbon-fibre monocoque chassis with a mid-mounted V10 hybrid engine said to be good for 1,200 horsepower. It plans to produce 50 of them.

MG Cyberster

Billed as an all-electric roadster, this slick two-door is expected to go on sale before the youngsters go back to school in September. Horsepower is targeted at just shy of 500 ponies in some variants; range is expected to check in at up to 316 miles (505 kilometres); and it should accelerate to highway speeds in a little over three seconds when equipped with two motors. And, oh, yeah — it has scissor doors.

Ford Capri

Well, the new Capri is certainly a car. Purists will froth into their Blue Oval jumpers about Ford’s decision to place such a storied nameplate on (yet another) crossover — and an electric one, to boot. Hey, look what Ford did with the Mustang name over here. The Volkswagen ID.4 is the Capri’s fraternal twin, providing much of the architecture.

Renault 5 Electric

This pert electric city car from the French automaker gets a lot right in terms of styling, not the least of which are those taillights, which harken back to the original Renault 5 (better known to Canadians as the “Le Car”). Its interior is wholly modern, as befits a new electric car. Across the pond, look for an estimated 400-kilometre (250-mile) range on a fully charged battery, and a £25,000 (CDN$44,000) price tag.

Lotus Evija X

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Do not adjust your sets, folks. The much-anticipated 2,000-horsepower electric hypercar from Lotus, a vehicle designed to break records at Nürburgring and elsewhere, only made it about 50 feet from the start line at Goodwood before stuffing itself into a hay bale. Talking heads in attendance suggested the car’s software got confuffled after its driver lit the tires up.

[Lotus wasn’t the only one to nose it into the hay bales this year, with driver Travis Pastrana also crashing his Subaru “Huckster” on Sunday. To his credit, he had told journalists that, during his run, he was going to “err on the side of aggression.” —Ed.]

BYD Dolphin

Making about 200 horsepower and estimated to run over 400 kilometres (250 miles) on a single charge (at least according to the endlessly optimistic WLTP economy ratings of Europe) the BYD Dolphin is a well-equipped electric vehicle with an attractive interior and a heat pump as standard equipment.

A new trim introduced this year cuts range to about 300 kilometres (186 miles) — but also cuts the price to the equivalent of roughly CDN$18,700 in its home market of China. Those range estimates might be suspect, given the stated battery capacities (45 kWh and 32 kWh, respectively) but the price is sure to make some sit up and take notice.

Polestar 6 Concept

While the naming convention at Polestar isn’t all that imaginative (it started with 1, and it’s now up to 6) at least the brand is in no danger of running out of numerals. The 6 Concept is a dual-motor all-electric targeted to make a bonkers 871 horsepower and rip to 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in just 3.2 seconds.

Ford Raptor T1+

Purpose-built to take on the Dakar Rally, this outrageous Ford truck applies learnings from recent Dakar competition to assemble an advanced suspension featuring a front and rear independent double-wishbone design drafted in partnership with Fox, which provided coilover multi-way adjustable external-bypass dampers with remote reservoirs.

Powering the lot is a 5.0L Coyote-based V8 engine, and it has almost 16 inches of ground clearance, plus a tremendous 70-degree approach angle. It will be campaigned by four teams of drivers and navigators in two rallies this year, plus the 2025 Dakar.

Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.