Nio EP9 Is The Fastest Road Car To Ever Take On The Goodwood Hillclimb

The Volkswagen I.D. R wasn’t the only EV that set a record time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

It came as no surprise when the Volkswagen I.D. R not only set the fastest time at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed but also broke a new EV hillclimb record, beating the previous record time set by Jonny Cocker in an 850-hp Lola-Drayson B12 69/EV by 3.5 seconds. After all, this is the same car that smashed the all-time Pikes Peak record only a few weeks ago. Setting a time of 43.86 seconds, it wasn’t enough to beat the outright Goodwood Hillclimb record, however, which has been held by Nick Heidfeld for nearly 20 years after he drove McLaren MP4/13 grand prix racer up the hill in just 41.6 seconds.

No doubt Volkswagen will attempt to beat it again next year. However, the I.D. R wasn’t the only car to set an EV record at Goodwood. Technically, Volkswagen’s electric racer isn’t a production car - that honor goes to the Nio EP9. Driven by Peter Dumbreck, the Chinese electric supercar completed the 1.16-mile hillclimb course in just 44.61 seconds.

That makes the EP9 that fastest road-legal car to ever lap the Goodwood Hillclimb, beating the McLaren P1 LM's time of 47.07 seconds in 2016. It was also the fifth fastest time ever recorded in the event’s 25-year history. It’s worth noting, however, that the EP9 isn’t a regular production car since only 16 examples are being built. The car’s street legal tires were also swapped with racing slicks for the record run.

Nevertheless, the EP9 has proven that EVs will set new performance benchmarks for road cars. Powering the Chinese electric supercar are four electric motors delivering a combined 1,342 horsepower and 1,091. That’s enough power to propel the EP9 from 0-62 mph in -60 mph in 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 195 mph.

“When it came to my run in the Shoot Out this afternoon the timing beacon seemed to be down and I had to go back from the line, then go forward and get ready again, so it kind of broke my concentration,” said Dumbreck. “But once I got the signal to go, I was pushing very hard and ran just a little bit wide on turn two. It was very dirty and dusty, but it didn’t lose me too much time and I was back hard on the throttle again. From there, I think I did my best top half of the Hillclimb all weekend and I was able to do my fastest run of the event, so I am really happy. It could have been maybe a tenth or two faster, but I doubt that I would have beaten the Pike’s Peak hillclimb car here today, so all in all, we are very happy.”

This isn't the first record the Chinese electric hypercar has set, either. Last year, the Nio EP9 set a new EV record at the Nüuburgring with a time of 6:45.90 – a record that still hasn’t been beaten.

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What's New At Goodwood This Year? Two SUVs With A Combined 1,241-HP

Are super SUVs the start of a new trend?

The 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed kicks off next week but unlike previous years, there’ll be two new vehicles marking their first hill climbs. But why are these two specific vehicles interesting? Because they’re the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus, a pair of SUVs that are likely just the start of a new era of factory-built super SUVs. Rolls-Royce recently unveiled its Cullinan and the Porsche Cayenne keeps getting more powerful with each new generation. Aston Martin will soon launch its own SUV, as will Lotus.

The new Jaguar F-Pace SVR has 542 hp. But the Bentayga and Urus take things to another level for both output and general sophistication. The specific Bentayga coming to Goodwood is the record-breaking W12-powered model that just set a new time for a production SUV at the Pikes Peak hill climb. It also happens to have 600 hp. And then there’s the new Lamborghini Urus, also making its first Goodwood appearance. Combined with its 641 hp, the pair offer a combined output of 1,241 hp. Imagine what continued development of these super SUVs will bring a year from now? Five years from now? You get the point. And this begs the question: will supercar buyers start preferring these super SUVs instead?

After all, the latter are more comfortable, more capable, and even more luxurious. They also offer better value for the money because they can transport the entire family in fine style. Look, we all know supercars aren’t going anywhere, but the super SUV segment is just getting started. Who would have thought say, a decade ago, that we’d be seeing 600 hp or so SUVs charging their way up the Goodwood hill climb and even Pikes Peak? Even iconic SUV brands have taken notice of this new phenomenon. Best example: the Hellcat-powered 707 hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. Kind of a shame it won’t be at the Goodwood paddock this year.

But the very fact Bentley and Lamborghini are willing to bring their respective SUVs to the Goodwood Hillclimb alongside the many supercars speaks volumes; they can both more than hold their own. Are these exotic and supercar fans willing to accept high-powered SUVs into their fold? If so, and we think they are, then be prepared for an onslaught of all-wheel drive, raised body horsepower wars. Oh, and how could we forget, Ferrari will soon have an SUV of its own. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Jaguar, Porsche, Bentley, Rolls-Royce – all already have or will launch SUVs very soon. Needless to say, the next few years are going to be very interesting for fans of high-performance exotic SUVs.

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Fastest EV In The World Headed To Goodwood FOS

The NIO EP9 electric hypercar that broke the Nurburgring lap record will run at Goodwood.

Want to see the fastest EV in the world? Head to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. No, not the Rimac C_Two, although that boasts faster acceleration and a higher top speed. We're referring to the NIO EP9, the electric hypercar that lapped the Nurburgring last year in 6:45.9 – a good second and a half faster than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS – setting an EV lap record. Now the Chinese electric-vehicle startup is bringing that very car to Goodwood, where it will be reunited with the same driver that manhandled it around the Nordschleife.

The NIO EP9 also autonomously lapped the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, last year faster than any other self-driving car ever has. It's something of a technological marvel, packing four electric motors each producing over 335 horsepower for a combined output of 1,341 hp. Its batteries alone weigh 1,400 pounds, but carbon-fiber construction helps keep the curb weight down to 3,825 pounds. The result is a 2.7-second 0-62 mph time and a top speed quoted at 194 mph. While Peter Dumbreck drives the EP9 up the Earl of March's front lawn, NIO will display another EP9 along with its next-generation Formula E racer for fans to check out up close and in person.

Running at the time under the banner of its sister company NextEV, the NIO Formula E team won the first driver's championship with Nelson Piquet Jr behind the wheel in 2015. "It's our time to take to the global stage," said NIO performance chief Gerry Hughes. "We are all extremely excited at the thought of Peter Dumbreck unleashing the ground-breaking performance of the NIO EP9 Supercar." With its performance capabilities now thoroughly proven, NIO is in the process of putting the ES8 seven-seat electric crossover into production. The vehicle was unveiled last December, and is slated to start reaching customers later this year.

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When The Duke Invites You To Drive Supercars At Goodwood, You Don't Say No

Goodwood's first 'Press Day' in over 50 years was a spectacular day of driving some incredible machines.

Goodwood is best known for the Festival of Speed and Revival, spectacular events that draw in hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. But last week, The Duke of Richmond and Gordon (previously Lord March), invited a select few members of the media to the Goodwood Motor Circuit for its inaugural ‘Press Day.’ Inspired by the Motor Show Press Day that his grandfather used to hold in the 1950s and 1960s, it gave Goodwood’s media partners the chance to sample a range of some of the latest (and greatest) cars on the road.

From the brand-new Aston Martin Vantage to the Rolls-Royce Dawn, we spent a glorious, sun-kissed day, driving supercars on the legendary Goodwood circuit, and on the verdant country lanes around the Estate. After five days of unrelenting rainfall, the sun graciously appeared on the morning of the event and kept his hat on until early evening, giving us the chance to sample some epic roof-down driving in the likes of the Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster and Aston Martin DB11 Volante. Road routes were mapped out, taking us through the Goodwood grounds, past the house and up the legendary hill climb, the cheering crowd of car nuts replaced by casual golfers and grazing sheep.

A few miles of near-empty roads provided the chance to make the Lamborghini’s 740-horsepower V12 wail and scream up to speed, with a cacophony of pops and crackles entering the cabin on the overrun. In Sport + mode, the DB11 also delivered plenty of aural pleasure, and was a surprisingly feisty proposition, a very marked difference from its calm-and-collected GT mode that drivers will use to cruise around in. McLaren didn’t disappoint either, arriving with a selection of its Sport Series models, including the 570S Coupe and Spider, and 570GT, as well as a 720S in signature orange livery.

After an introduction to the 2.4-mile track by Goodwood’s Chief Driving Instructor, David Brise, followed by an obligatory couple of sighting laps, I made a beeline for the 720S. Loud and aggressive at start up, the 720S was relatively refined on the road (as long as you avoided the potholes) but this is a car capable of hitting a top speed of 212 mph, of reaching 62 mph in less than three seconds with a colossal 710 horsepower and 568 lb-ft of torque at its disposal. All that performance and power is there, scratching at the surface. It’s like a professionally trained combat canine, the Belgian Malinois of the supercar world. Well-behaved and docile one minute, ready to rip out your throat the next.

While we lamented the fact we couldn’t sample the extreme side of 720S on track, a stunning baby-blue McLaren 570S Spider awaited us in the pits to soften the blow. The Jackie Stewart Pavilion was our base for the day, the modern space with large balconies that overlook the paddock and track the ideal spot to knock back some espressos with other media and PR while watching the cars accelerate past the pit lane to the challenging Madgwick Corner. Driving the 720S, DB11, Aventador, as well as a V12-powered Ferrari GTC4Lusso on the road was undoubtedly plenty of fun. But it is a rare treat indeed to drive the Goodwood Motor Circuit, and when you see what cars were on offer, you’ll understand why it was so hard to leave it.

Joining the McLaren 570S Spider was a Honda NSX (the original, pre-prototype, chassis #0000 no less), a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS (manual), a Ford Mustang packing 670 horsepower courtesy of a Roush developed supercharger kit and a short-shifting manual, a Rolls-Royce Dawn, BMW M5, Aston Martin Vantage, Maserati Gran Turismo MC Stradale, and Bentley Bentayga. Passenger rides were also offered in the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder and Mini Challenge Race Car, the latter making most occupants revisit their lunch in the back of their throats. At the top of the pile were the McLaren 570S Spider and Honda NSX. We’ll have a comparison review of these cars shortly.

Wearing an Acura badge on this side of the pond, the Honda NSX is a phenomenally playful machine on the track. The complex delivery of its 581-hp, with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 doing the bulk of the heavy lifting behind your head, and a trio of electric motors adding power precisely when and where it’s needed, all sent to the tarmac via a sublime nine-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic transmission, coupled with beautifully–weighted steering and a spectacular soundtrack, the NSX was an intoxicating car to drive and one I was reluctant to pit after a few laps.

After laps in Normal and Sport mode, McLaren’s test driver for the day put the 570S Spider into Track mode, transforming the car into a completely different animal. Louder, more responsive to the touch, up on its toes and just so, so fast. The 720S takes things to an entirely new level, and then there’s the Senna and recently-revealed Senna GTR up in the supercar stratosphere, but after sampling the 570S in track mode my head was already in the clouds. The award for most unique driving experience has to go to the Rolls-Royce Dawn. Driving two-and-a-half tons around a track shouldn’t be this easy.

Effortless and graceful, wafting around on a bed of air, gliding from corner to corner with gentle movements of the steering wheel, all while cocooned in a cabin so beautiful you could cry. But the real winner of the day was brand Goodwood. This year, the Festival of Speed will celebrate its silver jubilee. For almost 25 years, millions of gearheads have flocked to the manicured lawns of the Duke’s estate to enjoy the greatest summer garden party on the planet. Geneva, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Frankfurt. I’ve been to them all, and nothing comes close to Goodwood. It has become the greatest car show in the world.

Testament to that is Goodwood’s ability to attract so many prestigious marques for what was an unforgettable day of driving pleasure. Travelling thousands of miles for a single day may sound extreme. But when Goodwood comes calling, you don’t say no. See you at FOS 2018.

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10 Exotic Cars That Made World Debut At The Goodwood Festival Of Speed

What performance exotic will be revealed at this year's show?

The Goodwood Festival of Speed has been growing in popularity each year since it first opened its doors to motoring fans back in 1993. The Earl of March has steadily expanded the scope of the event and there are now tons of awesome things to see and do over the course of four action-packed days. Apart from the famous hillclimb, there is the F1 and supercar paddock, auctions, a rally and aviation and air displays to enjoy.

What many people look forward to most though are the global debuts of some of the most exciting upcoming sports and supercars. Manufacturers take the opportunity to display their new models to visitors while some even offer people the opportunity to be driven up the hill in them. We take a look at some of the more recent reveals that have wowed the crowds as well as one new supercar that is sure to cause a stir with the established players.

Mercedes CLS (2012 and 2014)

When the first-generation CLS arrived in 2004 many people wondered whether it would last beyond a few years. Its sales success surprised many detractors and now practically every rival has a similar offering in their range. An interesting shooting brake variant was introduced at the 2012 Goodwood event. This model never made it to the States and there are apparently no plans to offer a similar body style with the latest-generation CLS. The facelifted second-generation model was also unveiled at Goodwood in 2014 and introduced multibeam LED headlights and a range of more powerful engines.

Bentley Continental GT3-R (2014)

The Continental GT has always been a dynamic and ultra-luxurious sporty tourer but the reveal of the Continental GT3-R took the sporty thing to a whole new level for the British manufacturer. The car was revealed in 2014 and took inspiration from the GT race car. Out went the rear seats and the top model's 12-cylinder 6.0-liter lump. In its stead was the lighter 572-hp twin-turbo V8, also used in the racer, and a whole host of performance enhancing add-ons. Despite the liberal use of carbon-fiber, overall weight was still a hefty 4,839 pounds but the GT3-R was still the fastest accelerating Bentley of all time.

Jaguar Project 7 (2014)

The Project 7 was developed to celebrate the achievements of Jaguar’s racing history, specifically the very successful D-Type. With this in mind Jaguar engineers took a modern-day F-Type and converted it to a hardcore 575-hp track machine that they then unveiled at the 2014 Goodwood FOS. The show car had only a driver’s seat and featured retro styling cues like the rear mounted hump that was a feature on the D-Type. Customer cars were limited to 250 examples and these came fitted with a passenger seat too.

Ford Focus ST (2014)

The 2015 model year 252-hp Focus ST was unleashed at the 2014 FOS event to great fanfare. Ben Collins, the ex-Top Gear Stig, drove it up the hill demonstrating the new car’s dynamic abilities. It proved to be a characterful and quick alternative to the ubiquitous Golf GTI and cost less too. Little did we know that Ford would announce that it would cease offering this superb little hot hatch in the States only a few year later. For now though you can still order a brand new one so don’t hang about. Ford will even sell you the mental 350-hp RS too.

Range Rover Sport SVR (2014)

The Range Rover SUV has long been the default luxury choice in its segment but the range lacked a truly ballistic offering to take the fight to the German upstarts. Enter the 575-hp Range Rover Sport SVR. The SVR raised its performance game to put up a serious challenge to the BMW X5M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo all without compromising on its class-leading comfort and luxury levels. Since then we have seen the much pricier Bentley Bentayga take top spot in the ultra-SUV hierarchy but in its price range the Range Rover Sport SVR still reigns supreme.

Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge (2017)

The Dawn is the most dynamic droptop in the current Rolls-Royce range and it was very well received at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2015. The special Black Badge version was later unveiled to showgoers at the 2017 FOS. Aside from the new black-colored theme which extended from the black chrome hood mascot right through to the tailpipes, the Black Badge also offered up an additional 30-hp and 15 lb-ft of torque over the standard car. This brought the totals of the twin-turbo 6.6-liter V8 to 593-hp and 620 lb-ft and customers could also add an optional sports exhaust and Aero Cowling for added athleticism.

Jaguar XE SV Project 8 (2017)

The Project 8 was introduced at the Festival of Speed in 2017, unlike most new models it had no rational reason for existing. This car was built just for the hell of it. Its sole purpose is to put a smile on your face, with 597 hp delivered to the rear wheels from its supercharged V8 it is well equipped to deliver on that goal. A mere 300 units have been slated for production and all are to be left-hand-drive to achieve the optimum weight balance. The Project 8 currently holds the 4-door sedan record around the Nurburgring at 7:21.20. although this was done in a pre-production prototype so some dispute the claim. It may have been missing its rear seats too…

Porsche GT2 RS (2017)

Another year, another 911 variant. 2017 was a particularly good year though as the most powerful 911 ever was unleashed. The GT2 RS has a 700-hp 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat six and, unlike the Project 8 its time of 6:47.25 around the Nurburgring is an undisputed world record for a production car. The GT2 RS also differs from all other 911s in its record-breaking price tag. At $293,000 it is over three times as expensive as the base 370-hp Carrera.

McLaren 650S GT3 (2015)

It is not only new road-going cars that are revealed to the public at Goodwood, McLaren showed off its 650 GT3 GT championship contender in 2015. Based on the very successful 12C GT3, a car that won 51 races and 3 championships in as many years, the 650S GT3 featured improvements in practically all areas. While the power output was still limited to an FIA regulated 500 hp, the gearbox, carbon-fiber bodywork and cockpit were all updated to allow the 15 prospective customers to achieve even more impressive results on the track.

New McLaren 570 LT (2018)

McLaren has been keeping its cards close to the heart on the upcoming reveal for the 2018 Goodwood FOS. At this point we have been given only two teaser images you see here but a car looking suspiciously like a 570LT was spotted testing in Italy months ago. Officially, there are the usual promises of more power, optimized aero and reduced weight that come with every new supercar release. As with the Senna, production will be limited and the new model will deliver track-focused dynamics. More details will be revealed on the June 28, two weeks before the event.

Honorable Mention: TVR Griffith – Goodwood Revival

TVR has been threatening to return to its former glory ever since it closed its doors back in 2006. After a long era of uncertainty, the company was finally sold to a UK based conglomerate and Gordon Murray (the man behind the McLaren F1) and Cosworth came on board as development partners. The fruits of their efforts were finally revealed at the Goodwood Revival on the September 8 last year. The show car was named the Griffith, and like its namesake, featured a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8, rear-wheel-drive and a manual transmission.

The 500-hp power output and carbon-fiber ground effects chassis were all new however. With only 500 units planned, there are likely to be many disappointed analogue supercar fans. Happily, production is slated to begin late in 2018 and TVR are still accepting deposits although it is unclear whether they will be made available in the States just yet.

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