2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed overview

In its 24th edition, the largest motoring garden party in the world once again brought together a heady mix of cars, stars, and motorsport royalty from all across the globe. This year, the three-day long Goodwood Festival of Speed celebrated the theme: ‘Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power.’ The 2016 theme offered Goodwood an opportunity to showcase many of the fastest and most powerful machines ever conceived, illustrating motorsport’s continual quest for power.

To get a sense of just how important Goodwood is to the motoring world, all you need to know is that seven Grand Prix teams took a break from a whirlwind season to field cars on the hill climb course during this festive weekend, with Jenson Button and World Championship points leader Nico Rosberg allowing fans a rare opportunity to see these F1 stars in action up close.

BMW also celebrated its centenary year at the 2016 running of this globally-renowned event, with two- and four-wheeled machines spanning the brand’s stellar motorsport history climbing the Hill. These included everything from the record-breaking, supercharged WR 750 motorcycle to the latest M6.

Goodwood also honoured two men who enlivened 1970s motorsport with their talent and outsized personalities. Barry Sheene and James Hunt were heroes on and off the track, and two special classes were collated to celebrate the lives and stellar careers of motor racing’s most party-hearty playboys.

Some of the world’s most desirable road cars also took to the Hill. An unrivalled line-up of high-performance exotics participated in the Michelin Supercar Run, which further cements the Festival’s role as the unofficial British Motor Show. The new, quad-turbocharged Bugatti Chiron certainly wowed the crowds.

Along with the Bugatti Chiron, nearly 30 brand new cars made some form of a debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the Aston Martin DB11, a one-off Vantage GT12 Roadster, the McLaren 570S Sprint, and the Ford Fiesta ST200 – launched as the Fiesta celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Among the many celebrities in attendance, American actor Keanu Reeves was also a part of the festival and he took part in the hill climb on his Arch Motorcycle.