FOS Future Lab to feature 200mph driverless racer and more at FOS 2017!

Say hello to the world’s only driverless racing car, coming to Goodwood for the first time (alas as a static display only!) as part of special exhibition into the future of mobility. FOS Future Lab, is the new FOS attraction where you can see how we will be getting from A to B in the not-too-distant future. 

Flying cars, supersonic travel and even a space walk are all being previewed in FOS Future Lab, along with that 200mph driverless racecar…

The car for the ultimate Scalextric race is the work of automotive futurist Daniel Simon. You may not know the name but the odds are you will know his work. He’s the former VW group designer with a passion for the weird and wonderful whose fantasy cars have become a hit in Hollywood blockbusters such as Tron: Legacy, Oblivion and Captain America.

Who better then to pen the first driverless electric car? Without that pesky thing called a cockpit Daniel has certainly made “RoboCar” look purposeful. And there is indeed a serious purpose behind it, the aim being a whole grid-full of them do battle in support races during the all-electric Formula E championship. 

Having no driver in a 200mph race car on a tight and twisty circuit is surely the ultimate way to showcase the latest autonomous driving technology that will pretty soon impact on all of us.

Flying is the other major theme of FOS Future Lab, though not with planes you will recognise. Two flying cars are dropping in on Goodwood. The British designed and built “quadcopter” NeoXCraft is a concept for a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) machine for private owners. PAL-V ONE (Personal Air and Land Vehicle) combines a gyrocopter with a tricycle undercarriage and is already available to order.

A model of a new-generation supersonic airliner from Boom Supersonic will be sure to get aviation enthusiasts buzzing. The real plane aims to be faster than Concorde – New York to London in 3hrs 15minutes – yet so efficient tickets will be affordable to the average passenger. Also appearing will be Solar Impulse 2, which has already made history by completing the first round-the-world flight by a solar-powered aeroplane last July.

There will be loads more to see in FOS Future Lab – including a chance to try a space walk by floating around outside the International Space Station courtesy of an award-winning virtual reality experience.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is now just under a month away! Tickets are still available here. Get them while you can!