The alternative side of FOS

What else would you tow the Veuve Cliquot champagne caravan to Goodwood with than the new Ferrari GTC4 Lusso? How appropriate. Alas all is not as it seems; the Ferrari does not have a tow bar – there’s a big rear diffuser there instead...

As the camouflaged, but production-ready, new Toyota Supra (codename: A90) takes to the hillclimb, its Gazoo Racing cousin is on static display at Goodwood following its unveiling at the Geneva Show in March. For road or for racing, it seems, "the legend" has really returned...

One for the kids: at its pavilion, Mastercard has laid on the crayons and paper for youngsters to have a go at designing their ideal car, with the promise that the winning entry will be turned into a full size model. This is Rebecca’s entry, a car complete with rocket boosters so you can fly over traffic jams. 

Inside FutureLab, Roborace is offering a true wind-in-the-hair experience – strapped to the top of their Robocar, the first autonomous race car to take on the Goodwood Hlllclimb. The idea is you lie on top of the car on a hydraulic platform that moves around to emulate the g forces, in front of a giant fan, with a virtual reality headset on which shows the self-driving electric racer blast up the hillclimb. 

The car that proved an overnight sensation when unveiled in the US is proving just as popular at its debut here at Goodwood. The queue for a close look at the new Tesla Model 3 – the electric brand’s most compact and affordable car – extended around the stand. Tesla ambassadors’ enthusiasm for the Model 3 seemed catching. The car is tipped to go on sale here next year – if they can make enough of them.

Jaguar Land Rover’s biggest-ever Goodwood pavilion this year has to be experienced to be believed. There really is something for everyone: from remote control model Defenders for the kids to the most ambitious and the technical  Land Rover Experience course yet and - best of all, for Jag lovers – loads of smoky sideways action from pro-driven F-type SVRs on a special skidpan behind the pavilion. There’s no queue to get in here to watch – and there’s more sideways action and donuts than you’ll see on the hill!

Drone racing is a definite theme of 2018 FOS and Vodafone has ensured everyone can have a go at it. Only one snag: the little micro-drones are not quite as easy to control as the experts make it seem. Check out too the world debut of the Wingcopter XBR – now that’s what you call a drone...

Huge interest over at Lotus where the fastest-ever Lotus road car, the Exige 430, was having its Goodwood debut. Along with Land Rover and Porsche, Lotus is celebrating a 70th anniversary.

Photography by James Lynch