Supercars at the 2023 Festival of Speed

Bugatti Bolide and McLaren Solus GT debut

An absolutely unbelievable sight on the Hill this year came courtesy of track-only aero-crazy hypercars. The first, not from Ferrari, or Pagani, but Bugatti. We of course refer to the Bolide, Bugatti’s fire-spitting final farewell to the W16 quad-turbo engine. With over 1,800PS (when running on 110-octane race fuel), a 700kg weight reduction, a totally new chassis and completely revolutionary aero, the Bolide is quite unlike anything Bugatti has yet made in its modern era. This prototype looked and sounded positively volcanic, as it thundered its way up the Hill.

Quite in contrast to the thumping W16 of the Bugatti, was the howling Judd V10 of the McLaren Solus GT, a single-seater, no-compromise track weapon that takes us further down the track-only supercar road. We started with road cars and let's face it, we're getting closer to Formula specs. For even with its closed cockpit and fared-in wheels, the Solus delivers performance to humble F1 cars of not too long ago, with an engine that revs very nearly as high, putting its one and only occupant right in the middle. It really is Gran Turismo made real. No really. This car is inspired by McLaren's Vision Gran Turismo car that was once the preserve of the virtual world. We love to see it (and hear it).

Joining the Solus on the Hill were the new 750S – a car entirely excused for being quite derivative of its predecessor, given just how excellent that car still is. We have high hopes. The P1 is always great to see, as is the Elva and Artura.

Pagani and Lamborghini

Of course, this is a big year for supercar lovers, given the latest generation of models has arrived from Pagani and Lamborghini. The two have traditionally over the years launched their cars close together, with the fierce rivalry of the Zonda and Murcielago cooling somewhat with the less opposed Huayra and Aventador.

The Pagani Utopia is something of a return to analogue for Pagani, as the marque brings back the manual gearbox option for maximum interaction with its twin-turbo V12. The Lamborghini Revuelto on the other hand drags the raging Bull’s flagship V12 kicking and screaming into the future, augmenting it with a hybrid system. Happily, it also revs higher, up to 9,000rpm and obviously, the electricity adds poke – to the tune of a 1,015PS (746kW) maximum total system output – not just efficiency. Four-figure power but also zero-emission running when you want it. Now that’s versatility.

Joining the Utopia and Revuelto on the Hill were also the incredible howling Huayra R and Lanzante's road-converted Zonda R, alongside the latest Huracan variants, including the off-road ready Sterrato and track-focused STO. Enjoy those and indeed, that V10, while you still can...

Aston Martin Valkyrie Spider pops its top

Versatile is not a word we’d use to describe the Aston Martin Valkyrie, meanwhile. Compact and tight inside, no boot, grumpy in traffic; this is a car that was near-on hewn from solid to bully the air around it at speed… and not much else.

Obviously, a huge centrepiece for the car apart from its looks, aero performance and packaging, is its 6.5-litre Cosworth-developed V12. Now we’ve seen the Valkyrie before but at the 2023 Festival of Speed, Aston graced us with three Valkyries – a Coupe, the first prototype for the new Spider and one of the 25 AMR Pro track-only specials. We’ll take the Spider, thanks, to get closer to that hypnotic V12.

In 'normal' Aston land, we got our first Goodwood-based introduction to the new DB12, which is set to be the beginning of a new era for Aston Martin. The stunning DBS 770 was there to wave off the last era, on a bow wave of twin-turbo V12 noise.

Electric trio: Rimac, Lotus, Automobili Pininfarina

Of course the electric hypercars we know and love are here in force, with Rimac, Lotus and Pininfarina deploying the Nevera, Evija and Battista.

What a mad world that the combined output of three cars nears 6,000PS. You wouldn’t have more power in a car park if you assembled 60 Fiat Panda 100HPs. Mind-boggling. The Rimac looks great in a carbon and green scheme inspired the electric drift BMW Mate Rimac got his start in. The Automobili Pininfarina meanwhile is the Nino Farina edition, celebrating the exploits of the first-ever official Formula 1 world champion.

KC23 one-off leads Ferrari stable

Perhaps the rarest Supercar Run debutant was the Ferrari KC23, which is a one-off Special Projects commission based on a 488 GT3, designed to look elegant yet futuristic.

Returning prancing horses include the fantastic 296 and Roma, as well as the wonderful V12-powered SP3 Daytona and 812 Competizione. Last and certainly loudest, the Ferrari 599XX...

Lanzante P1 Spider, Singer and best of the rest 

Lanzante came out swinging on the Hill this year, with its one-of-five open-topped McLaren P1 and F1-engined Porsche 930 Turbo. Contrast to that was the latest Porsche reimagined by Singer, the DLS Turbo Study. Think resto-mod in the image of the insane Porsche 935 and you've nailed it. Turbo flutter and wide hips abound.

Back on the Hill was the monstrous Koenigsegg Jesko, the screaming Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 and the sculptural Hispano Suiza Carmen. What’s your favourite supercar in the Michelin Supercar Run? Let us know and comment your pictures.

The 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed is underway! You can watch every moment of the action by watching our livestream.