The most read GRR articles of 2019

1. The perfect vantage point as GT40s slide at 74MM 

This is an oldie, but a goodie. So good in fact that you guys keep coming back to it over and over again. Astonishingly an amazing 20,000 of you visited this page in the last three days of December 2019 alone. And why wouldn’t you? Here is the perfect camera angle to watch some of the world’s mightiest racing cars fly round Goodwood.

2. The 10 best hot hatchbacks of 2019

One for you all to argue over, and given in no particular order. But if you are a petrolhead, then the hot hatch is surely something in which we all share a deep love. Just what could be better than a small unassuming little family hatch that’s had around 300PS crammed into it? Not a lot.

3. This is how violent the Koenigsegg Agera FE 'Thor' is to drive 

The ultimate versions of Koenigsegg’s mighty, record-breaking Agera? Quite possibly. The two run out, final edition, ultimate versions of the Agera were called Thor and Vader. It has the same, quite frankly insane, power output as the mighty One:1 (yes, 1,360PS) and can hit 284mph. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to accelerate with 1,360PS (that’s 1,341bhp) then watch this video.

4. How to go from 25th to 1st in a Mustang

Anyone who knows Goodwood’s events (and plenty of the outside ones that GRR covers) will know Oliver Bryant. He’s normally found piloting something at either end of the sportscar scale – either something big, American and grunty, or a small Lotus. But this must be one of his finest efforts. Starting a race in 25th at Daytona isn’t ideal. But, armed with just a Ford Mustang, Bryant proceeds to demolish the opposition, allowing nothing to stand in his way as he battles to the lead. Stirring stuff.

5. Volkswagen ID. R sets new all‑time Festival of Speed hillclimb record!  

Possibly the most incredible Goodwood moment of 2019? If you want the full story of Volkswagen’s assault on the outright Goodwood hill record we made a behind the scenes documentary that you can find here. But before that, just check out the run that effort culminated, breaking the record on Friday of the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.

6. Pure Bliss – 7 Minutes Of Heavenly V12 Noise 

Another old favourite, from back in 2016 to be precise. This is one of the best things our friends at Petrolicious have ever produced. Yes they make sumptuous videos about the world’s coolest and most desirable cars, but this simple seven-minute video is hard to beat. I mean come on, it’s a Ferrari 250 GTO, in the mountains, with no music, no commentary, just pure bliss.

7. Volkswagen ID. R smashes Goodwood hill record with 39.9 second run! 

This again? Nope. Actually the VW team weren’t content with just breaking the record on Friday, they wanted to obliterate it. Targeting a new time under 40 seconds (remember Nick Heidfeld’s shootout record stood at 41.6 seconds) Romain Dumas had another go. And we’re not spoiling anything to say he did it. A bit of a kick in the face for people who say that nobody cares about electric racing cars to have one twice in this list. Just check out how close Romain gets the ID.R to the bales at the flint wall…

8. Is it possible for an amateur to take Eau Rouge flat‑out? 

Eau Rouge (save us the Raidillon memes please) is one of the most famous corners in the world. It’s a daunting mix of an incredible climb (it’s nothing until you see it in person), an ultra-fast kink and a blind crest. So surely it must be only the super-brave racing drivers who take it on at full tilt? Well our friends at DriveTribe dispatched new Top Gear America presenter Jethro Bovingdon to answer the question.

9. ‘Full Throttle’ – Lancia’s prototype Group B Delta S4 in secret test  

The Lancia Delta S4 is pretty cool right? A pretty standard-looking Italian hatchback that’s had the engine shunted to the back, then turbocharged AND supercharged. That’s ingredients for awesome in anybody’s book. What’s even more awesome is one in taped-together testing spec going out for some secret runs in the build up to its debut in the WRC. It’s a video that made our much missed friend Henry Hope-Frost weak at the knees. So he had to write about it.

10. The 11 best electric cars to buy in 2020 

More electric cars in our list, that’s nearly a third of our most read articles of 2019 not including any internal combustion at all. It shows just how the motoring world is changing that we’re all now looking at electric mobility as a viable option. With Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion spending ’19 highlighting the dangers our world faces we’re all now thinking properly about the future. That’s where we’re here to help, with a selection of our favourite electric cars for 2020. Which would you buy? 

That’s our lot, but we can’t leave there without an honourable mention for a few articles that didn’t quite make the list. From this epic-sounding video of a much-forgotten Lamborghini-powered F1 car to a selection of some of the weirdest rebadged cars ever via the much-missed scream of a V8 F1 car. Here’s to an excellent 2020!