The annual Goodwood Festival Of Speed recently ended, but it was full of unforgettable moments and surprising stories. The action-packed four-day event got on the road early in the morning on June 23, 2022, at the Goodwood House in West Sussex, England, and lasted until the evening of Sunday, June 26. Fans got an opportunity to enjoy all sorts of cars, classic and modern, and everything in-between race up the historic hill climb in this adrenalin-fueled motoring festival.
While you get to see yesteryear’s classics making a dramatic entry into the Festival of Speed, fans also get to see plenty of new exciting cars making their presence felt. Some cars packed tons of surprises to boast about, and for others, it was the time for their global debuts.
Beyond that, there was plenty to see and do throughout the four-day festivities, but the climax of the Goodwood FOS is the Timed Shootout aka Hill Climb to see who can be the fastest up the legendary incline.
Let’s take a look at the supercars that packed a surprising punch and were able to leave the strongest mark, in terms of speed, at this year’s event. Especially because no one expected them to do so.
March BMW 782: 45.64 Seconds
The March 782 is a 1978 BMW M12-engined F2 car piloted by Ben Mitchell, and it celebrated the 50 years of BMW Motorsport just right. It may be a classic on the inside, but the output was as modern as it gets. This open-wheel race car worked its way up the hill in just 45.64 seconds and stood third in the top 10 fastest cars list for Goodwood Festival Of Speed, 2022 although it got beat by the Porsche 718 GT4 e-Performance which ran the uphill climb in 45.50 seconds.
Here are the fastest Hill Climb runs of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022 courtesy of its eponymous YouTube channel, Goodwood Road & Racing.
The hill climb is 1,890 meters and goes up 92.7 meters with an average gradient of 4.9% so that’s quite a run, for both cars. That said, hats off the Porsche, given that it beat purpose-built cars like the March 782, as well as the Jaguar XJR-12D prototype car and the Hoonigan Subaru GL “Family Huckster” custom super-wagon.
First Corner FC1X: 47.94 Seconds
The First Corner FC1X is an electric rallycross car and handled tight corners with such ease that it was apparent the car was made to take on the hill climb. The 100% fossil-fuel-free bio-powered EV has a four-motor, four-wheel-drive system. It generated a staggering 1170 horsepower and bore a relatively light weight of 2745 pounds that helped it zip up the hill in only 47.94 seconds. This massive powerplant is enough for a 1.4-second 0-to-60 MPH sprint as well. The FC1X ranked in nine out of the top 10 fastest cars of Goodwood FOS, 2022.
The FC1X gets a specialized spaceframe body using carbon fiber and fiberglass panels so that it remains lightweight. Much like Muhammed Ali, it floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, the latter holding especially true for the Dodge Viper GTS-R, which came in tenth, to the FC1X’s ninth position. Despite the thundering V10 of the Dodge Viper, the much-quieter FC1X screamed one position ahead with a superior cornering balance. The adjustable front and rear wings help attain optimum speed also worked in its favor, and its all-wheel drive and EV electric torque helped it rip up the hill rather quickly.
Honorary mention to the Lucid Air Dream Edition, which won the production car race at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb and placed 12th overall. So even production cars are gearing up to take on F2-speed, if not F1, and EVs are showing the world that speed need not be equivalent to burning fuel.
H24 Green GT: 47.52 Seconds
In the list of the top 10 fastest cars of Goodwood Festival Of Speed, 2022, the H24 Green GT stood eighth. It was one of the five electric cars that made the list, the others being the First Corner FC1X EV, Ford Pro Electric SuperVan, the Porsche 718 GT4 e-Performance, and the McMurtry Speirling EV. The last of which set an all-time hill climb record of 39.08-seconds.
Coming back to the H24 Green GT, it’s a ground-breaking electric-hydrogen-powered race car, which made a lasting debut at Goodwood this year. The car uses renewable resources to generate immense power and managed to sprint up the hill in only 47.52 seconds.
Over the years, GreenGT has carved itself a niche in the field of electric-hydrogen technologies. This independent company largely focuses on analyses, designs, develops of products and services applicable to motorsports. The car's agile hill climb has only added to its legend.
Sources: www.goodwood.com, YouTube channel Goodwood Road & Racing