The Cadillac Celestiq signaled a new direction for the brand when it debuted nearly two years ago. The limited-production, bespoke electric vehicle gave customers near-limitless customization options—a bold new way for the luxury brand. But what comes next for Cadillac’s commissioned cars? The Celestiq won’t be a one-hit wonder if the new Sollei convertible concept previews the automaker’s future direction.

The Sollei evokes memories of the equally sleek Ciel from 2011 that never made it to production. The Sollei—a combination of SOL, for the sun, and LEIsure—is a new design. But it’s not an accident that it looks like the Celestiq, Cadillac’s first new hand-built car in over half a century. The two share everything ahead of the A-pillar and a cabin and use the same Ultium platform.

Cadillac

Everything behind that is all Sollei, including the 5.68-foot-long doors. It has a mid-body line running down the side connecting the familiar headlights and the new taillights—they stretch across the rear in a single element. The concept lacks conventional door handles and instead has thin buttons placed in the aluminum halo that rings the cabin, giving the car a clean, minimal design that’s supposed to get out of the way of the car’s finer details, says Takahiko Suginoshita, the car’s lead exterior designer.

Cadillac tinted the metal inside and out in a new finish called “Aurora,” named after the Northern and Southern Lights, including the solid billet aluminum windshield frame and grill header. The company uses genuine materials in its bespoke commissions and specifically focuses on not using plastic, said Erin Crossly, Cadillac Celestiq’s design director. “Everything that looks like metal is metal,” she said. 

The concept truly shines inside, with meticulously hand-cut and hand-laid wood veneers with open-pore finishes. The seats feature a sunburst motif in their perforation, quilting, and embroidery, and Cadillac added a pink iridescent pigment to the Nappa leather to create a color-changing effect. The Sollei is also the first Cadillac to feature a new, renewable bio-based material called Fine Mycelium. The company uses it on the charging mats and door pockets.

Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac includes a custom metal and leather-wrapped case for four 3D-printed bird calls that fits in the rear center console. It sits below the integrated beverage chiller with a power glass door between the rear seats. Cadillac also created a leather-bound journal with hand-painted bird illustrations, including a leather tool roll for pens and pencils so passengers can capture the birds they see.

Cadillac revived its Manila Cream paint color for the concept, which the company had initially used on its cars in 1957 and 1958, with 23-inch aluminum wheels sitting at the corners. It didn’t show the Sollei with the convertible top in the up position, but it’s intended to have a fabric roof, which it previewed in a couple of sketches.

Cadillac stressed more than once that the Sollei is just a concept—a concept that just happens to share a cabin with the Celestiq, a front end with the Celestiq, and a platform with the Celestiq. It even features the brand’s 55-inch, dash-spanning display.

Anthony Alaniz / Motor1

“What a vehicle like Sollei does is that it allows us to give those creative individuals inside the Cadillac organization a chance to express themselves, and I think they’ve done a good job of expressing what a 2+2 convertible could look like,” said John Roth, Cadillac’s global vice president.

It’s been 15 years since Cadillac offered a convertible, the XLR, and nearly 50 since the last El Dorado convertible. A few years ago, its dealers expressed interest in wanting a convertible in the lineup, which would stand out in the luxury segment dominated by crossovers and SUVs. If Cadillac wants to continue setting the “Standard of the World,” offering a stunning, bespoke convertible would set it apart.

Roush Performance has been upgrading Mustangs and selling parts for the pony car for nearly three decades. The seventh-generation Mustang arrived for the 2024 model year, and the aftermarket specialist is ready to wring every bit of power out of Ford’s 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine. It has a new supercharger kit available that can increase the GT’s output by a whopping 330 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.

The limited-run Launch Edition supercharger kit increases the GT’s output to a staggering 810 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. It features Jack Roush’s signature etched on the head unit and comes with unique Phase 2 tuning. Regular Phase 1 and Phase 2-tuned supercharger kits will go on sale later this year, which the company hasn’t detailed yet.

Roush Performance

Roush collaborated with Magnuson on the supercharger, basing the kit on an inverted Eaton TVS R2650 with large dual intercoolers and a front inlet. Dual 80-millimeter throttle bodies feed the new system, which makes a peak boost of 13 psi at 7,500 rpm. The kit includes pre-gapped Ford Performance spark plugs, a Bosch intercooler pump, new billet fuel rails, an 84-mm pulley, and twin-cone fuel injectors.

The regular 2024 Mustang GT rolls out of Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly plant, making 486 hp and 418 lb-ft of twist. Roush’s upgrade puts the Mustang in the realm of the GTD, which is supposed to deliver over 800 hp, but it costs $325,000 and comes with much more hardware than a simple supercharger kit.

Roush’s new option is compatible with the 2024 Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse with Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8 engine and either gearbox. The Launch Edition with Phase 2 tuning is on sale now for $9,995. CARB hasn’t approved it yet, so you can’t install it on cars in California or other CARB states. The Phase 1 kit should cost less while making less power.

Yesterday was the last day of the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed—and boy what a day it was. We saw hundreds of vehicles make their way up the iconic 1.16-mile hill climb over the five-day event, everything from turn-of-the-centry machines to modern hypercars.

These 10 were the fastest. They range from 1970s Formula One race cars to modern sports cars, and everything in between. Some of these vehicles have taken on the hill climb before with great success, while it marked the maiden voyage for others.

You can watch the full top 10 video from Goodwood below.

Time: 49.86 Seconds

Modern cars weren’t the only ones to crack the top 10. Coming in at number 10 is the lovely Lotus-Cosworth 77 Formula 1 car that made its racing debut in 1976. Developed by Colin Chapman and a team of Lotus engineers, it packs a mid-mounted Cosworth V-8 engine making 465 horsepower. Pro racing driver Nicholas Padmore completed the course in 49.86 seconds.

Time: 49.82 Seconds

You might not know this, but Goodwood has its own dedicated rally stage just a few miles away from the hillclimb. There, some of the coolest rally cars of history come out to play. But this rally car opted for the hill climb instead; the Ford Puma Rally1 debuted in the World Rally Championship in 2022 with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine making 380 horsepower. Adrian Formaux drove it to a time of 49.82 on the Goodwood course.

Time: 48.91 Seconds

Race cars don’t get much more iconic than this. The Nissan Skyline GTR Calsonic debuted in Japan in 1993 and went on to win the Spa 24 Hours as well as three Australian Group A championships. It had 550 horsepower when new but is closer to 1,000 hp these days—and it concurred the hill climb in a blistering 48.91 seconds.

Time: 48.83 Seconds

In its first official outing at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Czinger 21C—an obscure supercar from California—broke the production road car record and cracked the top 10 fastest times of the weekend. It completed a timed run of the course in 48.83 seconds. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 2.88-liter flat-crank V-8 making up to 1,250 horsepower.

Czinger

Time: 48.19 Seconds

This Alpine was made for hill climbs. The A110R Pikes Peak took on the daunting Colorado hill climb event back in January before bringing its talents to Goodwood. With rally driver Raphael Astier behind the wheel, it completed the course in 48.19 seconds.

Time: 48.05 Seconds

The Porsche 911 GT3 cup was made for on-track performance. It has a 4.0-liter flat-six engine making 485 horsepower and weighs just 2,778 pounds. With British racing driver James Wallis behind the wheel, the GT3 Cup finished fifth on the weekend with a timed run of 48.05 seconds.

Time: 47.50 Seconds

Subaru built the GL Family Huckster specifically for the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It debuted in 2022 and became the fastest wagon to ever take on the hill climb. This year, before crashing into some hay barrels, Travis Pastrana recorded the fourth fastest time of the day: 47.50 seconds.

Time: 47.34 Seconds

This gorgeous Gurney Eagle-Chevrolet FA74 Formula 5000 race car from 1974 was one of the oldest cars in the timed stage—but it was also one of the fastest. Packing a 5.0-liter V-8 engine with 600 horsepower, racing driver Michael Lyons finished with a time of 47.34 seconds, cementing the race car in the top three.

Nick Dungan / Goodwood

Time: 45.15 Seconds

Subaru had a second specialty vehicle take on the Goodwood Hill Climb—and it was even quicker. Debuting for this year’s Festival of Speed, the WRX: Project Midnight has a 2.0-liter flat-four engine that makes 670 horsepower and revs to 9,500 rpm. Scott Speed drove it to a second-place finish with a time of 45.15 seconds.

Time: 43.99 Seconds

The fastest car at Goodwood wasn’t a car at all. Ford’s electric SuperVan 4.2—with Romain Dumas behind the wheel—recorded a ridiculous hill climb time of 43.99 seconds. Even with 1,400 horsepower under the, it’s still shocking to see such a big vehicle move that quickly.

Lanzante’s latest creation toes the line between race car and road car. Two Porsche 935 owners approached the aftermarket specialist with a unique request: Converting their track-only 911s into road-legal vehicles. After 18 months of development, the pair debuted at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Porsche unveiled the new 935 at the 2018 Rennsport Reunion. Based on the 911 GT2 RS, the track-only 935 featured a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-fix engine making 700 horsepower. Porsche only made 77 examples, but they were supposed to stay on the track.

The development process took 18 months, resulting in Lanzante making numerous upgrades to the 935, which Porsche introduced with a wider stance and a streamlined and extended rear end.

The aftermarket specialist gave the Porsche a unique suspension setup, upgraded brakes, a hand brake, and new wheels. It also integrated bespoke headlights, a necessity for road use, into the aerodynamic body with tailor-made electronics to run it all. Lanzante designed its enhancements to look like the car’s original equipment, finishing one in a modern interpretation of the Martini livery and the other with a red-and-white Marlboro chevron design.

The 935s are just two of the cars Lanzante brought to the festival. It also showed off its rotary-swapped McLaren P1 GTR drift car and its new TAG Championship 911, complete with an actual Formula 1 engine.

The Red Bull RB17 is astonishing. Twelve-hundred horsepower, from a 4.5-liter V-10, a sub-2,000-pound curb weight, and capable of up to 3,747 pounds of downforce. Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s soon-departing design genius and the main mind behind the RB17, spoke to media at the car’s Goodwood Festival of Speed debut Friday and revealed another astonishing figure—in recent simulation testing, the RB17 was quicker than a modern Formula 1 car. About a second a lap quicker than the pole time around Silverstone for last week’s British Grand Prix.

“This car is something that through its makeup with the active suspension, the tailored downforce depending on the speed and settings and so forth, the balance adjustments we can build into it through the active suspension, and three different tire choices, it’s a car that’s capable of being driven by a good amateur who’s also hopefully done some training with us on the simulator, and can really feel the car, and then start to build and develop with the car, through to ultimately, in the right hands, capable of Formula 1 lap times,” Newey told media including Motor1.

“In our simulations, driver-in-the-loop simulations, they would’ve comfortably been on pole in Silverstone last weekend. I can’t remember the exact number, if I’m honest, but [it’s about one second]. Put that into context, it’s obviously a simulation, a driver-in-the-loop simulation, so there’s always going to be error in that, but it’s in that ballpark.”

Red Bull

An astonishing number. And one that comes on a bespoke “confidential” Michelin tire developed specifically for the RB17. Similar to what Michelin uses in LMDh and Hypercar, this tire uses compounds that Michelin doesn’t even reveal to the car constructor. They also take the tires back with them after the car has run.

All of this might be a bit much for anyone who’s name isn’t Max Verstappen, but as Newey says, the car uses its active aero and suspension systems to make things more approachable. There’s also two other Michelin tires, one treaded, one slick that are both designed to make life easier for the driver, at the expense of some performance. Red Bull Advanced Technologies technical director Rob Gray also tells Motor1 that the engine has power-level modes too. 

Red Bull will make 50 examples of the RB17 starting next year. Soon after, it’ll be setting very fast lap times at circuits around the world.

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed is officially underway. The event takes place from Thursday, July 11 to Sunday, July 14, and this year more than 20 new models will make their debut on the lawns of the Goodwood Estate, with even more making the trek up the iconic hill climb.

Day one of the event is already under wraps. But there’s still plenty to look forward to as the FoS carries on into the weekend. You can check out the full Goodwood Festival of Speed schedule right here.

Ford

There will be dozens of classic race cars from brands like Audi, Ferrari, and Mercedes-Benz taking on the hill climb challenge, as well as modern supercars from brands like Bugatti, Ford, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and many more. Heck, there will even be several classic motorcycles.

Friday we’ll see cars from the turn of the century take on the course first, followed by iconic race cars of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Rounding out the day will be the supercars—with a timed practice set to take place at 2:45 PM local time (9:45 AM ET).

Saturday is when things really take off. More iconic race cars and classic cars will take on the hill climb throughout the morning. An MG celebration—the brand is being honored at this year’s event—begins at 1:15 PM. At 2:50 the timed shootout kicks off, while the rally cars begin their timed shootout at 3:30.

Polestar

Sunday is when the final shootout takes place. Red Bull will be honored with a special event beginning at 11:40 local time and MG will be honored yet again at 1:30. At 3:00 PM, all the cars take the starting line for the Shoot-Out Final.

This year promises to be another amazing event. Stay tuned to Motor1 to watch it all happen live.

The MG Cyberster is a neat electric sports car that evokes the classic MG roadster. A hardtop version was just revealed at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, though for now, it’s only a concept. Say hello to the MG Cyber GTS.

Details are slim, but MG does more than simply add a fixed roof to the Cyberster. There’s a 2+2 layout inside, but the car doesn’t appear any longer or wider than its open-roof, two-seat sibling. The fastback blends wonderfully to the rear where we find a small ducktail spoiler atop familiar Cyberster taillights. The rear fascia incorporates a more aggressive diffuser, with prominent winglets on the corners of the front end. It suggests MG sees the hardtop as more of a track-focused fun machine.

MG Motor

MG Motor

Motor1.com

That take is supported by MG’s inspiration for the Cyber GTS Concept. In the late 1960s, MG built six MGC GTS Sebring race cars. Modern MG, which is now part of SAIC Motor in China, says the concept pays homage to these cars. It’s also a nod to MG’s 100th anniversary.

As for power, MG specifically mentions the Concept being rear-wheel drive. No other details are mentioned, but it’s safe to assume a production version would utilize the Cyberster’s single-motor layout. In the roadster, it generates 335 horsepower and uses a 74 kWh battery, enough to be lively despite its 4,000-pound curb weight. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive Cyberster is a couple hundred pounds heavier, but horsepower jumps to 503.

MG Motor

For a concept, the Cyber GTS looks like something that could enter production tomorrow. It’s nothing like the EX181 Concept, which MG also debuted at Goodwood. Modeled after the original EX181 land speed record car from the 1950s, MG calls it a “unique piece of automotive art” that envisions what a modern version could look like.

Both cars are on display at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place July 11-14.

It’s hard to believe that the Ferrari 355 would need any improvement, but Evoluto Automobili is doing just that. The restoration and modernization specialist is re-engineering the Ferrari for more modern tastes while retaining and enhancing its visceral driving experience. The ultra-special supercar features an all-new carbon body, a bespoke interior, and an upgraded chassis.

Each customer-supplied 355 receives a completely reworked engine with over 200 new and redesigned components. It has larger inlet valves, a proprietary quill shaft, solid cam lifters, a new coil-on-plug ignition system, and bespoke tuning.

Evoluto Automobili

The naturally aspirated, flat-plane crank V-8 engine now makes 420 horsepower, a bit more than the 375 hp from the original. It pairs to a reworked six-speed manual transmission. Stopping power comes from upgraded brakes with Brembo GT six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, while the tuner also stiffens the chassis through “carbon fusing,” increasing the car’s torsional rigidity by 23 percent.

Evoluto wraps Ferrari in an Ian Callum-designed body that has improved cooling with bigger intakes and a re-shaped front splitter. It has LED pop-up headlights, staggered 19-inch wheels, new wing mirrors, flush door handles, and a titanium exhaust system.

Evoluto Automobili

Evoluto Automobili

There will only be 55 Ferrari 355s built by Evoluto. Each one will be completely bespoke and tailored to the customer’s liking, and they can choose from a range of paint, leather, and material finishes inside and out. Evoluto will host a launch event and preview at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, with its international debut set for Monterey Car Week in August.

Is there anyone who thinks the McLaren P1 would be better with a rotary engine? We reckon “Mad Mike” Whiddett and the crew at Lanzante think so. They make a strong argument for it with the car you see here. It’s appropriately named MadMac, and it has 1,000 screaming horsepower under the engine cover.

Before you jump into the comments about the heresy of rotary-swapping a P1, this isn’t really a P1. UK-based firm Lanzante fabricated custom body panels for a McLaren carbon fiber chassis. The core is a McLaren 650S GT3 tub. Body panels draw inspiration from the P1 GTR with custom touches courtesy of Lanzante, which already has considerable P1 experience. Rocket Bunny, famous for its widebody kits, also contributed to the final design. The result is an aggressive-looking P1 race car, albeit one that slides across the tarmac instead of sticking to it.

 

A twin-turbo McLaren V-8 is certainly capable of excessive horsepower, but Mad Mike is known for his love of rotaries. The crew at MadLab was called upon to build something extreme, so they created a three-rotor 20B billet engine and bolted a big turbocharger to it. The flame-spitting 2.0-liter mill is managed by a Haltech ECU that sends 1,000 hp to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.

The project went from design to debut at Goodwood in just 100 days. Given Whiddett’s previous appearances at the famous hillclimb, seeing MadMac in action should be quite the spectacle.

“It is fair to say that MadMac is the biggest challenge I have set myself in terms of builds, and it has been a huge effort by the whole team to get a project of this magnitude complete in just 100 days,” explained Whiddett. “The reveal of any project is always the most rewarding part, as it is an opportunity to step away from the overall build, and we get to see what fans and the wider world think of our efforts. Goodwood is the number 1 event for me of the year, and we have revealed some of our best builds there over the years, but this one is extra special.”

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from July 11-14. Don’t miss it.

We love weird old classic cars, don’t we folks? This one comes from Audi—more specifically, Auto Union. Internally known as the Type 52, the so-called “Schnellsportwagen”—or “fast sports car”—was supposed to be a road-going version of the Type 22 Grand Prix race car from the 1930s. It would have had a 16-cylinder engine with upwards of 200 horsepower, and a top speed of 125 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest cars of the day.

Sadly, this amazing supercar never made it past the design phase; The Auto Union Type 52 project was scrapped by 1935 ahead of World War II. But Audi decided to dust off its history books and bring this special vehicle to life for the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Audi

Audi commissioned Crosthwaite & Gardner—a historic race car manufacturing company—to recreate the Auto Union Type 52 from scratch. Using original sketches and blueprints, everything from the chassis and body panels to the engine was custom-made for this one-of-a-kind concept. The project started early in 2023 and took more than a year to complete.

Under the hood—er, rear deck—is a mid-mounted, supercharged 16-cylinder engine similar to the one that would have been used in the original car. This version uses a 6.0-liter motor instead of the original blueprint’s 4.4-liter engine. Audi also upped the power output from an estimated 200 horsepower to a healthy 512 horsepower. It’s paired, of course, to a manual transmission.

But in order to fit the new engine and chassis underneath, Audi had to stretch the dimensions. The Type 52 has a 130.5-inch wheelbase, instead of the original’s slightly shorter 118.0-inch wheelbase, and weighs 3,196 pounds. The original would have tipped the scales at 2,866 pounds.

Audi

Pop open the rear-hinged doors and you’ll find a three-seat layout inside, just like the McLaren F1—only 60 years earlier. And Audi made sure to keep the interior looking retro with old-school cloth seats, lacquered wood paneling, and huge throwback gauges.

But don’t think this stunning one-off is just a garage queen. Audi will actually run the Type 52 concept at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen and Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck behind the wheel. We can’t wait to see this thing in action.