This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed was a very special one for us as we got to see the return of an icon. 50 years on from the classic film ‘Bullitt’, the iconic Ford Mustang GT that was driven by Steve McQueen made its first appearance outside of the US.
The classic Mustang stood side by side with the brand new Ford Mustang BULLITT at the event. The two also climbed the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hillclimb course together, with the classic being driven by its owner Sean Kiernan.
Kiernan, who inherited the car from his father who had bought it in 1974, said “I’m completely buzzing to join with Ford and the new Bullitt and show this car to the world on one of the biggest stages there is.”
On the beautiful sunny weekend, the three-story Ford Performance stand provided some of the best views at the festival, looking out over both Goodwood House and the track itself. Visitors to the festival got to see an incredible selection of Fords as well as the iconic Mustang and BULLITT.
The Eagle Squadron Mustang GT made an appearance, paying tribute to a group of US volunteer pilots who flew combat missions alongside the Royal Air Force over Europe prior to the US entering World War II. Owner Vaughn Gittin Jr. took his bespoke Mustang RTR drift car up the Goodwood Hillclimb alongside RAF veteran Paul Miller, whose father ‘Dusty’ served in the Eagle Squadron in 1941 and 1942.
Also tackling the Hillclimb was the ultra-high performance Ford GT, driven by Ford Le Mans drivers Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell, and the M-Sport Ford Fiesta World Rally Championship car, driven by World Rally Team drivers Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans.
The M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC and drivers Ogier and Evans took a break from preparations for the upcoming Rally Finland to appear at Goodwood. They have already secured three rally wins for the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team so far this season in Monte Carlo, Mexico and France. The 1.6-litre EcoBoost Fiesta provides 385PS and 450Nm of torque with a six-speed sequential gearbox and four-wheel drive.
Visitors to the Ford stand also got to explore some of the Ford line-up, including the all new Ford Focus, as well as the Ford EcoSport, Ford Kuga and Ford Edge. The most technically-advanced Focus ever has a huge range of driver assistance technologies including Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Centring and Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection.
“Our all-new Ford Focus is the pinnacle of technology and driving appeal in its segment,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe. “The chance to build a completely new car from a fresh piece of paper does not come around often. We grabbed it with both hands, to develop the best mid-size family car that money can buy.”
The highly anticipated new Ford Ranger Raptor also made a show at the event, watch it here:
