The UK aftermarket sat proudly alongside the rest of the automotive industry at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed. With Chinese carmakers dominating, and exciting hill climb action, it was certainly the motoring event of the year. Phil Curry reports from the show.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is the UK’s premium motor show. Every year, the sprawling grounds around Goodwood House play host to automotive manufacturers, motorsport teams, enthusiasts, and aftermarket companies alike.
Once a celebration of racing, today the event brings the entire industry together. Although this year’s theme of Racing Rivals suggests a divide, even in competition, a unity can be found. This is true of the new-car and aftermarket, pushing each other to develop new technologies, understandings, and most importantly, customer bases.
From the celebration of Singer in the Goodwood Festival of Speed Central Feature, to the tents hosing tools and tyres across the showground, there was plenty to take in at the show this year.
The aftermarket at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Like most years, the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2026 was well supported by the aftermarket. Whether companies had their own stand, or their logos on display, you could not move for familiar brands sharing the location with carmaker, both old and new.
MAHLE made its debut as an exhibitor at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, showcasing its engineering heritage and expertise in high-performance powertrain development.
Celebrating the MAHLE racing pedigree, the stand featured two iconic vehicles, a classic Ford Anglia and the legendary Ford Cosworth. The display highlighted the strong connection between MAHLE and Cosworth, whose technology business became part of MAHLE in 2005 and now operates as MAHLE Powertrain, strengthening the company’s original equipment and motorsport capabilities.
Also present was Milltek Design, the premium styling, fabrication and bodywork division of Milltek Sport. It launched its all-new Group-B inspired Wide Body Kit for the all-electric Renault 5 and Alpine A290 at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Channelling the vibes and design cues of the original Renault 5 Maxi, the Group B legend that won the 1985 Monte Carlo rally outright, the new Milltek kit has been designed to dramatically enhance the presence and stance of both the new Renault 5 and its performance-focused sibling, the Alpine A290. It cut an impressive figure on the company’s stand.
Wera Tools had a huge stand to showcase their range. Attendees were drawn in by the brand’s sponsored race cars outside, including a Porsche Carrera Cup machine and a pair of Minis. The brand also hosted Girls on Track for a discussion about female representation in motor sport.
EBC Brakes also held court, with their stand attracting thousands of visitors, interested in their performance ranges. Bilstein too enjoyed interest from the attendees, with their Defender Dakar D7X-R taking centre stage.
Elite positioning for Elite Garages
Amongst the aftermarket stands is Elite Garages. The group is a regular at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, attending their fourth running of the show. The company uses the event to drive brand awareness, something that is even more important for them this year.
“It is a great chance for us to get our name out there,” Kelsie Whittemore from Elite Garages told Auto Repair Focus. “Goodwood is a massive platform, with people coming from across the country. We are based in the south, but this year we have expanded massively, with our acquisition of several ATS Euromaster sites. We’ve seen people from the areas we are now in, so it is great brand exposure.”
Elite has come to Goodwood to catch interest. Amongst the F1 tyres and plinths is the central feature to their stand. The Vredestein horse, created in 2017, and made from tyres, has become a talking point for passers by.
“The horse is creating a lot of interest. It is eight-feet tall, and really catches the eye when you walk past! People are stopping to ask questions, and that helps us to engage with them. It is made by a Dutch artist, Randy van Lingen, and has been transported from the Netherlands to the Goodwood Festival of Speed for us,” concluded
Chinese brands in attendance
The Goodwood Festival of Speed played host to a large number of carmakers. Many were showing new models, or variants, but all were there to attract new customers, and highlight their businesses.
Over the last few years, the growth of Chinese brands has been evident at the show. For 2026, this trend was clearer than ever, as BYD featured the biggest, and most active, stand. The brand brought not just its BYD marque, but also Denza and Yangwang, covering basic, heavy-duty and performance aspects from its portfolio.
At the heart of its location was a ‘Tech Zone’, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the company’s technology, including V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid), DM-i (Dual Mode Intelligent plug-in Super Hybrid technology) and live demonstrations of the Group’s FLASH Charging technology, capable of charging its Blade Battery 2.0 (10 to 70%, over 220 miles) in just five minutes.
The stand highlighted the reach that BYD has. As the world’s best-selling automotive brand in 2025, its presence is being increasingly felt in the UK market. There is more to come, judging by the display put on at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Meanwhile, MG brought two new concept cars, as it continues to build its presence further in the UK and European markets. The MG GO! concept car is based on a new B-segment electric hatchback that will be launched in 2027. It highlighted a mix of retro-futuristic design based around the brand’s classic models, albeit ones from a different era of the company. This includes the MGB GT, a model that is still popular in the classic car scene.
The MG Cyber Concept was a bold exploration of what a future electric SUV model in the D-segment cold look like.
The Lepas brand also made its public debut. The L8 premium model also took to the hill climb to highlight its performance. The Chery-backed brand will see sales begin later this year.
Legacy brands compete
Renault brought its Renault 5 Turbo 3E, for its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It took the famous hill climb, and sat on the company’s stand next to an original 1985 model. The French carmaker is using the 3E to highlight what electric vehicles can do, and drawing on the emotions of its original model as it does.
BMW, meanwhile, brought its M Concept Neue Klasse to the UK, following its debut at Le Mans earlier this year. The model showcases the new BMW M design language and highlights the future direction of the performance section.
Ford’s presence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed has dwindled in recent years. However, the carmaker took to the show to celebrate its return to F1, with a Red Bull showcar sitting alongside Explorer, Capri and Mustang models.
Exclusives on track
The main area of the Goodwood Festival of Speed is of course the iconic hill climb. Track action over the event was as strong as ever, with a couple of special events taking place.
One of the most special was the reunion run of the three Ford GT40 racing cars that beat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966. Celebrating 60 years since that famous victory, the the cars recreated the formation run to the line as they took to the hill.
Also on track for its UK debut was the McLaren MP4/8b. This was the 1993 F1 car that was fitted with a Lamborghini engine, and tested by Ayrton Senna in a plain white livery, to evaluate the potential of a works partnership for the following year. Ultimately, McLaren chose to use Peugeot engines for 1994, but it was great to finally hear the roar of the V12 Lamborghini engine, one Senna was so impressed with.
F1 World Champion Lando Norris took to the hill behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL-HY, which is scheduled to make its debut at Le Mans 2027. The model was stunning in its papaya colouring, with the Motul logo proudly sitting on the nose.
Speaking of Lamborghini, the carmaker also ran a number of its newer models up the hill. This included its Urus Performante, and the Revuelto, a 1,050ps hypercar, that featured one certain industry Editor in the passenger seat…
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