Looking back at the future: Goodwood Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is where the old meets the new. Where the classic and the modern coexist. It showcases the past, present, and future of car culture, like no other event. So, we thought it best to bring something new, and something (g)old. Something rare, and, of course, a story to be told.
The Polestar 5 represents a big step for Polestar. It’s the first product that has all our dedicated technology in it. We hope that this will be the car that shows how the brand has matured.
Opening morning of the festival saw an ironically slow start to what later became an event worthy of its name. Though a bit of drizzle didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the attendees.Held each year in the beautiful parklands surrounding Goodwood House, the Festival of Speed is the ultimate celebration of car culture. Unlike many other car shows, Goodwood Festival of Speed truly is a garden party. With everything from iconic race cars to future tech, the festival caters to multiple tastes.It is this broad spectrum, covering so many aspects of car culture, that creates the event’s massive pull. Accordingly, we pulled out all the stops and brought with us a lineup representing the full scope of our brand, from golden halo car to electric roadster concept.But more than that, we wanted to showcase how we’ve progressed as a brand. Demonstrate how we’ve evolved since our first Goodwood festival and how we plan to keep evolving in the upcoming years.We went to tell the story of how we’re turning ideas into reality, a concept into a production car. Not only by showcasing the Polestar 5 prototype at an early stage in its development, but by putting it to the test.By running it up the iconic Goodwood hill.
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Vehicle Dynamics Engineer and designated Polestar 5 prototype driver Chris Baguely ran it up the hill, twice a day, for four days straight. With no problems (as Kate Bush put it).
“This is the first dynamic viewing of this product, a very early test vehicle, which is quite unusual to showcase,” commented Baguely. “And there was some apprehension, of course, bringing a test vehicle which is mid-way through development cycle to a big public event. But it is a robust test vehicle, which is why we decided to bring it.”
“The Polestar 5 represents a big step for Polestar,” he continues. “It’s the first product that has all our dedicated technology in it. So, I’m most excited about continuing to work to develop this car. And at the end of it, we hope that this will be the car that shows how the brand has matured.”
The festival itself tells the story of progress and cultural relevance. What was once a place for historic racing cars, revving motors, and burnouts, is still all of this. And more.
In the past years, the electric presence at the event has seen a significant increase. The designated space for EVs, dubbed Electric Avenue, returned this year with new features, a total of thirty different cars, and lots of experts on electric driving.
At the Polestar stand, Polestar 2 BST edition 270, Polestar Precept, and our electric roadster concept, attracted many interested visitors. Some were already aboard the EV revolution, while others were still not convinced about EVs. Polestar specialists were on hand to discuss range, charging infrastructure, manufacturing, and other concerns. Goodwood is our favorite festival for many reasons. It allows us to tell our story to an audience that shares our passion for cars. We figured there would be no better place to showcase our progress, and our ambitions for the future. The now and future home of car enthusiasts.
