Mercedes to launch the All New A-Class to the world at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Capturing the theme ‘Flat-out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge’, Mercedes-Benz is set to mark the 22^ndrunning of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in spectacular style with global debuts and on-track action featuring the mightiest Mercedes-AMG cars for the track and the road as well as special celebrations, marking 60 years since the W 196 Silver Arrows last raced.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will host the worldwide debut of the new generation A-Class, with the mightiest production hot hatch, the new Mercedes-AMG A 45, in action on the challenging, 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill – its 4MATIC system, agility and compact proportions making it ideally suited to the narrow, twisty route.

Joining the Mercedes-AMG A 45 on the Hill will be the most dynamic Mercedes-AMG on-sale today – the GT S. The GT S will be joined by the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S in aiming to make a crowd-pleasing ‘spirited’ start off the line. 

The quickest Mercedes-Benz of all at Goodwood will be the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W04 V8 Formula One car – set to be driven by World Endurance Champion Anthony Davidson on the Friday and Saturday, and Nico Rosberg on the Sunday. 

The predecessors of Anthony and Nico are also being celebrated, and in few instances is ‘Flat-out and Fearless: Racing on the Edge’ more apparent than in the 1955 racing season for Mercedes-Benz.

Brave men drove fearsome Silver Arrows on tracks and roads around the world to victory – with the most incredible drive of them all coming almost exactly 60 years ago when Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson took their W 196 S to victory in the Mille Miglia in 10 hours, 7 minutes and 48 seconds – a record never broken.

Nine of the surviving W 196 series racers, each powered by magnificent – and loud - straight-eight engines - will be at Goodwood, six of them taking to the Hill. 

The Mercedes-Benz Pavilion, located beside the first corner of the Goodwood Hill, allows visitors to get up close to the most exciting new cars created by Mercedes-Benz, including the all-new A 250 Sport. 

The Mercedes-Benz Pavilion is also hosting special guests from the world of racing. There’s the chance to experience the cars in vivid, 360 degree action too, via incredible Oculus immersive films, available to be viewed on Samsung Gear Virtual Reality headsets.

Since January 2014, special moments have been captured using 360 degree filming techniques – from the championship-winning MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One car making its first ever run on track to World Champion Lewis Hamilton drifting an E 63 AMG, a Mercedes-AMG GT S being driven as hard as we dared around the Laguna Seca Raceway and Mercedes-Benz racing cars spanning a century taking on the Goodwood Hill.

Held every summer since 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed was attended by over 200,000 people in 2014, a year that saw Mercedes-Benz celebrate 120 years in motorsport.

Aston to showcase its best ever selection of cars at Goodwood, 2015 is going to be a great Show.

• UK dynamic debut for motorsport-inspired Vantage GT12
• World-first public showing of Lagonda Taraf super saloon in action 
• Other iconic Aston Martin sports cars in action include CC100  

Aston Martin arrives at the 22^nd Goodwood Festival of Speed next week with a superb line-up of exclusive and exciting sports cars and super saloons which, together, represent its biggest presence yet at the world-renowned celebration of motoring and motorsport.

The luxury British sports car maker will treat the Goodwood patrons to a feast of ‘firsts’, including the UK debut of the motorsport-inspired, and now sold-out, Vantage GT12 and the global dynamic debut of the strictly-limited luxurious new Lagonda Taraf super saloon.

Aside from the raw, track-derived appeal of the Vantage GT12, Aston Martin will also be running examples of its V12 Vantage S Roadster and luxurious Rapide S four-door, four-seat sports car. 

There will also be the rare opportunity to see the CC100 – Aston Martin’s centenary celebration concept car from 2013 – in action on the hill.

Meanwhile the sumptuously elegant Lagonda Taraf will make its global public debut in action at the Festival of Speed. Previously unveiled on static display only, Aston Martin has chosen the Goodwood event to reveal the sight, and sound, of its latest V12-engined super saloon in motion. 

Aston Martin Racing will be represented via the presence of the 2015 Le Mans 24-hour Vantage GTE #97 Art Car, which will also be making regular trips up the famous Goodwood Hill over the course of the Festival.

Sharing driving duties for the event will be Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer along with recently-appointed Chief Engineer Matt Becker – the man charged by Dr Palmer with setting the product attributes of the brand’s next generation of models.

Dr Palmer said: “I’m very much looking forward to seeing the reaction to our 2015 Festival of Speed presence from the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Goodwood crowds.

“I believe we’ve put together a hugely compelling line-up including some surprises that should keep fans of our brand, and of luxury sports cars in general, entertained and engaged throughout the event.”

He added: “Driving the Vantage GT12 up the famous hill climb at Goodwood will be a personal highlight for me.”

Vantage GT12 runs on home soil

The Vantage GT12 was launched to worldwide acclaim in March this year at the Geneva Motorshow, with all 100 examples sold prior to the reveal.

Taking its inspiration directly from Aston Martin Racing’s V12 Vantage GT3, the Vantage GT12 is equipped with a new iteration of the brand’s 6.0-litre V12 engine which is capable of generating up to 600 PS. 

Thus, the Vantage GT12 is not only more powerful but also even lighter than a standard V12 Vantage S. Weighing in at a full 120 kg less, which results in an appreciable boost in the car’s already formidable power-to-weight ratio.

Comprehensively re-engineered, as well as significantly restyled, the GT12 is lower and wider than any of its siblings in the Vantage family. 

The GT12 has been designed and engineered exclusively at Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ in Warwickshire, England, to be the most overt expression of everything that defines the Vantage: an extreme sports model offering adrenaline-fuelled fun on road, and on track.

Lagonda Taraf - The finest of fast cars in action

Also making a crowd-pleasing global debut at Goodwood this year is the new Lagonda Taraf – the latest in a long line of Aston Martin Lagonda models termed ‘the finest of fast cars’.

Based on the brand’s almost infinitely flexible VH architecture, the new saloon draws inspiration from the highly sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda of 1976 and features many of the same cutting edge engineering techniques seen in modern Aston Martin sports cars such as the use of carbon fibre body panels.

It is hand-built by the skilled craftsmen and women at Aston Martin’s manufacturing facilities in a dedicated building previously the home of the One-77 hypercar.

The super saloon is being offered for sale by invitation only with precise pricing details remaining confidential. As a consequence, it will remain a rare and distinguished sight on UK roads – making its presence at Goodwood all the more special for festival patrons.

Aside from the high speed dynamic attractions at the 22^nd Festival of Speed, Aston Martin will also have a strong presence at the event’s Moving Motor Show.

Staged every summer since 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the world’s largest automotive garden party, set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex.