Cars

True, there’s an electric motor turning the rear wheels, but the transversely front-mounted 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine drives only the front – and the concept is almost certainly a foretaste of a future in which BMW’s entry-level small cars abandon the marque’s long-held commitment to rear-wheel drive. It might make financial good sense for the marque, but it’s going to come as a bit of a shock to enthusiasts who never really believed that BMW would go this way – even for their small-car line-up.

Based on the Countryman’s platform and almost identical in its external dimensions, the Paceman’s ‘prominent horizontal lines and dynamic curved surfaces’ are aimed at buyers wanting a sportier, more design-conscious MINI. The coupé-style, ‘stretched’ side profile accommodates long doors, while – as per the MINI Coupé – the blacked-out pillars create the impression of a ‘floating' roof.

Every race at the Goodwood Revival is for cars that could have competed at the famous circuit before its closure to general motor racing in 1966. While each year has different nuances and themes, the basics remain as single-seaters of all sizes, saloons, sports-racing cars and GTs of the type that were regularly seen on sunny afternoons in West Sussex.
 

The Steering Committee of the event that was held as part of HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year had a simple task: invite 60 of the best cars in the world to a concours celebrating six decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

In February this year, Classic Driver gave you early information on the technical spec of the two-seater GT. Now, the powerplant and final model line-up has been fixed for the all-carbonfibre (monocoque chassis and body) sports car.

The performance figures illustrate just how impressive this new version of the Cayenne is: 0-100km/h (62mph) in 5.7 seconds, and a top speed of 252km/h. Yet, thanks to the world’s first auto start/stop in a V8 diesel SUV, fuel consumption comes in at 8.3 litres per 100km, with CO2 at a very respectable 218g/km.

The Cayenne S Diesel boasts PTM active all-wheel drive (to give rear-wheel-drive characteristics in most conditions), while the optional Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) makes the dynamics even sportier.

It features the youngest grid of drivers ever assembled at the historic West Sussex racing circuit… with an average age of eight years old. The budding race drivers will be piloting a full grid of Austin J40 pedal cars in a two-part race – featuring rounds on both the Saturday and Sunday of the Revival – on a short circuit of the main Goodwood grid and pit-lane.

Video: Land Rover