Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2019 Day Three
Friday was a great success with loads of people excited about the future of electric mobility and the way Honda is leading the way, but Saturday sees things getting kicked up yet another notch as we enter the real weekend with even bigger crowds.
On day three of the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the hill climb action intensifies with appearances from Formula 1, drift cars, motorbikes and plenty more. Over at the main arena, some of the automotive world's biggest stars showcase their talents with displays that take your breath away. Whether you’re into F1, drifting, rallying, NASCAR or just about any other kind of motorsport, Saturday at the Festival of Speed isn’t to be missed.
Even though we're three days into this year's event there are lots of visitors to the eye-catching Honda stand still keen to see and learn more about our revolutionary new all-electric car that will soon be going into full production, the Honda e. These may still be early days for electric cars as far as actually getting the public buying and driving them is concerned, but it's clear an EV has to be far more than just another car, but with an electric motor instead of a combustion engine. A close examination of the Honda e interior quickly reveals Honda is ahead of the game already, as the e certainly isn’t an everyday model.
Practicality is an attribute the Honda e takes very seriously, and this compact model boasts a very spacious interior with a modern minimalist aesthetic that provides a relaxed, comfortable and calming feeling for everyone inside. With melange-style sofa fabric and other tactile materials normally found in luxury homes, and a striking walk-through flat floor in the front and rear of the cabin, the sense of spaciousness is something to behold.
When you see and experience the cutting-edge technology and connectivity inside the new Honda e, you could be forgiven for thinking it was another of those motor show concept cars that will be massively toned down by the time it appears for sale in showrooms. If you do, then think again. The car features an intuitive and customisable dual screen horizontal display for controlling a range of intelligent applications and services. Lots of next-generation digital aids are in evidence alongside the car’s comfort and infotainment controls to make multi-tasking a breeze, and wing mirrors have been replaced by screens at either end of the dashboard that show rear-view images relayed from the Honda's Camera Mirror System.
Although there are no wing mirrors on the outside of the Honda e, there are a couple of cameras that at first glance look like they could be very tiny wing mirrors. The cameras look simplistic and functional, which is completely in-line with the unique exterior styling of this game-changing electric car. When you see the Honda e you immediately know it's something different because of its smooth body contours that lead from the bonnet to the panoramic windscreen and help to create a continuous surface up and over where the front passengers sit. As well as reinforcing the simplistic aesthetic, and in conjunction with the stepless A-pillars sitting virtually flush with the glass, the exterior design helps to deliver a quiet, refined journey at the same time as further enhances the car's aerodynamic performance and efficiency.
Other standout exterior features include flush 'pop out' door handles, which along with the cameras replacing traditional door mirrors, are exclusive for a vehicle in the Honda e's class. At the front and rear of the Honda are noticeable black panels that have unique concave profiles that are sure to become the defining design motifs of this particular model, along with the unique round light clusters that give the Honda e Prototype something of a 'human face.'
While it's almost impossible these days to avoid people and the media talking about the inevitable takeover of the market by electric cars, we don’t hear anywhere near as much about electric motorbikes. Although it's not a retail production model like the e Prototype electric car, a seriously impressive electric motorcycle is a big feature of the Honda offering at Goodwood this year in the shape of the Mugen Shinden hachi.
The Mugen Shinden hachi is a battery-powered, zero-emissions motorcycle that was specifically designed and engineered to compete in the TT Zero Class at the legendary Isle of Man TT races. It's actually been seven years since the Mugen made its debut in the TT Zero Class, and to say it has dominated the class would be quite the understatement. Since that 2012 debut to this year's event, the Mugen has an incredible record that includes six victories, thirteen podium-finishes, and four course records. While claiming its latest triumph this year, the Mugen Shinden managed to post a record average speed of 121.9 mph around the 37.73-mile road course.
Perhaps what made the lap record this year even more impressive was the fact a scheduling change to this year's race had led many people to believe a new record was unlikely. This year's race was held several hours later in the day than it was last year, and that meant cooler conditions that were potentially not conducive to optimum performance from an electric powertrain. In the end, even the cooler temperatures couldn’t prevent Michael Rutter from claiming victory in the 2019 event over Mugen team-mate John McGuinness, and bagging that new lap record into the bargain.
The Mugen weighs a little less than 547 pounds (248 kg), and it's powered by a 370-volt lithium ion battery and a 3-phase oil-cooled brushless electric motor. The electric motor develops 120 kilowatts and 210Nm of torque, which is roughly the same as 160 horsepower and 155 lb.-ft. This latest model is the eighth electric racing bike to come from Mugen, and hachi actually means 'eight' in Japanese.
To the untrained eye, the Mugen looks a lot like any other racing motorbike, but it really is anything but. While there isn't as much focus on electric motorcycles as there is on electric cars, the more people are exposed to bikes like the Mugen at events like here at the Honda stand at Goodwood 2019, the more interest and demand there's likely to be for them.
By the time we get to the end of Saturday at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, one thing is very apparent, and that's the fact we want even more. Even though the day has had a supercar shootout, pre-war road racers, an air display, tons of hill climb action, and so much more, it's a good job there's another day to go. There may be the smell of spent petrol still drifting in the evening air, but at the Honda stand and elsewhere today at the 2019 Festival, it's becoming increasingly apparent we're moving towards an electric future. Don’t worry though petrol heads, there's plenty more high-octane fun to come tomorrow on the last day of this year's event.
Built with Shorthand