Glorious Goodwood: The Need for Speed

1st August 2025

The Goodwood Festival of Speed, staged from 9 to 12 July 2025, stands as proof, if proof be needed, of the enduring fascination with auto innovation and engineering excellence.

Over 200,000 enthusiasts flocked to the iconic hill climb at Goodwood House in West Sussex to immerse themselves in a four‑day celebration peppered with historic champions, modern marvels, and breathtaking demonstrations of performance.

Echoes of precision, material mastery and technological advancement were clearly audible throughout the festival, which was teeming with iconic vehicles.

And it’s those qualities that resonate through the work of MAT Foundry, which has long played a pivotal role in the automotive sector.

Goodwood Entrance 1000x400

motorsport legends meet material engineering

This year’s Festival celebrated motorsport heritage and future potential with a line‑up of standout attractions. Seven Formula 1 world champions, including Sir Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, and Mika Häkkinen, took to the Goodwood balcony, delivering one of the most poignant moments in the event’s history.

These drivers not only represent a golden era of racing but also exemplify the painstaking engineering behind top‑tier components; brake discs, differential housings, and engine mountings, many of which are manufactured by MAT Foundry Group.

A dynamic field of concept and production vehicles took to the iconic hill. Highlights included the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N, a 650 hp driftable EV with paddle‑shift simulation and piped engine noises; the Porsche Taycan Turbo; the track‑focused Lanzante 95‑59 supercar paying homage to the McLaren F1; and the prototype hyper car Zenvo Aurora equipped with its new Mjølner V12.

The powerful, lightweight components that contribute to these feats of engineering - particularly cast machinable iron hubs, housings and structural elements — are precisely the kind of high‑performance parts MAT Foundry supplies to OEMs and performance divisions across the globe.

precision, scale, and innovation: mat foundry's role

The MAT Foundry Group produces over 350,000 tonnes of grey and ductile cast iron each year through its seven foundries and eleven machining and assembly facilities. The group specialises in components such as brake discs, differential cases, caliper housings, and diesel injection pump housings. These components are integral to both mass‑market and high‑performance vehicles.

Manufacturing parts to exacting tolerances for vehicles that can achieve 0–60 mph in seconds requires absolute consistency in material properties and precision machining. Whether destined for road, rally, or track, every part must be able to endure high stress levels. MAT’s global machining footprint ensures these components are crafted with intricate detail, ready to bolt onto vehicles debuting at events like Goodwood.

Goodwood Circuit

festival displays and future-ready materials

The Festival’s Future Lab pavilion showcased advancements in materials and technologies, including a 1.5‑metre 3D printed model of Shackleton’s ship Endurance, and autonomous vehicle prototypes. This cutting‑edge manufacturing resonates with MAT Foundry’s ongoing investment in research and development, driven by its team of eighty specialist engineers dedicated to pushing cast iron applications into new automotive innovation.

For example, active downforce systems on show in electric prototypes reflect our capabilities to supply complex cast housings for motor assemblies. The group's expertise in ductile iron allows for parts that are both lightweight and strong, essential for EV efficiency and performance.

connecting heritage and future on the hill

Goodwood remains unique for its ability to unite the past, present, and future of motoring. The central feature sculptures, designed by Gerry Judah, celebrate the state of motoring today, while the hill climb delivers visceral, sensory experience with roaring engines, precision control and the smell of gas-guzzling supercars.

As a business, we’re equally focused on blending tradition with innovation. We lead the way using both tried and trusted processes, combined with modern metallurgical breakthroughs and machining technologies.

When a vintage rally car appears over the crest of a hill, or a modern EV silently tears up the racetrack, every cast iron brake disc, caliper housing, and differential case plays a hidden but vital role. These are parts MAT Foundry produces for a third of all vehicles in Europe, as well as specialised, high‑end racing components.

A festival of speed and a foundry of precision

To those who love Goodwood, the sweet spot of performance and craftsmanship is what brings them back year after year. MAT Foundry Group occupies a key place in that intersection. The components they create may not be on display centre stage, but all are indispensable to the stories which unfold on Goodwood’s hill in July.

By enabling high‑strength, precision components for brakes, differentials, calipers and housings, MAT supports the pulse of performance: cars that break records, drivers that relive and create racing glories, and manufacturers that push boundaries in EV design.

Goodwood’s 2025 Festival of Speed was, as always, a pure and simple celebration of all things motoring. Whether it’s champion drivers, engineering prowess, or the spirit of innovation, they all get their chance to shine. By applying expert casting and machining knowledge to our products, MAT Foundry Group plays a vital role in the motoring ecosystem. Time and again, we prove that while speed and spectacle may catch the eye, it’s engineering and the constant drive for improvement that make it all possible.