The Goodwood Festival of Speed always delivers some fantastic moments, and 2025 didn’t disappoint. As always, we saw breathtaking cars, roaring engines and new car reveals - but one particular climb caused commotion: a small crash involving BMW’s M3 CS Touring. Thankfully, no one was hurt and nothing else came from it - apart from the fact that the driver was none other than Frank Van Meel, the head of BMW M.
What happened?
Harbouring 543 bhp, the xDrive M3 CS Touring was on one of its demo runs when the incident occurred. Coming up the hill and round a corner, Frank van Meel went off-line and lost the rear of the car - colliding with a nearby straw bale and causing minor damage to the car. If anything, this just goes to show how unpredictable cars can be and that, no matter the driver, you must always respect what you’re driving. Watch the crash below.
PHOTOS BELOW CREDITED TO BimmerToday.
A HARSH LESSON
The main thing to take away from the incident is how thin the margin for mistakes is when driving high performance vehicles. Frank van Meel is someone who should know any M vehicle better than anyone, and he still lost control.
It wasn’t raining, and the conditions seemed deceptively ideal for sending the car - but tyres that haven’t built up temperature can behave unpredictably, especially when you throw a lot of horsepower and Goodwood’s narrow track into the mix.
There’s no doubt that the M3 CS Touring will bounce back, and to a lot of on-lookers, this just proves that BMW M is led by someone who’s not afraid to push limits - a massively desirable character trait in the automotive industry.
subtle reveal?
With talks of a new electric M3, it begs the question of whether or not we were shown an early prototype or even the final version at Goodwood festival. We know that BMW plan to launch both electric and petrol versions of the next M3, both based on the Neue Klasse Platform - which you can see features on the signage below the car in the photo. We can expect to see this car in 2027, with sales beginning in 2028.
The electric M3 is expected to have a powerful electric powertrain, with initial models likely producing around 700 horsepower. While some prototypes have shown the potential for over 1,300 horsepower, production models will likely be limited to a more manageable, yet still impressive, 700-800 horsepower.
BMW M2 CS REVEAL
Most importantly, BMW showed off some spectacular cars. The M2 CS was turning heads left, right, and centre - it’s gained a ducktail spoiler, and paired with a 0-62 in 3.8 seconds, it’s no wonder there was so much attention on it.
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MINI STREET
MINI also went all-out this year, they had their own street at Goodwood. It showcased the four pillars of the modern MINI family - Cooper, Aceman, Countryman and, of course, JCW. One of the most notable things, perhaps, was that MINI partnered with award-winning barbers Ruffian’s to create Aceman Barbers - one of MINI’s efforts to make the Aceman feel fresh and street-savvy.
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THE REST OF THE FESTIVAL
Outside the drama on the hill, Goodwood delivered on all fronts. 1951 Bentleys winning best in show, Koenigsegg’s 1 of 30 Sadair’s Spear reaching the Top 5 of the FOS Timed Shoot-out, a Lotus-Climax from 1960 and much more.
PHOTOS BELOW CREDITED TO GOODWOOD: FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Expect to hear more from us soon about choosing the right wheel fitment, Porsche builds, the new X3 by AC Schnitzer and more.