Aston Martin Brings Its New S Models to Goodwood 2026

Aston Martin is arriving at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed with a line-up that leans hard into power, theatre and the renewed importance of its S badge.

The brand’s Supercar Paddock presence will be led by the new DB12 S, joined by the Vantage S and DBX S, creating a clear performance thread across grand tourer, sports car and SUV.

For visitors heading to Goodwood House from 9 to 12 July, the display will also bring Aston Martin’s most extreme modern machinery onto the hill, including Valhalla, Valkyrie, Vanquish and the AMR25 Formula One car.

At a glance

The DB12 S puts the S badge back in the spotlight

The DB12 S is the headline act, and it gives Aston Martin’s Super Tourer a more aggressive brief without abandoning the front-engined GT character that defines the car.

Its 4.0-litre V8 produces 700PS and 800Nm of torque, enough for a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.4 seconds.

Aston Martin describes it as the most powerful front-engine V8-powered non-hybrid model in its class, a pointed claim in a segment where electrification is rapidly changing the performance hierarchy.

The powertrain is paired with a recalibrated 8-speed automatic gearbox, with shift times reduced to 120 milliseconds.

That matters because the S treatment isn’t only about a stronger engine note or a sharper visual signature, but about making the car feel more immediate under load.

The chassis revisions follow the same thinking.

Updated damper software, an optimised electronic differential and a thicker anti-roll bar are intended to give the DB12 S a more alert front end and greater composure when pushed.

Carbon ceramic brakes are standard, bringing stronger stopping performance while cutting unsprung mass.

There’s also a more muscular exhaust character, which should suit Goodwood’s hillclimb setting particularly well.

Vantage S and DBX S broaden the performance family

The Vantage S gives Aston Martin’s front-engined sports car a more focused identity, with 680PS and 800Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

Its 0-60 mph time is quoted at 3.3 seconds, making it fractionally quicker off the mark than the DB12 S.

The car also gains a bespoke drive-by-wire throttle map for the S version, aimed at creating a more direct relationship between driver input and response.

As with the DB12 S, the Vantage S receives suspension hardware and powertrain mount changes intended to sharpen agility, feel and composure.

The visual changes are functional as well as cosmetic, with centrally mounted bonnet blades and a full-width rear decklid spoiler giving the car a more assertive stance.

The DBX S brings the same idea to the SUV side of the range.

It returns to Goodwood after setting a hillclimb record 12 months earlier, now carrying 727PS and 900Nm of torque.

Aston Martin says the engine benefits from technology transferred from the Valhalla supercar, which gives the DBX S a useful link to the brand’s mid-engined performance programme.

The figures are suitably serious for a five-seat, all-wheel drive SUV, with 0-60 mph covered in 3.3 seconds and a weight reduction of up to 47kg compared with the DBX707.

For buyers who want Aston Martin pace without sacrificing everyday usability, the DBX S is likely to be one of the most relevant cars in the display.

Valhalla, Valkyrie and Vanquish add the theatre

The S models may give Aston Martin’s Goodwood presence its structure, but the supporting cast brings the spectacle.

Valhalla will appear with its 1079PS and 1100Nm plug-in hybrid powertrain, placing it at the centre of Aston Martin’s next-generation supercar direction.

Valkyrie remains the wild outlier, a hypercar shaped by Formula One thinking and still one of the most extreme road-going Aston Martins ever created.

The new Vanquish adds a different kind of significance.

Now in its third generation and marking 25 years of the nameplate, it continues the line of Aston Martin’s flagship front-engined sports cars.

Together, the three models frame the brand’s current spread neatly, from hybrid supercar technology to uncompromising hypercar engineering and traditional grand touring muscle.

Formula One energy on the Goodwood hill

The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team will also run the AMR25 on the Goodwood hillclimb.

Jak Crawford and Jessica Hawkins are scheduled to make their first Festival of Speed runs in a Formula One car, adding a contemporary motorsport edge to the brand’s weekend.

That matters for Aston Martin because its road car language is now closely tied to its Formula One presence, not only in marketing but in the way models such as Valhalla and DBX S are positioned.

Andrea Baldi, Aston Martin’s Chief Commercial Officer, framed the Festival of Speed as a landmark moment for the marque and pointed to the S models, AMR25 and Valkyrie as a way of showing the breadth of the brand’s ambitions.

Details & Specifications

Goodwood is unusually well suited to this kind of Aston Martin line-up, because it lets the cars be seen, heard and judged in motion rather than simply arranged on a stand.

For enthusiasts, the 2026 appearance should offer a clear look at where the brand is taking its performance cars, with the S badge now doing serious work across the range.