The first driverless car will take on Goodwood’s Hillclimb this week – and it’s a 1960s Mustang

AN UNLIKELY car has been fitted out with hi-tech equipment to become the first ever motor to drive itself up the iconic Goodwood Hillclimb.

A 1965 Ford Mustang will attempt to complete a lap at this week’s Festival of Speed, which is celebrating its silver jubilee.

Despite a ‘driver’ sitting in the car as a safety precaution during the run, the Mustang will accelerate, steer and brake autonomously using a GPS guide.

This means the car has only been programmed with the map of the Hillclimb, and so cannot be let loose on any other roads.

While other cars may speed to complete the climb in well under a minute, the 200-horsepower Mustang will go just over 40mph depending on the weather and track conditions.

It is the creation of tech firm Siemens and a team at Cranfield University, led by advanced automotive engineering lecturer Dr James Brighton.

Dr Brighton will be sitting in the Mustang during its twice daily runs up the 1.16 mile-long Hillclimb.

The Mustang will also be followed by the autonomous Robocar, which will become the first driverless race car to attempt the track.

It will not use GPS technology for a significant proportion of the climb, but will rather navigate using sensors that give the car 360-degree vision.

Goodwood attendees will be able to track the car’s point of view via a VR experience.

Lee Dryden, Siemens’ Head of Marketing Communications, said: “It’s the first time we have done anything like this and yes, of course, it is fun to do it for the Festival of Speed, but it also makes you think what cars might be like in the future.

“Maybe there will be cars we can sleep in or watch a film in while they drive us to where we want to go. The Mustang raises those sorts of questions.

“I just love the way the ’65 coupe looks, and the way the V8 roars. If you are going to  choose an iconic American car from the ’60s, it’s the first thing that springs to mind.”