Forza Horizon 6 Celebrates British Automotive With New Cars and Drift Attack

British engineering is taking over Horizon Japan in the next Forza Horizon 6 series. The British Automotive update introduces three vehicles that have never previously appeared in the Horizon franchise, a themed Festival Playlist, a temporary transformation of the Aftermarket Dealership and Drift Attack, a permanent new Shared World feature built around competitive drifting.

The update became available to download on September 7, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PC through the Xbox app and Steam. The four-week British Automotive Festival Playlist begins on September 10 and runs until October 8.

Its three main new-to-Horizon rewards are the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior and 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR. Together, they represent three very different sides of the British car industry: a modern hybrid grand tourer, a lightweight entry-level racing machine and an aggressive front-wheel-drive hot hatch.

Britain takes over the Horizon Festival

The British Automotive series is designed as a broader celebration rather than a playlist built around one manufacturer or performance category. Bentley, Ginetta and Vauxhall lead the new reward lineup, while cars from Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lotus, McLaren and MINI also appear throughout the seasonal schedule.

The Festival Playlist contains 10 reward cars in total. In addition to the three Horizon newcomers, the series brings back the 2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT and 2002 Lotus Esprit V8 from earlier Forza games.

Other rewards include the 2019 Aston Martin Valhalla Concept Car, 2021 McLaren 620R, 2021 MINI John Cooper Works GP, 2016 Bentley Bentayga and 2023 Lotus Emira. Some of these have previously been limited to Wheelspins or other acquisition methods, giving players another opportunity to add them to their collections through seasonal progression.

New cosmetic rewards include the Retro Racesuit, Classic Jacket and Lionheart Player Badge. A Drift Tire Mascot Collectible will also appear around the Shimanoyama region during the second week of the series.

Drift Attack turns Shimanoyama into a permanent sideways challenge

The most important gameplay addition is Drift Attack, a permanent activity that combines the open-world accessibility of Drift Zones with the lap-based competition of Horizon Drift and Time Attack.

Players can find the activity at the Shimanoyama Circuit after obtaining the Yellow Wristband in the Horizon Festival campaign. Entering does not require a separate loading screen or menu. Drivers simply approach the circuit’s unique map icon and pass through the designated gantry to begin a run.

Instead of chasing the fastest lap, competitors attempt to produce the highest drift score across one complete circuit. There is no limit on the number of laps that can be attempted, allowing players to continue refining their lines, tuning their vehicles and challenging leaderboard positions.

Drift Attack can be played alone, alongside a Convoy or around other drivers occupying the Shared World. It therefore functions as both a competitive activity and a more informal meeting point for players interested in drift builds.

The decision to make Drift Attack permanent is significant. Seasonal championships and temporary circuits normally disappear when a Festival Playlist ends, but the Shimanoyama version will remain available after British Automotive concludes. Playground Games has also indicated that temporary Evolving World Drift Attacks may be introduced during future series.

Clipping Zones reward precision, not just tire smoke

Scoring follows the general structure used by existing Drift Zones and Horizon Drift events, but Drift Attack adds Clipping Zones positioned at selected points around the circuit.

Drifting inside one of these zones increases the points earned during that section. As a result, producing a long slide will not automatically be enough to achieve the best score. Players must also place the car accurately, maintain control and follow a line that intersects with the highest-value areas.

In practical terms, this should encourage more deliberate vehicle setup. Large amounts of power and extreme steering angle can generate spectacular slides, but a car that cannot consistently reach a Clipping Zone may lose ground to a more predictable build.

The mode includes in-world and Convoy leaderboards. Leaderboard entries also identify the drivetrain used, creating additional comparisons between front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive builds.

This information could produce several informal competitive categories. A player may not be able to match an unrestricted all-wheel-drive leaderboard time immediately, for example, but could focus on achieving the strongest score with a particular drivetrain or performance class.

A drifting Jaguar waits in the Collection Journal

Completing Drift Attack objectives in the Collection Journal unlocks the Drift Attack Racesuit and Helmet, followed by the 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Forza Edition.

This customized version of Jaguar’s grand tourer has been built specifically for drifting. It provides a clearly defined long-term reward for engaging with the permanent activity instead of limiting progression to a temporary seasonal challenge.

Players interested in the original vehicle are not required to complete that objective. A standard 1990 Jaguar XJ-S has also been permanently added to the Autoshow, where it can be purchased with in-game Credits.

Making both versions available through different paths is a sensible approach. Collectors can obtain the standard car directly, while dedicated drifters receive a modified Forza Edition tied to mastery of the new feature.

Bentley combines luxury with hybrid performance

The 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed is the main Series reward and requires 80 points across the complete British Automotive Festival Playlist. It remains available from September 10 until October 8.

Bentley’s modern grand tourer uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 supported by a plug-in hybrid system. Its official in-game specification lists 771 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque, delivered through an all-wheel-drive system. It begins in A class with a Performance Index of 699.

That combination should make the Continental GT Speed an effective road-racing platform straight from the garage. All-wheel drive provides dependable traction, while its high power output gives the heavy grand tourer substantial acceleration.

Its appeal is also thematic. Bentley has produced the Continental line for more than two decades, and this latest generation represents an important transition from the manufacturer’s traditional large engines toward electrified performance.

The car will not replace a lightweight sports model on highly technical routes, but it should suit fast road events where stability, acceleration and sustained speed are more important than minimal weight.

Ginetta strips racing back to the essentials

The 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior sits at the opposite end of the British Automotive lineup. Players can earn it by collecting 20 points during the Summer season, available from September 10 to September 17.

Designed for the Ginetta Junior Championship, the G40 Junior is an entry-level racing car intended to help young drivers develop their skills. Its 1.8-litre inline-four engine produces 100 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque, sending power to the rear wheels.

Those figures appear modest compared with the Bentley or McLaren vehicles included in the update, but outright power is not the purpose of the G40. Its low weight and racing-focused construction should make momentum, braking and precise corner entry more important than simply accelerating away from every mistake.

The car arrives in B class at PI 560. It could become an interesting choice for players who prefer technical courses, tightly regulated builds or lower-powered races where driver consistency matters more than extreme performance.

The Astra VXR represents the British hot-hatch era

The third new-to-Horizon reward is the 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR, available for 20 Festival Playlist points during the Winter season from September 24 to October 1.

Powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four engine, the Astra produces 236 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. It uses front-wheel drive and enters the game in B class at PI 512.

The Astra VXR represents an era in which manufacturers were placing increasingly powerful turbocharged engines into practical hatchback platforms. That formula produced accessible performance but also asked the front wheels to handle steering, acceleration and a considerable amount of torque simultaneously.

Within Forza Horizon 6, it should offer a very different driving challenge from the Ginetta. Players will need to manage front-end grip and understeer, particularly after applying performance upgrades. A careful suspension and differential setup may be more valuable than simply adding power.

Its arrival also fills a meaningful gap in the series’ representation of British performance cars from the 2000s. Hypercars naturally dominate promotional material, but vehicles such as the Astra VXR are likely to resonate with players who prefer recognizable road cars and unconventional tuning projects.

The Aftermarket Dealership receives a British takeover

The Aftermarket Dealership near the Horizon Stadium in Shimanoyama is being transformed for British Automotive. During the series, it will feature discounts and direct purchasing opportunities for a selection of British vehicles.

Two particularly notable additions are the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and 1961 Jaguar E-type. Both are usually restricted to Wheelspins, but the takeover allows players to purchase them directly instead of relying on a random reward.

The dealership will also allow players to test-drive the weekly 20-point seasonal reward before earning it. This gives drivers an opportunity to evaluate each car and decide whether its corresponding Festival Playlist objectives are worth prioritizing.

The takeover does not permanently remove the rarity attached to the Wheelspin-exclusive cars. It creates a limited acquisition window, so players missing either vehicle should check the dealership while British Automotive remains active.

Four additional cars join the Car Pass

Players who own the Forza Horizon 6 Car Pass receive another four cars during the series. These additions are separate from the free Festival Playlist rewards.

The 2025 McLaren W1 arrives on September 10. Its hybrid twin-turbocharged V8 produces 1,258 horsepower and 987 lb-ft of torque, placing the rear-wheel-drive hypercar in R class at PI 918. It also introduces advanced body-painting options that allow individual areas of the vehicle to be customized separately.

The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 follows on September 17, offering 1,025 horsepower through a supercharged V8. The lightweight 1998 Renault Sport Spider arrives on September 24, while the off-road-modified 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Luftauto 002 completes the schedule on October 1.

Although the series is named British Automotive, only the opening Car Pass vehicle follows that theme. The remaining three provide a wider mixture of American, French and German machinery.

British Automotive also delivers technical improvements

The update includes several fixes and quality-of-life improvements alongside its new content. Playground Games has corrected an issue that could place wheels incorrectly on certain cars and added the ability to select audio and subtitle languages independently.

On PC, the update fixes a problem that prevented other players’ character models from appearing inside their vehicles at lower graphical settings. Car rendering quality has also been adjusted for users playing with the High preset based on collected performance data.

These changes are less visible than the new cars or Drift Attack, but they address problems affecting presentation and accessibility across normal play.

A varied celebration of British motoring

British Automotive succeeds in covering a wider range of vehicles than its luxury-focused name might initially suggest. The Continental GT Speed represents modern grand touring, the Ginetta G40 Junior delivers lightweight circuit racing and the Astra VXR brings a distinctive hot hatch into the Horizon garage.

Drift Attack is likely to have the greatest long-term impact. Its permanent circuit, open-world access, Clipping Zones and leaderboards add a repeatable activity that can survive beyond the four-week Playlist.

Combined with the Aftermarket Dealership takeover, returning reward cars and optional Car Pass additions, the series gives collectors, tuners and competitive drifters separate reasons to participate.

The British Automotive update is available from September 7 on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Its Festival Playlist runs from September 10 until October 8, 2026.