Matt LeBlanc’s a Porsche Guy

By Adam Pockross - May 12, 2016

matt leblanc porsche

It’s funny how personally people have been taking the Top Gear re-casting. And while plenty of people (aka trolls) have plenty to say about pretty much every new face on BBC’s old new show, much of that hate has been levied at the one guy who, at first glance, doesn’t seem to belong: former Friends star Matt LeBlanc.

Well, perhaps the internet overreacted (a first, I’m sure), because LeBlanc has some good experience behind some great wheels. Specifically those made with care and precision in that far-off German auto-making oasis known as Stuttgart.

According to a recent interview with Men’s Journal, LeBlanc has not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six Porsches, which he “kind of rotate[s] through.” Must be nice.

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LeBlanc goes on to talk a little bit about the wildest Porsche of the bunch: “a 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS — 620 horsepower, manual transmission, rear-wheel drive. It’ll bite you. Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”

While that may make 911 fans happy, perhaps 914 and 924 enthusiasts may join in on the hate after LeBlanc’s answer to which Porsche he’d never buy: “I’m not a fan of the 914, though I know there are some die-hard fans out there. I’ll get letters about that. And maybe the 924. It was designed to be a budget Porsche, and that’s what it is. To me a Porsche needs to be a 911. That’s just the way I am.”

Okay, so that’s strike one.

But still, LeBlanc’s got other credentials to fall back on. Like the fact that his dad was a mechanic, and enough of that knowledge was passed down to allow LeBlanc to rebuild a few engines. And let’s not forget that he’s the reigning fastest lap champ from Top Gear‘s 2011 “stars in a reasonably priced car” segment, as you can see below.

So what do you think, is LeBlanc the right man for the job?