‘Top Gear’ Star Chris Harris Drives a Stunning Line Up of Porsches!
From the record-breaking, hyper-dominant 919 Hybrid to the Type 64 pre-war coupe, don’t miss this iconic selection of cars.
Driving some of the greatest Porsches ever made sounds like a pretty nice way to spend your time, doesn’t it? Well, of course, it does. And Chris Harris, automotive journalist extraordinaire and Top Gear host, does it all the time. It’s literally his job. Jealous? Us too. This time around, Harris has not just one Porsche to test but a whole panel’s worth. So, in this new Top Gear compilation video, you will see a diversity of legendary Porsche models with Harris behind the wheel. Some of these examples stem from the very inception of Porsche as a company, like the Type 64. Others demand immediate respect on the track and have become modern legends, like the thoroughbred speed demon that is the GT2 RS MR. If over the top is your thing, you’ll love this. We’ll break down some of our favorite models from the video starting with the first: the GT2 RS MR.
Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR
There is nothing we can say about the GT2 RS to make it sound like a sensible car. It is without a doubt, a monster of a vehicle with a very refined focus. However, this MR (Mantley-Racing) version of the GT2 is beyond that. Porsche and their factory racing team/partner have taken something that was already turned up to 11 and straight up decided to instead break the knob clean off. Harris describes it as “a wild ride you know, it’s not some accurate little racing car, this is a yob this thing. You know it wants to slide everywhere, I got 700 HP for God’s sake.” However, this MR version doesn’t generate its insane capabilities from just doing something like boosting power levels. Actually, they made no modifications to the power at all. Instead, the magic of speed for this Porsche comes strictly from chassis tuning, aerodynamics, brakes, and suspension. Sounds pretty race car doesn’t it? Well, the MR does hold the modified street car lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Not to mention, Harris ran 2-3 seconds faster in the GT2 RS MR than himself in a 918 Spyder at this same track (Portimao Circuit). You might say Porsche knows what they’re doing when it comes to going fast.
Porsche Type 64
Considered to be the first vehicle ever made by Porsche as a company, this little pre-war coupe is so unique-looking, you can’t help but wonder about its design. While many of the mechanical aspects of the vehicle may be mostly VW Beetle, the chassis is bespoke. Containing a untamed 40 or so horsepower, this little tin-can of a car still feels like a Porsche. Why? Because keen observation will lead you to understand how significant this vehicle really is. Design cues and chassis dynamics from the Type 64 still resonate in the design of 911 models today. So like Harris said, “I think if you love Porsche, if you love their approach to motor vehicles, you can’t fail to be totally captivated by this machine.”
Porsche 919 Hybrid
Recognized as one of the most successful racing cars of all time, the 919 Hybrid is a champion of speed. Its purpose was initially to win the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans’ LMP1 class, which it did, three-times in a row. Not just that, but Porsche also won the driver’s and manufacturer’s championship three times in a row during the same time period of 2015 to 2017. The 919 Hybrid was such a dominant force in endurance racing, it almost seems in a league of its own. Harris, happier than ever to drive it described the 919 as “more like a bloody spaceship than a car…it will marmalize anything less than a Formula 1 car and is reliable enough to do so- for 24 hours.” So while Harris instantly built the confidence to hit around 200 mph in the 919 on a damp racetrack, we think we will be better off appreciating this legend from a distance.