Chris Harris

[Bibs]

I enjoy his videos, despite his massively long arms. They warrant their own thread and here's his latest.

 

[softlips]

I do like the F Type but I'm putting off trying one for now as I think I may like it too much!

[Rick Edwards]

forget the cars, I found that far more interesting to watch than Top Gear, even if there were some glaring continuity errors.

[Mysterae]

Great video. 

 

Despite what Chris says, I'd still have the Vantage, although not a convertible. It is my Esprit replacement.

[Vulcan Grey]

Here's an old one (with Lotus content)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSrdzXDH04M

[ronin]

I just don't get all the drifting bullshit. I say paint a line 12' from the road edge and then see how well the car and driver do.

Ya know something like the real world without all the smoke and mirrors.

[Guest surferphil]

Harris and Pistonheads are all about their brand of fun; which is the back end sliding out etc. This really has nothing to do with a track car, I find it really bizarre in the FType review that he goes to a race track to compare 3 GT road cars on their ability to pendulum around corners whilst making the specific point of not recording the lap time. Why go to a race track? Why is chronic handling a good thing, it seems that a crappy old mark II Escort with a few bags of sand in the boot is the ideal 'petrol head' car.

 

In the 211 video they do do track times which seems to be the point of the test and then at the end ignore the most competent track car and choose the other 2?

 

I do love to see these 'enthusiast' videos but it's late and I'm drinking coffee. 

[Bibs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MDTcXGsjuo

[Guest surferphil]

Awesome!

[Simon350S]

That was pretty decent to watch actually. I love the F40

[The Pits]

I don't like the way he's so blatantly pro-Porsche, unlike so many other brands struggling to compete with their world domination, I don't think Porsche needs his help. And besides, shouldn't car journalists at least pretend to be objective? Defending the Panamera Diesel was the final straw for me.

 

I also think it's a bit sad how many people slavishly hang off his every word as the gospel truth. Not his fault of course but the number of people declaring the new GT3 the greatest car of all time just because Chris Harris liked it was alarming. He's not the messiah, he's just a very naughty boy.

 

But this Ferrari video was brilliant. And his enthusiasm comes across as entirely genuine. And there's no denying the man has skills. I've never seen an F40 driven like that before. Looked bloody good fun! Interesting though that the same talent struggled to do the same in the F50.

[Bibs]

He needs to thanks his production team, the videos are very high quality now compared to his earlier ones. I love the high speed footage and inclusion of drone/rc chopper footage. I can't imagine how much the insurance costs for that sort of stuff.

 

F40 or F50? How would you choose?

[Guest surferphil]

Probably why it was done on a track in the middle of no where. Makes perfect sense to be there if the money can be spent on production quality instead of insurance costs.

 

I liked his Mille Miglia video and respect him a lot for speaking up against Ferrari's lying cheating PR and fixing magazine road tests.

The whole industry were in on it lying to their own readers and then Harris says in his usual frank way that none of it is true, the best bit is that he Loves Ferrari cars (as a lot of us do) and said it in spite of this and being instantly banned from driving their cars.

 

He comments in the Mille Miglia video that he is in the passenger seat going round Fiorano as he is banned from driving there. He has a lot of integrity for doing this but I agree with Jonny 100%.

Edited September 5, 2013 by surferphil

[USAndretti42]

He wasn't very complimentary about the Porsche 918 saying how stupid it was to put all that effort into reducing weight and then load it up with heavy batteries and motors.

 

His videos are always entertaining.

[Bentzion]

I once spoke to Mat Farrah from the smoking tire and he said he's a blindingly fast driver.  That's always nice as a good driver can give good feedback.  He's a good 'ol fashion gearhead and that's what comes through in the Videos.

 

I agree with the production value bit.  They know how to create the excitement, even if I totally agree that taking a car sideways is so pointless. 

 

I still think that this EVO video is stunning! 

[Bibs]

[Advantage]

Sometimes he's better when he lets his driving do the talking. Here he is a day or so earlier at the Goodwood Revival at the helm of a 3.8ltr, 6 cylinder Lister-Jaguar.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=igdiXEMuMIE

 

 

[USAndretti42]

I think the showboating or drifting is done for fun and effect.  It does show the car can be controlled in a slide and I have to admit I find it entertaining to watch.

 

Below are a series of videos of him trying a Formula 1 car.  No intentional drifting at all.

 

http://youtu.be/s7XRNJlGNCw

 

http://youtu.be/Sb8N6bGOvkY

 

http://youtu.be/f1IDXkFO7_k

[Bibs]

[Guest surferphil]

Are you married Scott?

[Guest surferphil]

Seriously though, a lot of people doing track days don't want to buy a Landrover a trailer and faff about loading and unloading. They just want to get the car out of the garage and drive to the track have some fun and drive home.

[comem47]

It's all about the challenge!!!  

 

[Guest surferphil]

Yea I know and maybe I'm missing something. I do understand why you would buy something you can drive to a track day. Elise Exige or Evora. If you want to up it to the next level I can see that too. Its just those machine have no style if you ask me. Same as those stupid little four wheel motor bike things. You look a twat, they handle like shite and can't cut through the traffic but still people seem to buy them?

 

Buddsy

 

It's not about style its about the drive. There are quads here but they are just used as agricultural vehicles i.e. a mini tractor/Landrover rather than something to be 'seen in'.

 

The Elise etc is a road car that can go on track, the FF/211 is a track car that can go on the road.

 

I agree they are not much style and not the thing to turn up to a posh do in, if I were you; I'd stick with the Lambo for that  

[sidsideways]

For those who cant see the point in drifting like people who have never tried it or racers who can do it in their sleep and find it boring!.

I couldn't drive my Caterham well until a racer showed me how, ie. on and over the limit. I was too scared and didn't have the skill so had to leave a big margin and drive at say 80%. I decided to learn to drift and after a long time [because I have no talent ] I was able to drive the Caterham at 100% and over so gaining 25% on my track time. It trains your hands, right foot and your bum!

I agree that drifting is pointless on track except for 911s where it can line you up quicker for the exit and F1 etc are fastest with no loss of traction but they are the worlds best and with ordinary drivers F1 cars would grip until they spin, very fast.. I am ordinary and what it did for my confidence was amazing. F1 drivers I can guarantee can all drift like gods! If you go over the limit your trained body parts save you from a crash and in a race, your trained body parts will sense the impending and prevent the loss of time in sliding.

If you are bored with it you have my respect as I am always trying to do it better but if you have never tried it just keep your ignorance to yourself.

[Guest surferphil]

Two of us criticised the drifting on this thread, not sure which one you aimed your comment at but I'm pretty sure Frank is far from ignorant! Watch his u-tube videos and see his Tuned thread. As for me:

 

Correcting over steer in a race or practice isn't the same as 'show boating' in a saloon; which is what's being criticised on this thread.

 

Full credit to you for getting instruction, so many people let their Ego get in the way when they could clearly benefit from instruction, there is a lot of difference in how one car handles to the next. I feel from experience that if you have to drift to get round a corner there is something wrong with the car. My first car was a RWD Escort; when the back went cornering my passengers thought it was cool, whilst I longed for a car that could handle the corner better and faster rather than me having to handle the car.

 

I can drift my M100 (which isn't recommended for the inexperienced as its FWD) and I can say it gains nothing from it, I try to avoid drifting the Esprit too as its pointless.

 

Here's an old one of Dave Eds in the wet trying to scare me with a little late drift in my S1.