Chris Harris Throws Around A 458 Spider!

Good to see Chris back with an FCar.

I tried to spot what mode he was driving in. There was one brief shot that showed the manettino in CT off position, not CST off. If this was the actual mode used during the filming, there was still some traction control in operation.

 

Jeremy Clarkson loaned him his car ?

 

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That's the UK press car.

 

FNE license plate = Ferrari North Europe.

 

About as much fun as you can have with your pants on...I would dare say!

Great vid.

 

How many more times will Chris Harris attempt to bring up his none existent infamy?

 

Even if you position the manettino in CST Off, it stays-looks like it is in CT off position. Also Even in CT off, the car doesn't slide this much. I used my italia once on a semi-wet race track in CT off position and it holds the car in a certain slipping angle.

So my conclusion is, there is no way of filming this video in manettino "CT OFF" position

 

"So my conclusion is, there is no way of filming this video in manettino "CT OFF" position."
That was my sense. I was curious as to how he got it to pull off these antics. Something else we don't know??

 

Haha, the ignorance in that comment! I laughed at "none existent infamy". I beg you to consider he is by millions of people in the world held up as one of the best journalists out there, of not THE best. (For me it's between him and Harry Metcalfe, not a huge fan of John Davies) And no, JC or anyone else from TG are not a journalists anymore, they are characters, entertainers.

Anyone with a serious passion for driving and tracking cars will instantly recognize his name. Not only is he's writing & on-camera appearances excellent, he's a proper accomplished driver. He has raced vintage endurance racing and a Porsche GT3 several times, he owns a 599 GTB and a 997 GT3 RS 4.0 amongst many other cars. Btw, hope you know a lot of the sideways-scenes on TG are performed by hired stunt men...

He is the cult symbol of independent car journos.

Last but not least, no way this was filmed in anything other than CST, you can ever hear he moved the Manettino all the way over during the film. Yes could be camera trickery but no way he could pull those chicanes THAT sideways in anything else IMHO.

 

I agree with the above but let's face it, Harris IS a drama queen.

 

I beg to differ. He reviews with emotion, but not Clarkson-amounts of overaggressive comments. I've always felt his reviews to become very credible and neutral. I think the only other person being able to review the cars he drives with a higher neutrality is Harry Metcalfe, who without becoming boring presents the cars he drives in a very passionate and exciting way. The reviews these people generate are geared towards the readers who posses a special interest but that's why they are there. We actually want to know what the car is like in a more orderly and less bombastic fashion than any mainstream TV-show. For me, the credibility of Metcalfe increases immensely when you realize what he's got sitting in his garage. It also gives the readers of evo lots of cool information, especially regarding Pagani! Sad the Zonda is going though... I wish Harris still was a part of evo, but I do like his independent work even more and more. I also think Henry Catchpole who writes for evo is an up-an-coming 'star'.

Harris makes a lot of noise, but he deserves that spotlight, because he's so damn good at what he says and writes. Although I think the infamous Jalop-article focused WAY too much on F. I mean, which manufacturer DOESN'T optimize a cars performance for a cover article? (Nissan and the Nürburgring lol). And furthermore, 'ordinary' manufacturers always launch new models in amazing places to flabbergast the journalists with the surroundings and newly paved asphalt, to almost make them forget to review the car and not the experience they've been a part of.

 

What ever happens to these press cars anyway? Nice vid by the way.

 

They get sold like any other car.

 

Infamy and notoriety are not the same thing.

Chris has undisputed notoriety.

Whether he's infamous or not depends on whether you were impressed by his *****y little rant about Ferrari and whether you believe he borrowed this car from another member of the press as opposed to directly from Ferrari.

 

They are sold to the public.

 

He's probably infamous in the mind of any starry-eyed fanboy and the people at the Ferrari Press office who came out with the absolutely retarded press release "(...) I think that Chris has done more harm to himself than Ferrari."

Why would you call his rant s****y, when it's absolutely true? (As it is for the entire car industry). The fact is, Harris still appreciates the cars, but he has nothing to spare for the people that control it's press and branding. That's different. The rant was not about some quality issue or that the cars actually were bad. If you've even read it you'll find he's perplexed by why they even do care so much about their tests when their cars are so good in the first place, they wouldn't have lost any tests. Fact his Harris still has respect for the cars, but judging by your use of profanity and childish insults towards him, you have no respect for him. For your sake, I think that's sad, because you're missing out.

He DID sell his 575 as a protest way back in 2010. And why is it iconic? He's never hated the cars, just a few silly people who boss over the journos.

 

No, he's a drama queen. The opening statements of this video proves it. Who really gives a crap that he's "finally" reviewing a Ferrari in some sort of clandestine sort of way. Is that the story? Only to Mr. Harris.

Drama queen. Good reviewer I agree but drama queen. He needs to get over himself and stick to reviewing cars.

 

Alright you've got a point considering this very video. But don't you think it's part of the point? The 'end' and final chapter (hopefully) of his Ferrari Communications rant?

But check out his BMW 325 rally car video, and the Spa 6 hr. In the Spa video we unfortunately have to endure with on an almost Quentin Wilson-level self loving Andrew Frankel but as for Chris' persona I think it's a good testament. In recent times do think his Huayra video is great too but you might find him a screaming primadonna there as well. I remember the first time I saw his 458, 430 Scud and GTO review, his driving was amazing, he beat the **** out of those cars. He does have a entertaining private youtube channel as well but all he does there is talk about how he hates washing cars illustrating his dislike by taking a Jag XK to a washing center.

 

Only Chris Harris thinks this part of the story is "controversial". Jees give me a break... the guy owns and drives a 599. It's not like he doesn't have any time in an F car lately.

Actually, I hope it isn't the end I could care less if he reviews another F car again. His credibility it trashed. Is he kissing up? Is he trying to get on their good side? Is he worried about being banned again?

He's out, and so is Japlopnik. They made their beds and now it's time to lie in them. Plenty of other great reviewers out there. While Japlonik is reviewing the latest Kia in Compton California, others are driving the F12 around Maranello or invited to the F70 reveal. There are limits as to what a company should have to take in the press.

 

Jalopnik has never been a good place for car reviews, just fun and random news. Don't exactly take them seriously. They don't get invited to anything in Europe, they sit in their NY office making "cultural news" of which a lot is total s***. I mean take a look at todays front page, a The Sun-type article on what Tamara Ecclestone spent on booze. Do they even do reviews them selves? I thought they just copypasted from different sites and created something they called "the Jalop review" I'm on the site daily but that's just for the occasional fun stuff that pops up. Jalop screams for attention all the time, posting any 'car-related' topic they can find.

His credibility isn't trashed, he drove the 458 before the feud and liked it. What is wrong with him giving his word on the Spider? It's as if he's contradicting every other journo in the world who's driven the car. Harris doesn't work for anybody he's freelance he writes on PH, does videos for /Drive and probably writes some articles here and then. I don't how he occupies himselves on a daily basis, since he doesn't exactly post videos often and his PH site is just a blog. I haven't seen printed articles from him anywhere in years.

Alright call me a fanboy, but he's a fresh breath of air. My dream is a dedicated show to him and Harry, possibly the Tiff aswell if they needed a third man. A proper car show, not TG and not the punk Fifth Gear stuff (half of the cast are Subaru-loving chavs). I don't think Ferrari should spend much effort on the press, their cars will sell no matter what. But releasing press notes which nearly resembles Lotus' Facebook-überfail from last spring is just making them look stupid. Look at evo, a lot of the test drivers are not arranged by the Press Offices but by owners and friends of Harry (SA Aperta for instance).

BTW, on a last note concering independence, /Drive is sponsored by Google as part of their "Original Channel Initiative". No wonder the show has such high quality content despite it's relatively low views (some videos are in the low 10k's) .

 

Chris is the best reviewer, and I welcome his honest and fresh take. I want a daily show in the States from him.

 

How do I get that job? So hot!