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Citroen Video

The best car of all?

Citroen 2CV

The Citroën 2CV is one of the most intriguing cars of all time. But is it also one of the best? That’s the case Chris Harris puts forward in his video this week.

A little about the car before you watch the clip. The 2CV was built from 1948–1990 and ended with an estimated production run of 5,114,996 vehicles. At launch it was offered with a 375cc air-cooled flat twin cylinder engine producing a whopping 9hp at 3500rpm. Over the years power ballooned to 29hp at 5750rpm thanks to the eventual arrival at a 602cc flat twin.

Power is sent to the front wheels through a 4-speed manual gearbox with a shift pattern designed for convenience rather than convention.

The 2CV stands out like a beacon today due its basic nature. You get the feeling that it probably still stood out for similar reasons 66 years ago when it was first released. Undeniably, though, the 2CV makes people smile and for that, and a host of other reasons, it has made the motoring world better for its existence.

If you know anyone that owns a 2CV and you think they would let AUSmotive do a Drive Thru review please let us know.

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McLaren Video

“Faster than an original McLaren F1”

Chris Harris drives the McLaren 650S

Chris Harris is taking a week off from his Drive duties, which means we can bring you up to speed with what he did in his last video. You may have already seen it, but if not here he is waxing lyrical about the McLaren 650S. As is customary now, we get a bit of behind the scenes technical talk which is much easier to take in than reading press releases word for word.

We only see the car on the track but that’s still enough to make us think we wish we were there too. Just watch the super slo-mo of the 650S slicing through some esses at the 10:00 mark.

But before you do watch the video take a moment to read and take in the quote we’ve used to title this post. Then look out for it in the commentary and also ponder how nonchalantly Harris delivers those words.

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Jaguar Video

Does my arse look good in this?

Jaguar F-Type R Coupe

This week Chris Harris has a play with the very sexy Jaguar F-Type Coupé. Naturally he’s selected the 404kW supercharged 5.0 V8 model, the F Type R.

He begins by waxing lyrical about the car’s beautiful exterior, in particular it’s rather pleasing backside. But when he turns his eye to the interior he reveals himself to be a man after my own heart when he critiques the selection of typefaces used. Brilliant, Chris, just brilliant!

Anyway, despite its 1650kg heft, he quite likes the car. Click through to find out why.

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Motor Shows Video

Chris and Mark have a chat in Geneva

Chris Harris and Mark Webber

This week’s video update from Chris Harris was filmed at the Geneva Motor Show. You know the drill, he walks around points a few things he likes and a few things he doesn’t. Along the way he caught up with a couple of Porsche Nine Ninenteen drivers, including our very own Mark Webber.

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Alfa Romeo Porsche Video

VIDEO: Alfa Romeo 4C v Porsche Cayman S

Alfa Romeo 4C v Porsche Cayman S

For his weekly visit to YouTube Chris Harris drops in with a sports coupé comparison that everyone will enjoy. It’s the swooping drama and promise of the Alfa Romeo 4C up against the model all sportscars in this class aim to beat, the Porsche Cayman S.

So confident was Harris of the Porsche’s status he starts by asking: “Is there any reason why you’d buy a 4C over a Cayman at the moment?”

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McLaren Video

VIDEO: Harris and Goodwin talk McLaren P1

Chris Harris and Chris Goodwin talk about the McLaren P1

The start of last week’s Drive video on the McLaren P1 began with Chris Harris chatting casually about the car with Chris Godwin. Sure there were no smoking tyres or screaming V8 sounds, but it was still just as entertaining.

This week Drive has given us another 28 minutes of P1, this time it’s just Harris and Goodwin waxing lyrical. It’s great stuff and if nothing else it’s worth it just to revisit the genesis of the term “torque fill”.

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McLaren Video

VIDEO: Chris Harris has a go in the McLaren P1

McLaren P1

Chris Harris is the latest to be given some seat time in the McLaren P1. And we’re very thankful for that, too.

The clip goes for over 28 minutes and the serious business of driving fast doesn’t start until the end of the video. At the start, though, Harris and McLaren’s Chris Goodwin discuss some of the P1’s finer details. It’s much better taking in this conversation rather than poring over a press release.

Driving action begins on the streets of Abu Dhabi and it’s something of a novelty seeing the P1 mix it with Corollas and Land Cruisers. On track the action is as you’d expect. Plenty of sideways, plenty of speed and plenty of superlatives.

That said, we think Harris has described the sensation and enjoyment of driving the latest übercar better in the past than he has managed to do in the P1. Likewise, we were a little disappointed with Steve Sutcliffe’s summation of the P1.

Is there a pattern emerging here? Is the P1 so gobsmackingly out of this world that mere mortals are unable to describe the experience in a manner that gives the audience a reasonable representation of what just happened?

However, we are becoming more certain of one thing. In this world of five-second attention spans where the latest and greatest object of desire barely has the opportunity to create a legacy before it is thrown away, we worry that the greatness of the P1 won’t be given the merit it deserves.

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Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz Porsche Video

Can anything stop the GT3 winning this test?

Drive 911 GT3 v V12 Vantage S v C63 AMG Black

The Porsche 911 GT3, it’s the it car of every moment. It’s a Porsche, so you know it’ll be well built with the driver in mind more than anything else. It’s a 911, so you know it’s got a heritage other cars only dream of. And it’s a GT3, so you know it’s going to be one of the best 911s of its generation.

Can anything touch it? Chris Harris took an Aston Martin V12 Vantage S and a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series—both highly desirable cars in their own right—for a drive in the countryside to find out.

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Mercedes-Benz Video

Chris Harris says goodbye to the M156 V8

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG 507 Estate

The normally aspirated V8 engine found in the C63 was first launched back in 2007. Since then it has powered AMG-enhanced C Class coupes, saloons and estates to the top of many people’s wish lists. The M156 V8 has been AMG’s stock-in-trade in recent years, beating away in plenty of other models too.

Approaching the end of its life, and for the great benefit of us all, Chris Harris takes a brief moment to say goodbye to the one of the world’s great V8 engines. The arrival of a new C Class will usher in a new turbocharged more fuel efficient era. Mercedes promises the C63 badge will remain, but it won’t really be the same.

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Audi Video

Chris Harris compares Audi R8 GT3 and R8 V10

Chris Harris with the Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT3

Chris Harris is a lucky man. This we know. But he’s further proved this point by being given the keys and the pit crew to an Audi R8 V10 road car and an R8 LMS Ultra GT3 racecar and an empty Nürburgring grand prix track.

The aim of this exercise was to see how closely related the street car and track car are, if at all. You may be surprised by Harris’ discovery.

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Audi Video

The history of Quattro

Audi RS2 Avant

Chris Harris from Drive spends a few minutes looking back at the history of Audi’s quattro brand, which started out in the world of rallying before coming to life on public roads with models such as the legendary Ur Quattro and the devastatingly quick RS2 Avant.

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BMW Motorsports Video

VIDEO: At the wheel of a BMW M3 DTM

BMW M3 DTM

Last year BMW returned to DTM racing and did so in style by winning the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. This week Chris Harris takes us inside the carbon fibre shell of the BMW M3 DTM. It starts off as a fairly regulated affair full of briefings and instructions. Soon enough Harris is let out on the track and it’s worth watching to get a better appreciation of what these space age bespoke racecars are all about.

It’s also interesting to note Harris’ observation than V8 Supercars, in his eyes, are a better form of entertainment that the current generation DTM.