Chris Harris pits Porsche supercar against other exotic performance models in the rain and cold.
When you have a Porsche 911 Turbo, Honda NSX, and Audi R8 V10 plus in front of you, you drive them – no matter what the weather is. Sunny and dry? Of course. Windy? Give it a shot. In the above Top Gear video, Chris Harris finds himself standing in front of that same trio on a dreary and drizzly day in the UK. He does not go home.
Instead, he tries to drag race them on a flooded track. Largely, it goes about as well as you’d expect it to go, even though all three cars have all-wheel drive. When the track is at its wettest, the NSX and R8 lose grip and want to wag their tails. Harris then decides to go with the weather and powerslide the cars around the track’s curves.
He may not be in the ideal conditions, but those don’t stop him from noticing each car’s strong suits, such as the Honda’s balance, pleasant exhaust note, and immense power. He even goes so far as to call it a mini Porsche 918.
Harris goes on to praise the R8 for the sound and output of its 610-horsepower naturally aspirated V10.
The Porsche 911 Turbo draws even more positive comments. It grips the soggy tarmac with an unmatched tenacity and rockets to first in Harris’ third attempt at a drag race. Harris finds it difficult to knock the 550-horsepower banana at all, calling it helpful, easy to drive, brilliant, and the “discerning everyman’s 911.” Road or track, he’d choose the 911 Turbo. Clearly, he’d do the same whether it was raining or sunny outside.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
