@fpdhu Oh, just Googled that and see what you mean! Very Bonneville Salt Flats! (Didn't Bluebird have similar wheels for aerodynamics? I've definitely seen - from recollection - similar wheels on a land speed car in a Jack Vettriano painting) On a slightly related but unrelated topic: I wouldn't mind an Oldsmobile Tornado (I think they look very elegant) .. And 'Restomod' it to RWD...
Says it all - BMW won’t allow you to track the all new M5, but the owner of a 40 year old icon has no issues with you tearing a classic Porsche (worth significantly more too) on a track. Says a lot about where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Keep up the great work, Chris.
That’s because BMW knows a 5 billion kilo car will be nowhere near as good as previous generations on a racetrack. It’s not about the value. It’s just BMW not wanting any more bad publicity for the obese M5.
Yeah, fuck forbid someone care about their production value and the skill of making a complete film with vision, and sound driving narrative and emotion... instead, focus on the few youtube incels that complain the loudest about music in videos...
In about 1985, at the age of ten, I wrote to Porsche in Germany to ask them for more info about the 959, which I knew back then was a very significant and special car. A few weeks later, I received a thin rigid cardboard envelope from Germany with beautiful silver fold out brochure entirely in German. I had no way of knowing what it all meant, but it had the same timeless, die-cast, serious, immaculate quality of the car itself.
Love the Lo-Fi approach to these videos. No one needs "perfect", so a dog walks into the frame, point it out, own it, move on. The 959 is my favourite car, so this was great.
This is how car reviews used to be 40 years ago. Raw, honest and passionate journalism. These home movies are easily the best car content on youtube at the moment. Love them.
This video feels so natural, just a bloke filming a no frills video on an exceptional car doing what he truly loves. This is what automotive RUclips should be about!
I agree. Chris Harris is one of my favorite automotive journalists/enthusiasts out there. Henry Catchpool is another great in my opinion. It’s clear that both are very passionate and knowledgeable about cars and motorsports.
Still hands down my favorite automotive journalist. 90% car, 10% presenting, 100% driving like its meant to be. Much appreciation from the states, Mr. Harris, and much love for 959, still the dream car for me.
Yep, I agree. If Chris had been teamed with people who knew about cars rather than those other two clowns then Top Gear would still be going. I really like Rory, never did understand why they got rid of him.
You know what really gives this video character? The honesty. Leaving in mistakes, keeping it a bit rough around the edges. In the era of perfect videos, its nice to have some character.
in 1985, I was 12 years old and had just started reading car magazines. The 959 is one of those cars that instantly caught my attention, back then - Still just as breathtaking today. Can't believe it´s been 40 years... One of those, in all white, just like that - what a dream-machine. 😍
This video should be framed and hung in whatever museum celebrates automotive journalism as an example of how it should be done. No music, no fancy editing, no fluff, just a driver, a car, and the experience of their interface. The reason Chris is the best out there is that he is the avatar for how all of us wish to be: insightful, knowledgeable, funny, a great driver, and a true automotive fanatic. Getting to see him fan boy over the 959 made my week and it is only Sunday evening. Thank you!
I'm pausing it till suppers ready. I'm a 55 year Old Detroit Greaser and fan of both the car and the Man. The prototype is so cool. Good for the owner to let her get some proper exercise!
Exactly. Breath of fresh air that he´s back plus the podcast with those lads ( especially neil). So so sick of the flood of influencers. Luckly you can block their content and focus on the good bits like chris´
When I was handed the keys to a 959 back in the early 1990’s after asking the owner “is it really that much different than a track ready 911?”, he smiled and said, “The only way to know is to get behind the wheel and see for yourself.” For a true cay guy that was a life changing experience. Not only are you wrapped in extraordinary workmanship everywhere in the cab, driving that thing you can literally feel how they touched on each and every detail of how to put that power to the ground in a perfectly controlled manner. It was an absolutely awesome thing to drive. 👍🏻😎👍🏻
I turned 20 years old in 1987. My Buddy and I drove into Edmonton Alberta to attend the "World of Wheels" show. The main attraction that year was a Double Feature of the Porsche 959, and it's Italian Nemesis the Ferrari 288 GTO. Both cars simply took your breath away, the Porsche with it's technology and presence and the 288 GTO looking like the 80's 308's should have looked, a dangerous mix of achingly beautiful and "Do that again, and I'll rip your head off!!!" ferocity. Both cars were roped off, facing each other in a thinly veiled attempt to create competition. The Porsche low, sculpted and exuding the kind of confidence a 20 yr old would kill to have. The Ferrari, in contrast with it's menacing looking vents over the engine and it's gearbox hanging out the back looking ready to take on anything from the track to the highway and while the Porsche's song was pure mechanical music, the Ferrari who's scream you could hear a mile off was an epiphany of what man can accomplish when he puts his mind to something, the crescendos and burbles like an opera and the Porsche's Flat Six a technological marvel of valves and turbos softly purring one minute and wailing away near it's limit the next. We reached a pinnacle that year when a Ferrari F40 claimed to have exceeded 200mph. It was an achievement, like landing on the Moon or breaking the sound barrier, nothing after that would ever be the same, and gladly for us, it sure hasn't been!! Great review Chris, thanks for the drive down memory lane!
As a video editor myself, I know how much time we spend cleaning up footage, picking the best shots, and refining everything to make our content look beautiful. The script often evolves a lot before it's time to record the VO. But there's something so special about this video-it’s sincere and direct, with nothing getting in the way of what needs to be said. Simply amazing, as always.
What is great is that it is actually honest and it’s special. If all videos were like this, we wouldn’t tolerate it, but as it’s necessary we are all here for it
It feels like the old, some might call it, real, RUclips, evolved. Some tiny bits like done footage and lots of love and skill. And no music. I feel refreshed and entertained. Very well done, indeed.
I'm 58 years old and I still have the poster, it's framed in one my now adult (and moved out) kid's room. The amount of tech for 1985 was mind blowing back then as was the 3.7 second 0-60 time.
We had a JCT600 Porsche dealership in Hull late 80’s early 90’s, saw some amazing 928’s, 944’s, 911’s in there, on at least two occasions a 959 was in there, me and my mates used to bike down there and just drool over the cars, the 959’s were just head and shoulders the best looking things we’d ever seen, even opened the door on one in there, memories ❤❤❤😂 my personal favourite car ever 😊
This is from the generation of cars that I fell in love with, late 80's - early 90's supercars were incredible. Countach, 959, F40, XJ220, F1, Diablo, EB110.....you could count all the big names on the fingers of both hands with spares left over, You could draw them all from memory, they all looked absolutely distinctive and they all did their own thing technically, turbo V6, flat 6's V8's NA V12's every car was absolutely unique and dripping with character. I couldn't even name the supercars on sale today there are so many and they get vomited out with such tedious regularity, never mind drawing them.
+1. Modern top end cars have mostly lost their bespoke design language of their marques. I watched Harry Metcalfe’s road trip to the French Alps. Dull. The big Ferrari Purosangue (or whatever it’s called) to look at could have been made by any company churning out generic SUV type. And despite being almost £400k, I disliked it. The cars you listed signal their maker from almost any angle.
@@GT380man Lol, I'm just watching that exact video when this comment came up, It's just a box with a Ferrari badge on it, who the hell's putting a poster of that on their wall?
I had a 6 foot poster of this masterpiece on my wall when in college. My favorite car ever. Probably the most important car ever built. It's the crucible of every modern car. ❤
Yep, kept that one. I had a feeling that it was a high point for cars and it still is. Two fantastic cars, legendary. 959, in my humble opinion, is one of the best cars ever made.
Still, 40 years on, my ultimate dream car. I've passengered in an F40 about 30 years ago( and it blew my mind), but I have only ever seen one 959 properly, a silver one. I think every curve of it is forever etched into my memory . You are a lucky man Mr Harris, with some very good friends. Thank you Mr Tuthill for setting this up.
The 959 was always my poster/lottery car. I had the unbelievable privilege of being driven, at great speed, around Goodwood, in a red 959 Sport, with 1500km on the clock, at a Mission Motorsport the Veterans Charity event. It was genuinely one of the most uplifting, joyous, enjoyable & emotional experiences of my life. It was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. Thank you for this video Chris, it brought back great memories of an amazing, sunny day, at a fabulous track, in a wonderful car, to make a cold January day feel ok.
@@davemagick6739 Tired of saying that: VW does not own the Porsche! VW "manages" Porsche AG. Porsche SE (family) owns all of them, including Volkswagen AG, which is a subsidiary.
My best friend Matt and I went to see one of these in the Exeter Porsche showroom. It was other worldly, never forgotten. Neither was the kindness shown to two giddy kids by the dealership staff, bags of brochures and everything!
Great story, I’m surprised Exeter had one in, I sometimes think they forget about us in the SW. Roughly what year was this and how old were you guys? I would have loved that when I was younger, I would love it even more now.😅
While most teenage boys in the ‘80s had posters of the Countach or Testarossa on their bedroom wall, it was always the 959 for me. A truly groundbreaking car in its day, and still holds up after all this time. Always was, and always will be, my all time favourite car. If I had all the money in the world, it’s still (40 years later), the first car I’d purchase, with white on white being the perfect colour combination.
Own a 1982 911 SC and every time I get into it and and turn the key I feel transported back to the 80's. All air cooled 911's have a special place in my soul but the 959 is something special.
@@stephenjones3415oh it’s comedy though 😂😂. The old days of TG in the UK I really Loved. Tiff was ace and had great passion. Clarkson was same as he is now, but I think he’s great
I wasn’t even a teen yet when these came out but I’ll never forget reading that they had 450 hp, sequential turbos and AWD. If just blew my young mind that this car existed. Great video!
Same here, I've always been obsessed with them. Richard Hammond drove a nice red one in top gear when they revisited 80s super cars. I remember being pleasantly surprised that it still blew me away all those years later.
One of the coolest moments in a Doug Demuro video ever was when he was driving a Porsche 959 and a Lamborghini Huracan pulls up next to him and the two guys in the Lambo are FREAKING OUT over the 959! That’s how special it is!
Hi Chris, as an automotive writer myself and videocreator, it is interesting to see how you will turn reviews in a new direction. Instead of time- and human-consuming/costly productions, there will be room for down to earth one man shows like this. Very cool.
One of the best car reviews, ever filmed. Quintessentially old school, in a very modern format. The car, strangely, but beautifully matching the film itself.
Chris it's Chris here, wonderful "Home Movie", the serendipitous neivety of this video is all inspiring, way to follow your dreams. You're not only an indipendant automotive journalist you're a hilarious life coach and surrogate brother/father to all of us souls. Cheers to you mate
Chris Harris driving, talking all things Porsche. Unquestionably THE apex of all petrolhead ‘journos’ on planet earth also the only one we could and do listen to/watch/subscribe to - never ever stop Chris and no it has nothing to do with the favourite four wheeled machine in our barn, our 997.1 GT3.
The car is amazing, but what i appreciated even more is your professionalism. No music, right explanations, passion. Extremely rare, you made the others look like clowns ❤
I am 54 years old and I remember when this car was released, wow! I have been a car fanatic since almost birth! I don’t think I ever realized the heads were water-cooled, you just blew my mind 🤯! Keep up the great work Chris, you are by far my favorite auto journalist.
Then there is something that might surprise you even more. The Porsche 911 996 turbo is essentially a 959 and was the last Porsche generation that had cars that dried to kill you, if you bought the sport version (especially the gt2). Even though the 997 is essentially a facelift, something was lost in this generational step and slowly people start to realize it.
Chris! I think it’s safe to say we’d all watch multiple seasons of your “Home Movies”. I’m a 55 year old American who had a subscription to Car & Driver Magazine since I was 8 years old. In 87 when I graduated from High School the 959 was finally reviewed! Still have that issue! Unfortunately for me the closest I’ll ever get to driving a 959 is in my sim racing rig. GT7 even makes it squat! Who knows how close anything else is, but that’s where you fill in the gaps for the rest of us. Thank you once again for your expertise and true passion that shows in your “Home Movies”. Cheers!
I believe a year earlier, Auto Motor und Sport, in Germany, did a test. Pitching the 959, the F40, RUF Yellow Bird, and an AMG 6.0 32V. I believe that issue is still at my parents somewhere.
This was brilliant! I am deeply jealous of your day with the 959. And I FEEL you on the technical difficulties, but they don't detract at all from the final product. -subscribed
As a Porsche fanboy from 7 I remember this car so well, stunning! After over 40 years I now own a 911, well worth the wait. I can only imagine how amazing the 959 was to drive. Love your videos Chris, great work.
My first matchbox car was a white 959. My kids now play with it! Loving these back to basics style of videos. This is the Chris Harris we all know and love to watch!
I attended the IAA in 85 and was stunned by this revolutionary masterpiece of design and technology - what also impressed me, was the cutaway model. A nice giveaway was the big poster which reminded me daily of this fabulous car. Thanks for the Video.
I always loved the 959. Remember seeing the Auto Motor Sport article about it going head to head against the F40 and the RUF Yellowbird. The 959 is Porsche Royalty. 👑
Chris Harris and I are the same age….so it could be that….but I laughed out loud with the ‘I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson’ reference. Oh, and he is my favorite car enthusiast. Honest, funny, straightforward and just so well narrated. Made my day.
Thank you for this movie. My favorite car to this day. I was privileged to see one in Montauk back in ‘88, when I was taking a break from classes. So beautiful.
One of if not my favourite car of all time, poster car for me in the 80's and you just never ever see one on the road. First one I saw was at the museum in Stuttgart and then two last year at Boxengasse/Megaphonics. I spent some time drooling over those examples. It's aged, wheels look small, to inset into the arches, headlights look small compared to today's 911's and orange indicator lenses spring to mind. The interior is classic 80's 911, but also looks so good for it. Still a dream car and if the numbers ever came up I'd have to have one. I saw Porsche did a series on recommissioning their 959 Dakar car which sparked my interest again, thanks for perking up a dull Monday in January Chris.
Chris... I've spent too much of my life watching car videos on the internet. I think you've landed the best video (F40 vs F50) and the second best that I've ever seen, this video Thank you so much
my dads boss had a 959 when i was id say 10 he took me out in it knowing i loved cars i till to this day think about how much i shit my pants when he floored it it was amazing
Like the F40, that era of supercar when you can see the 'normal' car underneath the additional body parts, but its been so well integrated it looks like it was always meant to be. Lovely.
I had a poster of this in my bedroom in the '90s, next to the Countach and F40. I've never been a big Porsche guy, but this car had a mystique that fascinated and attracted me. Great to see it in videos like this. Excellent tribute.
The 959 just blew my mind when it arrived. Ferrari fans would disagree but in my opinion it just blew everything into the weeds, it was transformational. It moved the car several steps forward, incredible achievement.
If you're ever in the San Francisco, CA area make sure to make a trip to Canepa in Scotts Valley, who always have several 959s in the shop/showroom. They'll even turn your 911 into a 959 for a few million bucks. Fun to browse their inventory and observe their incredible workshop. Top tier.
This is so great. Proper old school car video. Nice and simple, especially at the start. And you still communicate everything so well. You're a legend Chris.
Every petrolheaded kid of this generation probably had a picture of Countach on their bedroom wall… not me, I had a 959 on my wall! I was fortunate enough to see one in the flesh for the first time ever last year in Germany. What an absolute beauty!
I have the F40 poster still on the wall at age 45. It’s an Italian printed poster and I’ve framed it in conservation glass. Honestly it’s the most beautiful thing man has ever created (the car not the frame). I’ve been in love with them since I was 10 years old and have only seen one in a museum in Germany.. even better in real life. Modern cars are boring packed with so many safety features that it actually makes them dangerous. Good to see there’s still many people out there that love these cars too.
Porsche is one of my all time favorite car manufacturers; but the real star is Chris. Man I’m proud of you, you carved out your own lane and went up against titans. Honestly I miss your old videos just you and the cars on back roads in Europe. No huge production budgets just quality driving, information, and entertainment. Thanks for your stellar contributions all these years! You’ve left your mark! You’re honestly one of the GOATS!…
This video isn’t just it’s own work of art- but it proves how little all the production and music and stock aerial shots of the others add. Well done, Chris. There was probably an immense amount of work behind it, but the video is as much art as the car.
This is a really beautiful, pure video. The words feel like thoughts, not script. Like you were making this video on your phone for only you. This is why you’re the best, Chris.
There is not one person on the planet that I want to listen and watch talking and driving iconic cars than you, sir. An authentic tour de force - both you and the astonishing cars on which you lavish your unique "fingerspitzengefühl"
If I got to take a Ferrari F-40, or a Porsche 959 (the BIG rivals at the time), I'll take the 959, hands down. It's technologically more advanced and far more equipped, even with confort and security items. The 959 is a supercar that's transgenerational on Porsche legacy. Great video!
I've been following you since the beginning. I just want to say it makes me happy seeing you in this car because I know how far you've come to experience these things. Whether or not you know it, you are the only true successor to Clarkson and the gang for us. Cheers.
Absolutely got me frothing at the seams! Bravo for the ballsy, raw, and uncut perspective - had that homemade camcorder feel to it, that just fits that generation! You seemingly must have certainly been feeling it, by the way you peered into that viewfinder, with that intense, completely consumed, rabid-like stare!!! You Mr. Harris are the real deal!
What most people don't know is that the Porsche 959 came in two versions. The deluxe and the sport. This one is the sport. The only way to tell them apart is the wheels. The deluxe has silver wheels, the sport has white wheels. Back in the 80's, I had a poster of a silver 959 on my wall as a kid. No Countach. Thank you.
@@bicyclist2 I think most enthusiasts know that, but it wasn’t called Deluxe, is was Komfort and Sport. The 959 in this video isn’t a Sport, as they only had 1 side mirror (drivers side only), had no rear seats, and also had harness style front seats. The wheels were the same on both versions.
@@TheNoisyNinja72 and cloth seats....and a smidge over 500bhp. The one the F40 should have always been pitted against. But as there was only something like 23 made, it never happened.
I am a big time Porsche fan, but this has always been my favourite Porsche. The 959 was a technological marvel when it was released and even though the Ferrari F40 was faster (top speed) and was a extremely cool car as well (was my favourite Ferrari for decades),the 959 was just that one step up in the world of supercars. Great video…
The Porsche 959 went way over budget and cost over $500,000 to build, but the company refused to cut corners and delivered each new car to it's owner for $225,000 as promised...
remember seeing this at the NEC motorshow in 1985 and was amazed by how smooth and slippery it looked in an era when 911's had US federal spec bumpers it looked like a spaceship! incredible car way ahead of its time
Really enjoyed the M5 homemade video (and the dig at BMW), and then you roll this one out. Great homage. A proper driving enthusiast video...👍👍 I'm in my 40's and don't care about new cars anymore...too heavy, too EV, too techie...the glory years of cars are behind us now...the LFA, the V12's blah blah...more of these please Chris...👍
I remember as a kid walking passed Man island Porsche in Liverpool just staring through the window thinking one day……It was late in the evening and the security guard spotted me, he walked out as asked if I’d like some of the brochures Super excited I said yes and the 959 was in the brochure. I’m sure I still have it somewhere. I still want a Porsche 😂 Loving the home made car reviews top work 👏🏻👏🏻
Of course the wheels are magnesium. No idea why I said that! Big apologies!
We knew what you meant sir, No worries. What a beautiful example and in clean white. Gorgeous.
I actually prefer the disc shaped wheels on the Prototype/Safari. They suit the car better...
@@MineshShah Same
@@MineshShah Was very Oldsmobile Aerotech with the disc wheels (959 did it first though I know)
@fpdhu Oh, just Googled that and see what you mean! Very Bonneville Salt Flats! (Didn't Bluebird have similar wheels for aerodynamics? I've definitely seen - from recollection - similar wheels on a land speed car in a Jack Vettriano painting) On a slightly related but unrelated topic: I wouldn't mind an Oldsmobile Tornado (I think they look very elegant) .. And 'Restomod' it to RWD...
Says it all - BMW won’t allow you to track the all new M5, but the owner of a 40 year old icon has no issues with you tearing a classic Porsche (worth significantly more too) on a track. Says a lot about where we’ve come from and where we’re going. Keep up the great work, Chris.
The 959 is 40 years old....Good lord
@@that_crashtest_dummy I hear you thinking ...- fck I am getting that old?! :)
To minted to give a shit?
That’s because BMW knows a 5 billion kilo car will be nowhere near as good as previous generations on a racetrack. It’s not about the value. It’s just BMW not wanting any more bad publicity for the obese M5.
@ambruszoltan752 I'm nearly half its age, but it looks like so much better than me if I'm honest
+10 youtube points for no music!
Agreed & no script thankfully
I'm only 41 seconds in and there is music. :(
Yeah, fuck forbid someone care about their production value and the skill of making a complete film with vision, and sound driving narrative and emotion... instead, focus on the few youtube incels that complain the loudest about music in videos...
"Minimal" music.
@@eriklarson9137(we think it’s just on yours Erik)😜
In about 1985, at the age of ten, I wrote to Porsche in Germany to ask them for more info about the 959, which I knew back then was a very significant and special car. A few weeks later, I received a thin rigid cardboard envelope from Germany with beautiful silver fold out brochure entirely in German. I had no way of knowing what it all meant, but it had the same timeless, die-cast, serious, immaculate quality of the car itself.
beautiful story. this must have made you a fan for life.
I reckon you still have that brochure.
Autoart ftw lol
What a story
That's actually very awesome that Porsche responded to 10yr old you, kinda speaks to the companies values back then.
Love the Lo-Fi approach to these videos. No one needs "perfect", so a dog walks into the frame, point it out, own it, move on. The 959 is my favourite car, so this was great.
A dog makes any great video even better!
This is how car reviews used to be 40 years ago. Raw, honest and passionate journalism. These home movies are easily the best car content on youtube at the moment. Love them.
Noted 👨🏻🏫
This video feels so natural, just a bloke filming a no frills video on an exceptional car doing what he truly loves. This is what automotive RUclips should be about!
Watching Chris and also Harry Metcalfe, you are so right
@@samparfitt9237 💯
@samparfitt9237 is that the guy from Harry's Garage? If so I don't mind watching him either 👍
Chris has brought in the home video from his holidays for show and tell
This is exactly what has made Chris such a top tier example of how to do automotive YT
Probably the best motoring journalist in the world ... Driving one the best Porsche's ever made.
Well done Harris.
I agree. Chris Harris is one of my favorite automotive journalists/enthusiasts out there. Henry Catchpool is another great in my opinion. It’s clear that both are very passionate and knowledgeable about cars and motorsports.
forgot about the trio?
It’s almost like, “well if i can’t drive it, the only guy I’d want to drive it is CH”
this comment is so underrated. Chris is obviously very passionate, also, he knows his stuff. And he sends them cars flying. 10/10.
not probably, is
Still hands down my favorite automotive journalist. 90% car, 10% presenting, 100% driving like its meant to be. Much appreciation from the states, Mr. Harris, and much love for 959, still the dream car for me.
Yep, I agree. If Chris had been teamed with people who knew about cars rather than those other two clowns then Top Gear would still be going. I really like Rory, never did understand why they got rid of him.
I would be stunned if Chris wasn’t exactly like this in his daily behaviour.
He comes across as himself, sans affection.
Think you might’ve missed the owners last name lol
Agree. He’s the best storyteller out there, and we are watching it all the way from Malaysia 😅
You know what really gives this video character? The honesty. Leaving in mistakes, keeping it a bit rough around the edges. In the era of perfect videos, its nice to have some character.
in 1985, I was 12 years old and had just started reading car magazines. The 959 is one of those cars that instantly caught my attention, back then - Still just as breathtaking today. Can't believe it´s been 40 years... One of those, in all white, just like that - what a dream-machine. 😍
This video should be framed and hung in whatever museum celebrates automotive journalism as an example of how it should be done. No music, no fancy editing, no fluff, just a driver, a car, and the experience of their interface.
The reason Chris is the best out there is that he is the avatar for how all of us wish to be: insightful, knowledgeable, funny, a great driver, and a true automotive fanatic.
Getting to see him fan boy over the 959 made my week and it is only Sunday evening. Thank you!
I'm pausing it till suppers ready. I'm a 55 year Old Detroit Greaser and fan of both the car and the Man. The prototype is so cool. Good for the owner to let her get some proper exercise!
Best comment on RUclips 👏🏻
Very well said, this style of automotive journalism is in short supply and should be relished. Chris is the best 👍🏻
This is what I've been missing from automotive journalism. Just a bloke who loves cars, who can drive, driving a car he loves.
Exactly. Breath of fresh air that he´s back plus the podcast with those lads ( especially neil). So so sick of the flood of influencers. Luckly you can block their content and focus on the good bits like chris´
When I was handed the keys to a 959 back in the early 1990’s after asking the owner “is it really that much different than a track ready 911?”, he smiled and said, “The only way to know is to get behind the wheel and see for yourself.” For a true cay guy that was a life changing experience. Not only are you wrapped in extraordinary workmanship everywhere in the cab, driving that thing you can literally feel how they touched on each and every detail of how to put that power to the ground in a perfectly controlled manner. It was an absolutely awesome thing to drive. 👍🏻😎👍🏻
I turned 20 years old in 1987. My Buddy and I drove into Edmonton Alberta to attend the "World of Wheels" show. The main attraction that year was a Double Feature of the Porsche 959, and it's Italian Nemesis the Ferrari 288 GTO. Both cars simply took your breath away, the Porsche with it's technology and presence and the 288 GTO looking like the 80's 308's should have looked, a dangerous mix of achingly beautiful and "Do that again, and I'll rip your head off!!!" ferocity. Both cars were roped off, facing each other in a thinly veiled attempt to create competition. The Porsche low, sculpted and exuding the kind of confidence a 20 yr old would kill to have. The Ferrari, in contrast with it's menacing looking vents over the engine and it's gearbox hanging out the back looking ready to take on anything from the track to the highway and while the Porsche's song was pure mechanical music, the Ferrari who's scream you could hear a mile off was an epiphany of what man can accomplish when he puts his mind to something, the crescendos and burbles like an opera and the Porsche's Flat Six a technological marvel of valves and turbos softly purring one minute and wailing away near it's limit the next. We reached a pinnacle that year when a Ferrari F40 claimed to have exceeded 200mph. It was an achievement, like landing on the Moon or breaking the sound barrier, nothing after that would ever be the same, and gladly for us, it sure hasn't been!! Great review Chris, thanks for the drive down memory lane!
As a video editor myself, I know how much time we spend cleaning up footage, picking the best shots, and refining everything to make our content look beautiful. The script often evolves a lot before it's time to record the VO. But there's something so special about this video-it’s sincere and direct, with nothing getting in the way of what needs to be said. Simply amazing, as always.
What is great is that it is actually honest and it’s special. If all videos were like this, we wouldn’t tolerate it, but as it’s necessary we are all here for it
It feels like the old, some might call it, real, RUclips, evolved. Some tiny bits like done footage and lots of love and skill. And no music.
I feel refreshed and entertained. Very well done, indeed.
For a man in his 50’s with life long love of all things petrol, especially Porsche, this is real delight of video.
only in my 30´s but agreed big time
Same age, same love here.
I'm 58 years old and I still have the poster, it's framed in one my now adult (and moved out) kid's room. The amount of tech for 1985 was mind blowing back then as was the 3.7 second 0-60 time.
We had a JCT600 Porsche dealership in Hull late 80’s early 90’s, saw some amazing 928’s, 944’s, 911’s in there, on at least two occasions a 959 was in there, me and my mates used to bike down there and just drool over the cars, the 959’s were just head and shoulders the best looking things we’d ever seen, even opened the door on one in there, memories ❤❤❤😂 my personal favourite car ever 😊
This is from the generation of cars that I fell in love with, late 80's - early 90's supercars were incredible. Countach, 959, F40, XJ220, F1, Diablo, EB110.....you could count all the big names on the fingers of both hands with spares left over, You could draw them all from memory, they all looked absolutely distinctive and they all did their own thing technically, turbo V6, flat 6's V8's NA V12's every car was absolutely unique and dripping with character. I couldn't even name the supercars on sale today there are so many and they get vomited out with such tedious regularity, never mind drawing them.
+1. Modern top end cars have mostly lost their bespoke design language of their marques. I watched Harry Metcalfe’s road trip to the French Alps. Dull. The big Ferrari Purosangue (or whatever it’s called) to look at could have been made by any company churning out generic SUV type. And despite being almost £400k, I disliked it.
The cars you listed signal their maker from almost any angle.
@@GT380man Lol, I'm just watching that exact video when this comment came up, It's just a box with a Ferrari badge on it, who the hell's putting a poster of that on their wall?
@@boing615 The stockholders of Ferrari love all their new models!
I had a 6 foot poster of this masterpiece on my wall when in college. My favorite car ever. Probably the most important car ever built. It's the crucible of every modern car. ❤
Who made those posters because in the 80s they had worldwide distribution and must now be able to fund a real one!
I still have a copy of CAR magazine from 1988 with a 959 locking horns with an F40, love both of these cars, Thanks Chris.
I still got that issue too....😊
Had both posters of these on my wall along with the XJ220 (though was never fond of that thing); and hearing its now 40 years old, is scary!
Yes yes yes the dream back then 😊
@@danielthomas8507 Me too!
Yep, kept that one. I had a feeling that it was a high point for cars and it still is. Two fantastic cars, legendary.
959, in my humble opinion, is one of the best cars ever made.
Still, 40 years on, my ultimate dream car. I've passengered in an F40 about 30 years ago( and it blew my mind), but I have only ever seen one 959 properly, a silver one. I think every curve of it is forever etched into my memory .
You are a lucky man Mr Harris, with some very good friends. Thank you Mr Tuthill for setting this up.
This feels like a 2002 video from RUclips. No frills or hard edits, just simple and direct to the point motoring journalism. Great work Chris!
The 959 was always my poster/lottery car. I had the unbelievable privilege of being driven, at great speed, around Goodwood, in a red 959 Sport, with 1500km on the clock, at a Mission Motorsport the Veterans Charity event. It was genuinely one of the most uplifting, joyous, enjoyable & emotional experiences of my life. It was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. Thank you for this video Chris, it brought back great memories of an amazing, sunny day, at a fabulous track, in a wonderful car, to make a cold January day feel ok.
The 959 and the Countach were literally my first car posters - LOL
Couldn't track the new M5, but could track the 959. What a funny company BMW is now days 😄 This 959 is a stunner.
You realize the 959 didn’t come from the factory for this video right?
@@MH-ev3wr We can't keep pretending Chris doesn't have a time machine
@@davemagick6739 Tired of saying that: VW does not own the Porsche! VW "manages" Porsche AG. Porsche SE (family) owns all of them, including Volkswagen AG, which is a subsidiary.
@@davemagick6739 Vehicle came from/via Tuthill by the sounds of it, no factory involvement.
My best friend Matt and I went to see one of these in the Exeter Porsche showroom. It was other worldly, never forgotten. Neither was the kindness shown to two giddy kids by the dealership staff, bags of brochures and everything!
Great story, I’m surprised Exeter had one in, I sometimes think they forget about us in the SW. Roughly what year was this and how old were you guys? I would have loved that when I was younger, I would love it even more now.😅
While most teenage boys in the ‘80s had posters of the Countach or Testarossa on their bedroom wall, it was always the 959 for me. A truly groundbreaking car in its day, and still holds up after all this time. Always was, and always will be, my all time favourite car.
If I had all the money in the world, it’s still (40 years later), the first car I’d purchase, with white on white being the perfect colour combination.
Nice little demo on film Mr. Harris. Id daily it in a nanosecond. 959 was and is an icon on so many levels.
Own a 1982 911 SC and every time I get into it and and turn the key I feel transported back to the 80's. All air cooled 911's have a special place in my soul but the 959 is something special.
I would watch these videos over any Top Gear. I know thats a back handed compliment. I am glad you are back.
Harris is mega but go and watch Tiff VS Clarkson in the E39 & the XJR.
Thats still some quality TG!
The only decent bits of TG were CHs drives.
The rest was just filler.
@@Samiamd663 You have me interested I will check it out. There is a massive gap in the market for a proper car program not the comedic crap.
@@stephenjones3415oh it’s comedy though 😂😂.
The old days of TG in the UK I really
Loved. Tiff was ace and had great passion. Clarkson was same as he is now, but I think he’s great
I wasn’t even a teen yet when these came out but I’ll never forget reading that they had 450 hp, sequential turbos and AWD. If just blew my young mind that this car existed. Great video!
Same here, I've always been obsessed with them. Richard Hammond drove a nice red one in top gear when they revisited 80s super cars. I remember being pleasantly surprised that it still blew me away all those years later.
Saw one waiting for the steam packet to the Isle of Mann back in 1991. Sat and stared in awe. Epic. Thanks Chris.
One of the coolest moments in a Doug Demuro video ever was when he was driving a Porsche 959 and a Lamborghini Huracan pulls up next to him and the two guys in the Lambo are FREAKING OUT over the 959! That’s how special it is!
Hi Chris, as an automotive writer myself and videocreator, it is interesting to see how you will turn reviews in a new direction. Instead of time- and human-consuming/costly productions, there will be room for down to earth one man shows like this. Very cool.
One of the best car reviews, ever filmed.
Quintessentially old school, in a very modern format. The car, strangely, but beautifully matching the film itself.
CHRIS is the best and most honest car reviewer on RUclips. His passion for cars has no boundaries. Keep those great car reviews coming ❤
Chris it's Chris here, wonderful "Home Movie", the serendipitous neivety of this video is all inspiring, way to follow your dreams. You're not only an indipendant automotive journalist you're a hilarious life coach and surrogate brother/father to all of us souls. Cheers to you mate
Chris Harris driving, talking all things Porsche. Unquestionably THE apex of all petrolhead ‘journos’ on planet earth also the only one we could and do listen to/watch/subscribe to - never ever stop Chris and no it has nothing to do with the favourite four wheeled machine in our barn, our 997.1 GT3.
The car is amazing, but what i appreciated even more is your professionalism. No music, right explanations, passion. Extremely rare, you made the others look like clowns ❤
I am 54 years old and I remember when this car was released, wow! I have been a car fanatic since almost birth! I don’t think I ever realized the heads were water-cooled, you just blew my mind 🤯! Keep up the great work Chris, you are by far my favorite auto journalist.
Then there is something that might surprise you even more. The Porsche 911 996 turbo is essentially a 959 and was the last Porsche generation that had cars that dried to kill you, if you bought the sport version (especially the gt2). Even though the 997 is essentially a facelift, something was lost in this generational step and slowly people start to realize it.
Chris! I think it’s safe to say we’d all watch multiple seasons of your “Home Movies”. I’m a 55 year old American who had a subscription to Car & Driver Magazine since I was 8 years old. In 87 when I graduated from High School the 959 was finally reviewed! Still have that issue! Unfortunately for me the closest I’ll ever get to driving a 959 is in my sim racing rig. GT7 even makes it squat! Who knows how close anything else is, but that’s where you fill in the gaps for the rest of us. Thank you once again for your expertise and true passion that shows in your “Home Movies”. Cheers!
I believe a year earlier, Auto Motor und Sport, in Germany, did a test.
Pitching the 959, the F40, RUF Yellow Bird, and an AMG 6.0 32V.
I believe that issue is still at my parents somewhere.
Posters, magazines and models of the 959 were my childhood, an incredible car , a fantastic video Mr Harris , reminiscing my dream car 💯👌
This was brilliant! I am deeply jealous of your day with the 959. And I FEEL you on the technical difficulties, but they don't detract at all from the final product. -subscribed
Tony Angelo commenting on a Chris Harris Video!
We need Chris in your 911… or the Dart 👌
You're gonna lose your shop if you two won't Collab at least for once 😂
I was born 1980 and had a dad and other brother that are also both gearheads. The 959 is the poster unicorn I grew up with. Absolutely love it.
As a Porsche fanboy from 7 I remember this car so well, stunning! After over 40 years I now own a 911, well worth the wait. I can only imagine how amazing the 959 was to drive. Love your videos Chris, great work.
5:07 is peak automotive journalism
😂 agree
My first matchbox car was a white 959. My kids now play with it! Loving these back to basics style of videos. This is the Chris Harris we all know and love to watch!
I'm not a car guy, but the way Chris talks about these things just has a way of drawing you in with his pure infectious enthusiasm.
I attended the IAA in 85 and was stunned by this revolutionary masterpiece of design and technology - what also impressed me, was the cutaway model. A nice giveaway was the big poster which reminded me daily of this fabulous car. Thanks for the Video.
I always loved the 959. Remember seeing the Auto Motor Sport article about it going head to head against the F40 and the RUF Yellowbird. The 959 is Porsche Royalty. 👑
Chris Harris and I are the same age….so it could be that….but I laughed out loud with the ‘I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson’ reference. Oh, and he is my favorite car enthusiast. Honest, funny, straightforward and just so well narrated. Made my day.
Thank you for this movie. My favorite car to this day. I was privileged to see one in Montauk back in ‘88, when I was taking a break from classes. So beautiful.
We see quite a few of these around us (thank you Mr Canepa) and this video reminds us why it’s a treat to see each and every one. Thank you Mr Harris.
One of if not my favourite car of all time, poster car for me in the 80's and you just never ever see one on the road. First one I saw was at the museum in Stuttgart and then two last year at Boxengasse/Megaphonics. I spent some time drooling over those examples. It's aged, wheels look small, to inset into the arches, headlights look small compared to today's 911's and orange indicator lenses spring to mind. The interior is classic 80's 911, but also looks so good for it. Still a dream car and if the numbers ever came up I'd have to have one. I saw Porsche did a series on recommissioning their 959 Dakar car which sparked my interest again, thanks for perking up a dull Monday in January Chris.
Chris... I've spent too much of my life watching car videos on the internet.
I think you've landed the best video (F40 vs F50) and the second best that I've ever seen, this video
Thank you so much
Love it!
Chris sells his passion - and we buy because it is genuine and authentic and 100% pure.
my dads boss had a 959 when i was id say 10 he took me out in it knowing i loved cars i till to this day think about how much i shit my pants when he floored it it was amazing
Like the F40, that era of supercar when you can see the 'normal' car underneath the additional body parts, but its been so well integrated it looks like it was always meant to be. Lovely.
I had a poster of this in my bedroom in the '90s, next to the Countach and F40. I've never been a big Porsche guy, but this car had a mystique that fascinated and attracted me. Great to see it in videos like this. Excellent tribute.
I does my heart great joy to see these style of videos from you again. THIS is automotive journalism. Thank you!
The 959 just blew my mind when it arrived. Ferrari fans would disagree but in my opinion it just blew everything into the weeds, it was transformational. It moved the car several steps forward, incredible achievement.
If you're ever in the San Francisco, CA area make sure to make a trip to Canepa in Scotts Valley, who always have several 959s in the shop/showroom. They'll even turn your 911 into a 959 for a few million bucks. Fun to browse their inventory and observe their incredible workshop. Top tier.
You can’t turn a 911 into a 959. Unless you grind the chassis numbers off……
This is so great. Proper old school car video. Nice and simple, especially at the start. And you still communicate everything so well. You're a legend Chris.
Sensational video. I remember when the 959 was launched, I was smitten back then and am still. Goosebump inducing brilliance.
Every petrolheaded kid of this generation probably had a picture of Countach on their bedroom wall… not me, I had a 959 on my wall!
I was fortunate enough to see one in the flesh for the first time ever last year in Germany. What an absolute beauty!
This car is dark magic. Stunning.
Some had F40 posters, some had Countach, I was the purple 959 guy.
Lovely final shot.
Mine the 911 Carrera RSR from Gijs van Lennep 1974..
I had all 3.
I have the F40 poster still on the wall at age 45. It’s an Italian printed poster and I’ve framed it in conservation glass. Honestly it’s the most beautiful thing man has ever created (the car not the frame). I’ve been in love with them since I was 10 years old and have only seen one in a museum in Germany.. even better in real life. Modern cars are boring packed with so many safety features that it actually makes them dangerous. Good to see there’s still many people out there that love these cars too.
I had Cindy Crawford in Calvin klein underwear.
@ I was given a 2025 Calendar by a supplier of ours just yesterday. January is a blue Porsche 959 (Reg OJY959) of all things.
Loving the home movie filming , polished production is...too polished at times leading to a disconnect.
Porsche is one of my all time favorite car manufacturers; but the real star is Chris. Man I’m proud of you, you carved out your own lane and went up against titans. Honestly I miss your old videos just you and the cars on back roads in Europe. No huge production budgets just quality driving, information, and entertainment. Thanks for your stellar contributions all these years! You’ve left your mark! You’re honestly one of the GOATS!…
Amazing work Chris! This is all we need! No advanced editing, just an old geezer enjoying an old car.
I had this poster in my room as a kid. I will always love Porsche and the 959.
10:35 I want to know what you said (but was cut from this video) about sequential turbos…. 😕
Watching Chris driving all those Porsches over the years I think I learned how to drive one. All I have to do now is to buy one👌
This video isn’t just it’s own work of art- but it proves how little all the production and music and stock aerial shots of the others add. Well done, Chris. There was probably an immense amount of work behind it, but the video is as much art as the car.
I think you can always tell when someone has a real passion for the subject that they are presenting! Mega Job Chris and what a car!!
I’m so happy you are making these films again, gives me nostalgia.
Love hearing the passion from Chris in these videos!!!
The 993 C2S has rocketed in value as well love these thanks Chris
This is a really beautiful, pure video. The words feel like thoughts, not script. Like you were making this video on your phone for only you.
This is why you’re the best, Chris.
There is not one person on the planet that I want to listen and watch talking and driving iconic cars than you, sir. An authentic tour de force - both you and the astonishing cars on which you lavish your unique "fingerspitzengefühl"
Chris YouTubing proper! I had a red 959, parked next to my red F40 and red Countach... In 1:18 scale on the shelf in my bedroom. What a thing indeed.
Fabulous Sunday evening viewing 👍
The "im sorry miss jackson" part 😂
He nailed it hahaha
I’m sure that went over some people’s head…but yeah…he nailed it.
If I got to take a Ferrari F-40, or a Porsche 959 (the BIG rivals at the time), I'll take the 959, hands down. It's technologically more advanced and far more equipped, even with confort and security items. The 959 is a supercar that's transgenerational on Porsche legacy. Great video!
Pure happiness I get from CHOC! Thank you Chris, we all appreciate it more than you'll ever know probably
Dream car 959 (in silver with burgundy and grey interior) from the 80’s when all I had was my 115bhp cavalier Sri 👌🏻😎😂
ahh the Cavalier SRI. Recaro seats, goodyear nct's. Mate had one, compared to my Rover 3.5v8 it's seemed like it handled on rails. good days those.
Listen to that solid thunk of the door closing at 2:35. Ohhhh my goodness.
Thank-you, Chris! 😄
I've been following you since the beginning. I just want to say it makes me happy seeing you in this car because I know how far you've come to experience these things. Whether or not you know it, you are the only true successor to Clarkson and the gang for us. Cheers.
Absolutely got me frothing at the seams! Bravo for the ballsy, raw, and uncut perspective - had that homemade camcorder feel to it, that just fits that generation! You seemingly must have certainly been feeling it, by the way you peered into that viewfinder, with that intense, completely consumed, rabid-like stare!!! You Mr. Harris are the real deal!
5:00 I believe you meant Magnesium on the wheels.
What most people don't know is that the Porsche 959 came in two versions. The deluxe and the sport. This one is the sport. The only way to tell them apart is the wheels. The deluxe has silver wheels, the sport has white wheels. Back in the 80's, I had a poster of a silver 959 on my wall as a kid. No Countach. Thank you.
@@bicyclist2 I think most enthusiasts know that, but it wasn’t called Deluxe, is was Komfort and Sport.
The 959 in this video isn’t a Sport, as they only had 1 side mirror (drivers side only), had no rear seats, and also had harness style front seats. The wheels were the same on both versions.
@@TheNoisyNinja72 and cloth seats....and a smidge over 500bhp. The one the F40 should have always been pitted against. But as there was only something like 23 made, it never happened.
@@mattsyc yeah, forgot to mention the cloth seats. Think I the total number was 29, but yes, it’s what the F40 should have been tested against.
If the idea was to give this a late 80s -early 90s documentary feel, you succeeded.
I am a big time Porsche fan, but this has always been my favourite Porsche. The 959 was a technological marvel when it was released and even though the Ferrari F40 was faster (top speed) and was a extremely cool car as well (was my favourite Ferrari for decades),the 959 was just that one step up in the world of supercars. Great video…
Utterly ground breaking in every way, yet, as with all 911s, useable every day. Outstanding!
The Porsche 959 went way over budget and cost over $500,000 to build, but the company refused to cut corners and delivered each new car to it's owner for $225,000 as promised...
As can be seen with many electric cars...
remember seeing this at the NEC motorshow in 1985 and was amazed by how smooth and slippery it looked in an era when 911's had US federal spec bumpers it looked like a spaceship! incredible car way ahead of its time
Thank you very much for this beautiful video. Greetings from Germany.
Really enjoyed the M5 homemade video (and the dig at BMW), and then you roll this one out. Great homage. A proper driving enthusiast video...👍👍
I'm in my 40's and don't care about new cars anymore...too heavy, too EV, too techie...the glory years of cars are behind us now...the LFA, the V12's blah blah...more of these please Chris...👍
I remember as a kid walking passed Man island Porsche in Liverpool just staring through the window thinking one day……It was late in the evening and the security guard spotted me, he walked out as asked if I’d like some of the brochures Super excited I said yes and the 959 was in the brochure.
I’m sure I still have it somewhere.
I still want a Porsche 😂
Loving the home made car reviews top work 👏🏻👏🏻