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Chris Harris wrings out Ferrari F40 and F50 on track

Chris Harris one of the most beloved of British automotive journalists, and yet Ferrari doesn't seem inclined to take him off its black list. Something about having shined the light on the way Maranello sets up its cars for press evaluations, years ago... So the only time the auto scribe and video host we know as Monkey gets his hands on a Prancing Horse-emblazoned steering wheel is when a private owner offers Harris a drive. Fortunately, that seems to happen all the time, but rarely in such a fashion as it has for this latest video.
Here the owner of not only an F40 but also its successor the F50 has lent Harris both of his anniversary-edition Ferrari supercars and insisted that he drive them aggressively. So off they went to the Anglesey circuit in Wales to see how these precursors to the Enzo and LaFerrari fare alongside one another decades after they first hit the road.

Drive covers the ups and downs of the Ferrari Testarossa

We don't know how we got here, but it's apparently Ferrari Testarossa season. Not even 90 days ago, Evo bossman Harry Metcalfe preached an ode to the eightiest Eighties exotic there ever was ("exotic," as opposed to supercars like the Ferrari F40 or Porsche 959). Only weeks ago, one of the white Testarossas from Miami Vice hit eBay for the outrageous Buy It Now price of $1.75M. Now we have Drive offering a five-minute video of John Pogson, an Englishman who's been restoring Ferraris for decades, discussing the ups and downs of a car that perhaps had the best shoulder pads of that whole decade. Pogson went to Italy to retrieve one of the first two Testarossas to reach to England, and promptly got in trouble with the factory for taking prospective customers to Silverstone for hot laps. Unlike other paeans, Pogson says it took him time to overcome misgivings about the red-headed classic, like how it wasn't very fast and would "run out of brakes" on the track, but he's come around to it. The video above is just a teaser for a longer Drive video behind a pay wall, so don't expect fireworks, but do expect some mighty exhaust noises. And since we're here celebrating, below we've included a MotorWeek Retro Review of the Testarossa from 1998, and another of Chris Harris driving a 1992 512TR. Harris likes it so much he says five words in the whole vid. And the coupe really does look better when you wear a white suit, even a horribly wrinkled one. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Drive via YouTube Ferrari Coupe Luxury Performance Classics Videos chris harris drive ferrari testarossa

Race recap: 2015 British Grand Prix is a testament to timing

In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton actually had to work for pole position at the British Formula One Grand Prix. The World Champion couldn't get on top of the setup for his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on Friday, lapping behind teammate Nico Rosberg and the two Ferraris. Come Saturday, after a few alterations and a whole lot of wing to clamp down on understeer, Hamilton returned to his regular program at the front, taking pole position by just over a tenth of a second from his teammate. Williams, thought to be headed for another stretch in the weeds a few races ago, showed its best strength all year. The Grove team got both cars on the second row and in front of the Ferraris, Felipe Massa qualifying ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, but they were eight and nine tenths behind the Mercedes'. Kimi Raikkonen out-qualified Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel for the second time this year, and only the first time in a straight-up battle with two healthy cars. But more than a second behind the two cars at the front, and with two nearly-impossible-to-pass Williams' in front, neither the Finn nor the German is happy with where they are. Daniil Kvyat claimed seventh, his side of the garage at Infiniti Red Bull Racing having got through the weekend to that point without a single complaint about their Renault power unit. Carlos Sainz, Jr. put a single Toro Rosso inside the top ten in eighth position, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg who did the same for Sahara Force India by slotting in ninth. The second Infiniti Red Bull driven by Daniel Ricciardo did have an unspecified engine complaint – his car kept "bleeding power" on the straights – but even so he managed to qualify tenth with his second-fastest lap. The stewards deleted his best lap because he ran three centimeters outside the track limits at Copse, an infraction that stung a few other drivers as well. Up in front, what would sting the Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers the most was the start. That's when a dearth of grip struck both Hamilton and Rosberg, allowing Massa and Bottas to slide right up the middle between them and take the first two places. The leapfrogging was so surprising that it looked like the Mercedes drivers were giving the Williams drivers a head start. They diced through the first corners, Hamilton sliding past Bottas into second place halfway through the lap. And then the safety car reported for duty.