Chris Harris vs the Lotus 79 | Top Gear: Series 27

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  • čas přidán 7. 12. 2019
  • Chris slides into the Lotus 79, and then slides the Lotus 79 around the track - including one lap with the legendary aero 'skirts' down. Subscribe to Top Gear for more videos: bit.ly/SubscribeToTopGear
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Komentáře • 346

  • @MravacKid
    @MravacKid Před 4 lety +827

    The biggest problem with Top Gear today (and car shows in general) is that there's only one Chris Harris.

    • @alifted8271
      @alifted8271 Před 4 lety +16

      I think Henry Catchpole is great as well.

    • @epistte
      @epistte Před 4 lety +10

      You need to be somebody for Lotus to hand you the keys of their most famous cars and tell you to go have fun. This car is the ancestral grandmother of the rest of F1 because of Chapman's ground effects. Porsche also let him loose on Weissach in their LeMans winning 956.

    • @jariviitanen9485
      @jariviitanen9485 Před 4 lety

      MravacKid I couldnt take extra ”what a machine” comments which appears to happen quite often 😅✌️

    • @Xyzabc998
      @Xyzabc998 Před 4 lety +1

      which is better than the old farts because unlike them, he can actually drive but has not got the ego of a supertanker like CLarky.

    • @64nine
      @64nine Před 4 lety

      @@alifted8271 baited lol...

  • @davidbhasker5669
    @davidbhasker5669 Před 4 lety +193

    This dude really living all our dreams

  • @vedranpevec4483
    @vedranpevec4483 Před 4 lety +124

    For me the most beautiful car and most iconic John Player Special livery.

    • @gebezeira
      @gebezeira Před 4 lety +1

      Sorry mate, but NO.
      The Lotus 98T from 1986 of Ayrton Senna was one of the most beautiful in history.

    • @paulallen8109
      @paulallen8109 Před 4 lety +8

      @@gebezeira Unfortunately it wasn't anywhere near as competitive as the Lotus 79 was. Also, had Senna never driven the 98T it wouldn't have been noticed at all. That aside, the 79 was just incredibly sleek and looked aerodynamically right.

    • @grandeconsagrado2865
      @grandeconsagrado2865 Před 3 lety +2

      Lotus 79 the most beautiful and dominant lotus in formula one

    • @MoRoarSport-VintageRacing1
      @MoRoarSport-VintageRacing1 Před 3 lety

      Indeed! It has everything. Design, engineering, livery, success.
      www.teepublic.com/fr/t-shirt/12260682-lotus-79-colin-chapmans-masterpiece?store_id=165554
      www.teepublic.com/fr/t-shirt/12260807-lotus-79-1978-f1-world-champion-colin-chapmans-mas?store_id=165554

    • @kingchefmurray557
      @kingchefmurray557 Před 3 lety +1

      @@gebezeira both of you are wrong, in terms of John player Livery it goes: Lotus 87 as the most beautiful, then the 79, then the 98t. The 79 is an extremely close second but it’s just not as perfect as the 87.

  • @lduk941
    @lduk941 Před 3 lety +14

    The utter joy and exhilaration in Chris Harris’ voice as he went round that corner with the skirts down brought a tear to my eye

  • @coboisarapatanas
    @coboisarapatanas Před 4 lety +252

    The only occasion you want “skirts down”

    • @peanuts2105
      @peanuts2105 Před 4 lety +24

      Actually, its the second occasion. Any self respecting man should know what I'm on about.
      Carry on.

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 Před 4 lety +2

      There's more than one way to skin a cat.

  • @NYRangers928
    @NYRangers928 Před 4 lety +13

    One of the most beautiful F1 cars of all time.

  • @spiritreapr
    @spiritreapr Před 4 lety +11

    I love these sorts of historical pieces

  • @romanizaboss6641
    @romanizaboss6641 Před 4 lety +62

    Had the model as a kid! Didn’t even know the importance! Lol

  • @Troubleshooter125
    @Troubleshooter125 Před 4 lety +12

    Watching Chris have fun with the Lotus 79 was great, but seeing Mario hold forth on it ... *PRICELESS.*

  • @Showmetheevidence-
    @Showmetheevidence- Před 3 lety +7

    Ground effect was so simple, yet so revolutionary... its legendary in itself!

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 Před 3 lety +3

      Ground effect wasn’t really that simple. The concept was but the execution was a different matter.

  • @prabhugautham
    @prabhugautham Před 4 lety +42

    The sound is just mesmerising and really musical too.

    • @LogiForce86
      @LogiForce86 Před 4 lety +2

      Yeah, compared to this current F1 doesn't appeal at all.
      Too much buttons to fiddle about with and setup the car for each corner, with looks that don't differentiate enough optically between brands due to overregulation and sound that is just a bore to the ears and mind as it doesn't excite at all.
      Give me that analog nature of these monsters that look like go-karts on steroids and with a mighty rawr.
      Due to minimum controls and no aids (powersteering, abs, etc) and manual shifting it really spoke to the imagination about how in the world these drivers could tame these beasts, when most drivers at the time had trouble parking their cars without powersteering. So seeing people like Senna driving Monaco one handed for example... they knew how crazy that was.

    • @prabhugautham
      @prabhugautham Před 4 lety +1

      @@LogiForce86previous era cars were all raw and driver driven today's cars are all electronics no true racing spirits.

    • @MrKbuland
      @MrKbuland Před 4 lety

      The sound of the gear change is climactic.

    • @rundattmedia2106
      @rundattmedia2106 Před rokem

      Cosworth DFV flat plane V8. GLORIOUS.

  • @33millionviews52
    @33millionviews52 Před 4 lety +11

    Chris is living our dreams

  • @paulsueb
    @paulsueb Před 4 lety +4

    When you really love cars it has a profound effect on you..your senses. I literally cried hearing the joy and the thrill in Chris Harris' voice.
    It's not just a car. It's a passion!

  • @catecoleman9852
    @catecoleman9852 Před 4 lety +16

    When all you can hear is the engine roaring, the caption service thinks it's [applause] :)

  • @pawi123
    @pawi123 Před 4 lety +42

    I'd like him try the brabham bt46b also known as the fan car

    • @Shadowboost
      @Shadowboost Před 4 lety +3

      2G standing start acceleration, looool

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 Před 4 lety +2

      @@Shadowboost No different from any other F1 car of the era. The braking and cornering speeds of this thing, on the other hand, were off the charts.

  • @rubencriviDT
    @rubencriviDT Před 4 lety +33

    Slick tyres and wet conditions to run with that beast? 😄

    • @joshtiel2980
      @joshtiel2980 Před 4 lety +5

      jon doe Check how the brits spell tyres. I get it. It throws me off too as a Canuck but neither of you are wrong within your own shores.

    • @rubencriviDT
      @rubencriviDT Před 4 lety

      @@joshtiel2980 that's right! I'm not native speaker but I checked the dictionary. Thanks!

  • @Viper-rf7qu
    @Viper-rf7qu Před 4 lety +9

    This man is literally keeping top gear alive

  • @TheGrandTourBMW
    @TheGrandTourBMW Před 4 lety +1

    WHO DIDN'T SMILE WHILST WATCHING THIS.

  • @ghoztie6713
    @ghoztie6713 Před 4 lety +9

    I miss Ronnie Peterson RIP

  • @Nicko6180
    @Nicko6180 Před 4 lety +17

    We definitely need more people like Chris Harris. He is funny, entertaining, and tells it just like it is. Very much like Jeremy Clarkson in all those respects.

  • @ScottMikles
    @ScottMikles Před 4 lety +2

    I got serious goosebumps watching this.

  • @samdoesthefunstuff7122
    @samdoesthefunstuff7122 Před 4 lety +18

    The just name “John Player Special” is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a car

  • @NikosGianniris
    @NikosGianniris Před 4 lety

    This video is an ode to joy. The best piece of automotive content I have ever -ever- watched.

  • @CalebJNelson
    @CalebJNelson Před 4 lety +1

    Cheers, good for you. And good on Lotus for realizing the importance of allowing such things and realizing the impact that their past can and should have on the way people think about them and their cars now.

  • @nl3712
    @nl3712 Před 4 lety +1

    Beautiful cinematography.

  • @TimsEnthusiastGarage
    @TimsEnthusiastGarage Před 4 lety +1

    Absolute legend. Chris Harris. Lotus 79. It gets no better.

  • @SilverfoxThe
    @SilverfoxThe Před 3 lety +2

    I know I'm a bit of an old codger these days, but when I think of F1 racing cars then cars like the Lotus 79 are what I think of. Pure lines and simple aerodynamics.

  • @SMITESHSURESH
    @SMITESHSURESH Před 4 lety +2

    His Goosebumps had Goosebumps that day, for sure.

  • @word67
    @word67 Před 4 lety

    Almost unbearably wonderful! Never get enough of this car. Mario, the livery, the performance. Thanks Chris lucky you man!

  • @dudley7540
    @dudley7540 Před 4 lety +1

    Another great day to be Chris Harris!

  • @paulp7692
    @paulp7692 Před 4 lety +2

    Wow! Love you Chris Harris!

  • @WarriorsPhoto
    @WarriorsPhoto Před 4 lety +1

    Chris Harris, was very happy driving that car. Congratulations to him. This was enjoyable to watch.

  • @andrewhenley2161
    @andrewhenley2161 Před 4 lety +3

    Production quality on this is through the roof!

  • @alessandroantognoli6211
    @alessandroantognoli6211 Před 4 lety +2

    Lotus per sempre! Thank you Colin.

  • @leart78
    @leart78 Před rokem

    best video explaining the ground effect of the 70-80s

  • @JavierCR25
    @JavierCR25 Před 4 lety

    Outstanding....

  • @Alex14458
    @Alex14458 Před 4 lety

    Great job !

  • @mhorlor
    @mhorlor Před 3 lety

    There has to be more of this!!!

  • @edwardrichardson8254
    @edwardrichardson8254 Před 3 lety +1

    F1 ten years behind American Jim Hall, who invented the skirts and the first fan car for Can-Am racing in 1970. But glad you Brits finally got around it! Jim Hall pioneered wings, movable aerodynamic devices, side-mounted radiators, semi-automatic transmissions and composite monocoque chassis structures. He's still alive in Texas if Gordon Murray wants to drive one his new fan cars over and say howdy.

  • @jkalash762
    @jkalash762 Před 4 lety

    There's not many things that give me goose bumps from a video but every time I see and hear this thing it makes the hairs on my arms stand up.

  • @grooveitman929
    @grooveitman929 Před 3 lety +1

    What a beautiful design...iconic

  • @CLVASHJBHWFS
    @CLVASHJBHWFS Před 3 lety +1

    Those developed DFV's were around 485 to 500 hp and the Lotus 79 is still the greatest F1 car ever made!

  • @californiaholtz
    @californiaholtz Před 4 lety +1

    TG team needs to upload the entire full length film, I remember it was super interesting!

    • @user-hr2zy7ct8h
      @user-hr2zy7ct8h Před 4 lety +1

      TG team needs to go bankrupt and give their job to someone who actually cares about cars instead of money.

  • @vaughanrowley9553
    @vaughanrowley9553 Před rokem

    Absolutely cracking driver and personality, has made the new Top Gear all what it is now !

  • @Nightstalker321
    @Nightstalker321 Před 8 měsíci

    That is the iconic sound of F1. An engine so good it was used for 18 years in F1.

  • @eikcam
    @eikcam Před 3 lety

    Wow. Just wow.

  • @msukrimabukari1619
    @msukrimabukari1619 Před 4 lety +2

    The most Beautiful Lotus F1..ever

  • @elite-psgaming_zone
    @elite-psgaming_zone Před 4 lety

    a legend never die,
    the mans who are behind this car they are the greatest

  • @adamclark6756
    @adamclark6756 Před 3 lety

    This was the era i first got into F1 and the Lotus was the coolest car out there. I feel your joy!

  • @gplipp6489
    @gplipp6489 Před 4 lety

    Thank you for living my dreams. !!

  • @iliovecaRS
    @iliovecaRS Před 4 lety

    Great film

  • @generalpatton8468
    @generalpatton8468 Před 4 lety +33

    I love how these comments are 1 minute old

    • @nevarran
      @nevarran Před 4 lety +6

      They don't even have to watch the video, they already have their comment prepared - "I miss the old Top Gear", "Clarkson, Hammond and May were better", "This is not Top Gear", and so on...

  • @Jabber-ig3iw
    @Jabber-ig3iw Před 3 lety +2

    Lotus have 3 of the greatest if not the greatest 3 F1 liveries of all time.

  • @p0ck3tzzz
    @p0ck3tzzz Před 4 lety

    the only episode I'll ever watch on top gear US

  • @atishaykankaria4461
    @atishaykankaria4461 Před rokem

    That dfv is amazing

  • @philibertnicolas352
    @philibertnicolas352 Před 4 lety

    Incredible 😎🏁🤙 lotus 79 the car of adventurers, and brave

  • @bodieofci5418
    @bodieofci5418 Před 4 lety +5

    Up there with the McLaren MP4/4 for me :)

  • @MarcelPolman
    @MarcelPolman Před 4 lety

    Sensational

  • @RamosDominicano
    @RamosDominicano Před 4 lety +1

    It's so cool this video was posted a day after The Smoking Tire podcast with Chris Harris, and the Donut Media Up To Speed on the Lotus brand.

  • @Paul-pj5qu
    @Paul-pj5qu Před 4 lety +2

    I think the John Player Special must be the most famous race car ever.

  • @casgian3272
    @casgian3272 Před 3 lety +1

    At this point the BBC should just give Chris Harris his own show

  • @thebull3365
    @thebull3365 Před 4 lety

    Hey Chris Harris nice racing. 👋👋👍👍🔥🔥❤😆🙌👌

  • @Cyba_IT
    @Cyba_IT Před 3 lety

    Paddy, Flintoff & Harris are doing a great job.

  • @marklittle8805
    @marklittle8805 Před 3 lety

    The sound of the Cossie is just glorious

  • @olske1981
    @olske1981 Před 4 lety +1

    Oke of the Most beautiful F1 Cars

  • @lukearmitage1533
    @lukearmitage1533 Před 4 lety +14

    Lotus should make a replica of this car for customers a track day special better then any atom.

  • @nishitsinghbirman1923
    @nishitsinghbirman1923 Před 4 lety +3

    By looking at the title I thought that there would be a race between Chris Harris and the Lotus 79

  • @SLR-722
    @SLR-722 Před 3 lety +1

    Black and Gold JPS LOTUS. ❤️

  • @the_track_enthusiast
    @the_track_enthusiast Před 4 lety +1

    Just saw this beauty in person at the Legends of Speed exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum

  • @user-sc7ff1fq5q
    @user-sc7ff1fq5q Před 4 lety +1

    Lotus ❤

  • @lornehaycock
    @lornehaycock Před 4 lety

    Outstanding Chris.... winning at youtube

  • @BistroGlicerin3
    @BistroGlicerin3 Před 4 lety

    It's a lovely Sunday from Paris 🤟💀

  • @legomaniac601
    @legomaniac601 Před 4 lety

    I have one the rear tires from that era of F1 in my room, boy are they heavy

  • @arifsufiyan
    @arifsufiyan Před 4 lety

    Chills!!

  • @jamesstewart7224
    @jamesstewart7224 Před 4 lety

    Still got my die cast black and gold beauty. 👍

  • @MysterDaftGame
    @MysterDaftGame Před 4 lety +3

    DFV ❤️❤️

  • @DiViNiTY1337
    @DiViNiTY1337 Před 4 lety

    My favorite motoring journalist driving one of my favorite F1 cars? Why yes thank you.

  • @terrylessmann2274
    @terrylessmann2274 Před 4 lety

    There was a JPS Lotus 79 on display at the Indy Museum this summer commemorating Mario's 50th anniv of his Indy win. Such a cool car. 👍
    Lotus sure has some big marbles letting CH drive their car on slicks on a wet track. Kudos to them. I wouldn't if it was mine.

  • @Nik55471
    @Nik55471 Před 4 lety +24

    possibly the coolest Lotus ever made?
    Say that to the Lotus 98t

    • @KrustyKlown
      @KrustyKlown Před 4 lety +4

      Lotus 98T was maybe the most brutal, with unrestricted turbo charged Renault power ... but the 78 and 79 were a revolution ushering in ground effects, so far advanced that they won 7 and 6 races in their respective seasons, a best not repeated by Lotus, those were the glory years.

    • @wheresaldocanoe
      @wheresaldocanoe Před 4 lety +1

      When considering the idea of coolest Lotus ever made, my criteria is predicated upon how revolutionary/radical the car is, considering the genius that was Colin Chapman. Therefore, I'd have to go with any of the Lotus 56, 79 or 88. The Lotus 56, well, was powered by a gas turbine engine of all things, four wheel drive, nearly won the Indy 500 and its wedge-shaped nose would forever change how open wheel cars would be designed. I mention the Lotus 79 for the obvious reason, ground effect, and the Lotus 88 because, while it never raced and we'll never know how it would have performed against its contemporaries, the fact that Chapman had the idea to build a car featuring two seperate chassis to exploit a regulatory loophole is just awesome in my opinion. Shame the FIA didn't see things that way.

    • @paulallen8109
      @paulallen8109 Před 4 lety +1

      @@wheresaldocanoe Lotus 25 - the first monocoque in F1.
      Lotus 49 - the first with the engine as an integral part of the chassis
      Lotus 72 - the first car where the aerodynamics dictated how the car was designed as a whole.
      All three milestones in racing car design and which were templates for all subsequent F1 cars from other manufacturers.

  • @adrianalbano5716
    @adrianalbano5716 Před 3 lety

    Sin dudas uno de los autos de Formula 1 mas hermosos de la historia,sino el mas hermoso.

  • @PYRAMIDHEAD1051
    @PYRAMIDHEAD1051 Před 4 měsíci

    Lotus F1 1979 - A cut above !!

  • @93455Driver
    @93455Driver Před 4 lety +1

    Awesome...... Lotus is still a shadow of its former self, but there is hope. Chapman was a genius, my favorite Chapmanism, adding power makes you faster in the straights, reducing weight makes you faster all around the track. He completely slammed the "no replacement for displacement" mindset.

    • @paulallen8109
      @paulallen8109 Před 4 lety

      To be fair the Lotus car brand is in better shape than ever before. Back in Chapman's days Lotus was a small operation which managed to attract big manufacturers into F1 - like Ford, and pioneered cigarette sponsorship deals to market a brand. I mean Chapman was even involved with the infamous DeLorean deal. Economically Lotus was never in a particularly great position during the Chapman days but it bagged a lot of money from winning constructors' championships.
      And let's not forget that it was Lotus, Chapman and Jim Clark which defeated the American USAC elite at Indianapolis in 1965, making Formula 1 the top racing series in the world (as far as technical prowess was concerned).
      If we're lucky Geely will consider a F1 entry with Lotus. Any brand which revives Lotus in F1 automatically earns all its heritage and former victories.

    • @thethirdman225
      @thethirdman225 Před 3 lety +1

      There was a lot more to it than that. By the time the 79 became a reality, Chapman was taking a backseat to his engineering team. The ground effect idea came from some research done by Peter Wright. Chapman got the credit but Wright was the true father of ground effect. Secondly, with that kind of aero package, the team were able to play lift/drag ratio games with the other teams. Because the 79 didn’t need such large, drag-inducing wings, the 79 was also faster on the straight than non-ground effect cars. So the 79 was a complete package. Ground effect didn’t just make it faster through corners. They could also brake much later because of better adhesion - right into the corners, in fact - and were faster in a straight line because of a better lift/drag ratio.

  • @culloutoltec9111
    @culloutoltec9111 Před 4 lety +1

    p.s. this lotus is a whole lot better lookin' than today's lego-block cars with their household appliance engines

  • @STAG162
    @STAG162 Před 4 lety +1

    those ground effects were subtle next to the Brabham BT46B and the Chapparal 2J, which were deemed illegal after just 1 race.

  • @moonchild666
    @moonchild666 Před 4 lety +1

    Slicks fitted to a legend on a wet track? There's some trust there...👍🏻

    • @paulcaswell2813
      @paulcaswell2813 Před rokem

      Slicks on a wet track? Something Nelson Piquet couldn't cope with ;-)

  • @Nicosdayinthelife
    @Nicosdayinthelife Před 4 lety

    wow, no idea about that skirt...so damn cool...we need more

  • @LukeDogg20
    @LukeDogg20 Před 4 lety +1

    Looked at the thumbnail, thought it was that old TG episode with the german saloon cars...

  • @jtthebrick3
    @jtthebrick3 Před 4 lety

    The internet doesn’t deserve this man. Wow.

  • @malquezare
    @malquezare Před 27 dny

    Esse carro tem na minha modesta opinião o desenho mais belo que um carro de fórmula um já teve, isso p dizer o mínimo, além do que era revolucionário com o efeito asa

  • @Captn_Slow
    @Captn_Slow Před 2 lety

    After reading a little about Colin Chapman’s development history of Lotus, I almost think he was Howard Stark in the F1 history.

  • @Inc_69
    @Inc_69 Před 3 lety +2

    the coolest lotus ever made must be the Lotus 49

  • @cibaca1
    @cibaca1 Před 4 lety +1

    I have said it before and I will say it again: Chriss, you're the luckiest man alive!

  • @Unpacked_Mind
    @Unpacked_Mind Před 4 lety

    When the skirts go down we all get excited.

  • @takesdubslegend2131
    @takesdubslegend2131 Před 4 lety

    Top is the best

  • @gamerscockpit
    @gamerscockpit Před 4 lety

    Who does not love skirts down!!

  • @chaitanyakumar9626
    @chaitanyakumar9626 Před 4 lety

    Get in there Lewis

  • @Nixxtrr
    @Nixxtrr Před 4 lety +1

    I swear I saw this car at Eastern beach Geelong many years ago...

  • @aexy3277
    @aexy3277 Před 4 lety +58

    Who ever sees this you will have a great day/night.

  • @vanwandererx852
    @vanwandererx852 Před 4 lety

    Now the CHOC version please.

  • @davidreid2301
    @davidreid2301 Před 3 lety

    This was my favourite Scalextric car as a boy, never mind driving the real thing!