Top Gear’s Chris Harris slams “stupid” $625k Ferrari SF90 Stradale
YouTube: Top GearAs presenter of BBC’s Top Gear, Chris Harris is living out his boyhood dream. Inevitably, once in a while a supercar is going to come along that really gets his back up, and it seems the brand new Ferrari SF90 Stradale has done exactly that.
Harris hasn’t always been a household TV name. Prior to joining Top Gear in 2016, Harris presented his own series on YouTube, along with writing for the likes of Autocar and Evo magazine in England.
After a famous falling-out with Ferrari back in 2011 (which saw him banned from reviewing their cars for two years) it seems Harris is still on good terms with the Italian brand, but that may be about to change.
Unfortunately for Ferrari, Chris Harris is definitely not a fan of the new SF90 Stradale hybrid, not even in the top-range ‘Assetto Fiorano’ trim. Costing a whopping $625,000 without options, the SF90 represents a new direction for Ferrari. Sadly, it seems that it’s not a good direction, at least according to Harris.
YouTube: Top GearChris Harris reviews the Ferrari SF90 Stradale
He believes that supercar manufacturers are going down a “rabbit hole of performance,” chasing ever-decreasing 0-60 times and fighting for the fastest lap times possible. The SF90 seems to fall firmly into this category for Harris, and he wasted no time tearing into the apex supercar.
“The thing is undeniably impressive” he admitted when asked about his opinion on the car, but that’s about as much praise as he had. “It’s a vehicle you find yourself admiring rather than lusting after, it trades in applying forces to the body of the driver, that’s really it.”
The complexity of the SF90 is a big issue, as is the brutal performance. “It’s so fast, you don’t have time to understand what’s going on… it’s stupid” said Chris. He does admit that the characteristics of the car are “sensational” but they sadly don’t make up for its pitfalls.
Practicality is a big concern too, as the location of the SF90’s electric motors in the front means that it can’t carry luggage. This transforms it from a car into a “toy” according to Harris, as there’s no practicality to it whatsoever.
The SF90 is “nearly as quick as a LaFerrari”
While Ferraris are often lauded as the prettiest cars on the road, even styling can’t save the SF90. In his words, Chris said “it looks like it was styled by a computer, rather than some Italian bloke with a pencil… It’s lacking emotion.”
Summing up, Chris says despite the fact the SF90 is “nearly as quick as a LaFerrari” its stablemate, the F8 Tributo, is far better.
“Give me 500hp, 950kg, a manual gearbox, and maybe a little bit of electricity to get through town quietly and start-up quietly in front of my neighbors; Give me that, and that’s the car I want.”
Whether his harsh words will lead to another falling out with Ferrari is uncertain, but with many praising his honesty, it’s unlikely Harris is going to change any time soon.