Old Top Gear had this thing about doing the most extreme, jaw-dropping drag races you've ever seen. As a kid growing up in front of the television, nothing beat seeing the most expensive car in the world lined up against a military jet.
More than a decade after the Bugatti Veyron went up against a Eurofighter Typhoon, we have the latest and greatest McLaren taking on the F-35. The only thing is it's not Richard Hammond behind the wheel, but a guy named Chirs Harris.
Not to be confused with all those other Chirses from the Avengers movies, this guy isn't tall and blond, but we love him anyway. He knows a thing or two about driving, not just sideways, but also in a straight line while explaining cool stuff.
We've always wondered how the old Top Gear crew got to stage these pointless but really cool videos. Many people assumed that Clarkson had some kind of British army connections, but he's not with the shows because of a little fracas.
What's striking about the jet in this video is that it's probably even more controversial than the old one. Sure the Eurofighter project went over budget and didn't meet a few requirements, but nothing like the F-35. "Ambitious but rubbish," the old Top Gear motto, perfectly describes it.
We don't understand the specifics, but people say it can cost anywhere between $100 million and $1.5 billion per unit, depending on how many they make. It's all got to do with all the requirements they placed on it. For example, the British wanted it to be a Harrier replacement that could take off almost vertically.
All that stuff makes the Mclaren seem like your average car, even though it's the opposite of one. With a hybrid V8 drive producing over 1,000 horsepower, this thing can hit 250 miles per hour (403 km/h). Plus, it looks like nothing else on the road today.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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