For a while, the Top Gear series was really on the ropes. After the departure of Clarkson, the duo of Matt Leblanc and Chris Evans failed to drum up any significant on-screen chemistry. It wasn't until the producers saw that it wasn't working and tried to revamp the show. In came Chris Harris and Rory Reid, to help get the fans back on their side. Chris, in particular, became the best thing about the show.
He's a proper car man, and fans quickly came to his side because of his excellent reputation in the industry. The guy is a brilliant driver, knows everything there is to know about cars, and still gets genuinely excited at the sight of cars. While never being a prime-time star before, Chris had quite a reputation in the automobile industry. From writing for the most significant automobile magazines to running his own YouTube channel, the guy seems to have done it all!
Here are a few crazy facts we just learned about Top Gear host Chris Harris.
15 His YouTube Channel
Chris Harris can attribute his rise to fame to his YouTube channel. Even to this day, he still partakes in videos on his channel, "Chris Harris On Cars." The channel has over 400,000 subscribers, and it stills posts clips of rare cars and activities to this day. It makes for some great nostalgia watching those videos.
14 Motoring Pedigree
If you're wondering where the Car bug came into Chris Harris, then you only need to look as far as his mother. She was a professional auto cross-racer during the early 50s. His mother is one of the reasons why cars are such a significant influence in his life!
13 Dream Location
All of us have a dream location in mind, and Chris Harris is no different. In an interview with BBC 2, Harris recently admitted to Abu Dhabi being his dream location for shooting Top Gear. In particular, the Yas Marina circuit, which is a stunning place to shoot. You'll also remember this track from the Porsche 918 Spyder review!
12 First Car Memory
Sometimes things from our childhood stick with us, and one of Chris's first memories is riding in his Dad's BMW 323i. It's one of the all-time best BMW cars to hit the market. The legendary 3-series still takes Chris Harris back to this day. He can't help but claim that it's an incredible car!
11 Can't Test Ferrari's
While you would reckon that no car company in the world would want to avoid getting their car tested by Chris Harris. He was banned from testing Ferrari vehicles from 2011-2013. It was due to a few comments he made about the company in a blog post on Jalopnik.
10 Issues With Lamborghini
Ferrari isn't the only company Chris managed to get into an argument with during his time as a car presenter. Another Italian company that has a significant issue with Harris is Lamborghini. The problem occurred in 2014, when he claimed the car looked much better than it drove, and that the brakes caught fire during testing!
9 Experienced Race Driver
Chris is a man of many talents. His mother isn't the only one who has experience racing. Chris Harris is known for racing in a diverse number of vehicles. From the Aston Martin Vantage and the coveted Jaguar E-Type, Harris has driven all manners of cars.
8 Started From The Bottom
Chris never began his career from the top and had to work hard to get any decent position. He started at Autocar magazine and worked through all the most menial jobs. Year of his attitude and refusal to give up meant he eventually got the position of chief road test editor.
7 Weird Nickname
One of the more bizarre things about Chris's life is that he's managed to get himself quite the nickname. Every Top Gear presenter has a habit of getting themselves a nickname, Richard Hammond and James May were known as "Hamster" and "Captain Slow" respectively. Yet, Chris "Monkey" Harris earned his nickname during his days of working with Autocar.
6 Loaned Cars
Several of the cars that are in Chris Harris' garage are loaners. Automobile manufacturers will occasionally give out vehicles to the automotive press. These vehicles are known as "Press Vehicles," and Chris is the recipient of a fair few. Audi notably gave him the RS6 model to drive and test for six months.
5 Car Ownership And Happiness
Harris is an avid believer in the fact that there's a direct relationship between your happiness and the car you own. He got this idea from the time he decided to buy an expensive Porsche that his dad said he couldn't afford. However, Chris said that regardless of the price, owning that particular car made him happy!
4 Incredibly Knowledgeable
One of the things that makes Chris Harris such an endearing Top Gear presenter is the immense amounts of knowledge he has at his disposal. Whenever you see him reviewing a car, it's clear that he knows in great detail what makes a good car. His knowledge plays a significant role in bringing fans back to the show!
3 Road Testing Expert
Chris Harris has quite a significant reputation in the automotive industry, and that's because he's the chief road tester for one of the most prominent car magazines in the world. That's why so many of the reviews you see out there belong to Harris. He's a practical supercar expert, and there are only a rare few he hasn't driven!
2 Brush With Death
In 2017 Harris had quite a close call while working at a racing event. A racing crew member was carrying an aerodynamic F3 wing and ended up slicing Harris's head. However, Harris escaped with a cut that required only a few stitches. Like the real Champ he is, Harris immediately took to Twitter to share the experience!
1 Always Honest
Regardless of the size of the company, that gives their car to Harris for testing, he always gives his honest opinion. He's still genuinely enthusiastic about whatever car he gets his hands on for testing. So, when a car lets him down, he's still genuinely disappointed at the outcome, and he holds nothing back!