Automotive journalist and star of the BBC’s Top Gear TV show Chris Harris has announced the arrival of the latest car to join his collection.
The bright yellow Porsche 911 GT3 Touring appeared on Instagram and Twitter, generating plenty of attention from Top Gear fans and Porsche enthusiasts.
Harris was also quick to mention that he has a history with the 911 Touring, following an accident in a similar car in November 2018.
In the spirit of delivering exciting social media content, I’ve bought a new car. It’s exactly the same as the one I had before, but more yellow. And less crashed. pic.twitter.com/cQku6zawWW
— chris harris (@harrismonkey) January 15, 2020
Whilst working on a feature for Top Gear Magazine, Harris was involved in a collision described as “unavoidable” in his own black 911 GT3 Touring.
Driving through Monmouthshire, Harris came around a blind bend to find a pickup truck performing a three-point turn. The collision was inevitable, with Harris and his passenger fortunate not to be injured in the crash.
The dramatic event seemingly did nothing to dent Harris’ enthusiasm for the 500 hp Porsche. The Top Gear man has been left wondering what to replace that original £111,000 GT3 Touring with for almost a year.
Introduced as a subtler version of the bewinged 991.2 911 GT3, the Touring model uses a smaller pop-up rear spoiler to generate rear downforce. All other components remain the same, with a 4.0-litre flat-six engine driving the rear wheels only.
Porsche only allowed the Touring model to be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission, making it similar to the limited-edition 911 R introduced previously.
Finished in Signal Yellow, with silver 20-inch alloy wheels, Harris’ new GT3 Touring is, to our eyes, a superb specification for the car. Chris was also keen to answer questions from various commenters about the lack of a front number plate.
And for the avoidance of doubt, it doesn’t have any number plates yet. It will soon have one on the front, one on the back. Who’d like to see a picture of the last GT3 Touring, and its moment of ceasing to live?
— chris harris (@harrismonkey) January 15, 2020
Harris already has an extensive and eclectic collection of cars, ranging from a Citroen 2CV to a ‘homemade’ BMW E34 M5 Touring. Other Harris garage highlights include a Peugeot 205 Rallye, a Range Rover Classic, and a Ferrari 512.
Last year also saw Chris sell his 505 hp Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, with the winning bidder getting the chance to meet Harris and take the car on track with him.
Buying the bright yellow GT3 Touring is perhaps a way for Chris to celebrate the return of Top Gear to TV screens later this month. Sunday 26th January will see the latest series start broadcasting on BBC Two.