The fact that someone had put 57k km on a 959 fills my heart with joy.

In 1989 when I was 9 years old, I lived in Pau, France. There was a famous annual Grand Prix at this time with several races inside the city along the week, including Carrera Cup, F3000, Formule Renault, etc... along with some car shows. A day, as my dad took me the school (with his rusty orange Renault 5), at a red light, a F40 stopped by our side..... then another on the other side! Both started full blast when the traffic light turned green, in a deafening roaring. I still remember this, 30 years later. I've never seen a F40 since.

That F40 look was so ahead of it’s time definitely one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

I still own both cars today, always looked after, must admit there’s a little paint chips to both of them but I did ram them into each other and sometimes my big Hotwheels truck would drive over them, but hey, they survived and now I’ve given them to my kids to destroy....

A lot of people here claim that they could achieve better gear changes than Hammond. Only problem here, changing gears on a Ferrari F40 is not the same as a 2010 golf or any of the new easy-to-drive cars that most of us drive everyday.

I am a hardcore Porsche fan, but...man, you truly can't compare much to the F40. That thing is just beautiful.

Even after 30 years, the F 40 remains a masterpiece🤟❤️

I've loved Porsche for over forty years. IMO, The 959 is without a doubt the most important Porsche ever built. It is probably top five of most important cars ever built.

people are forgetting the best part about the 80s... Group B

That Ferrari still looks amazing for even today's standards.

old top gear cinematography is still some of the best ive ever seen

For those of us who "grew up" during this period, the 959 was a spacecraft, and the F40 was a weapon. Both were glorious dreams. I also distinctly recall reading a few reviews of the 959. The common complaint was, "it's so good, and it makes driving fast so easy... that it's boring". There was some Italian who had the 959, the F40? (or perhaps just some Lambo...), and a Cizeta Marauder - a gorgeous 16 cyl supercar.

I just love Richard Hammond's pure unadulterated joy when he's driving a car he admires!

The Porsche's a trophy wife, the F40 is your freaky mistress.

The F40, is in my opinion..A work of art that set the bar... and the product of an era where machines were breathtaking . This continues to take the cake. And what a cake!!

Damn, that F40 is beautiful.

the F40 will forever be my favorite car...just... _wow_

If I had the money, I would take the porsche 959 for a drive Mon to Friday as my everyday car, and then on weekends take the Ferrari F40 for a cruise.

F40 is definitely the first beautiful favorite car that I ever seen

We’re all so used to seeing cars like the F40 and 958 slowly parading down a concourse at a car show or on display - the beauty of Top Gear was seeing cars like this do *exactly* what they were built to do

*In Clarkson's voice* --"Richard Hammond makes the worst gear-changes....... .... in the world"

The 959 was used not only used for track racing, but Group B rally, and the Dakar rally’s. It was the most advanced and versatile car of its time.

I just finish watching the race, and I found my whole body tense with excitement as I saw the back and forth exchange of position with every gear change those two did!! Wow!!!! Amazingly beautiful cars!!!!!!!

I grew up in the 80's and had a poster of the F40 on my bedroom wall, today I search for vids of the car on youtube like a teen searching for porn.

30 years later, the history is repeating itself.

Damn, I love this video. Ever since I watched it on top gear when it came out, I still am moved to pieces. It is a must watch every few years. Anyone with me?

cant express how much i miss that trio, james, hammond and jeremy, my brother and I used to watch every episode from season 1 on when we were young, it rly breaks my heart, thanks for the joy you brought.

I absolutely love the way the Show is written and the Delivery by the trio makes it more enjoyable! Putting out all the Positives and painting a beautiful picture and at the end the "But" is when you know things are gonna shift gears! Beautiful Show, beautiful Cars and beautiful people!

959 - My favorite car of all time, thanks to Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed

my God i love Porsches from the 80's and 90's

This is the greatest auto review I have ever experienced. Thank you Richard Hammond!!!

The way that 959 sat back on the rear axle under heavy acceleration was beautiful, almost like it's throwing itself down the strip.

1 million dollar car drifting, thats just wonderful.

Funny how all the F40 fans always claim it's SO much faster and better. Don't get me wrong it is the more beautiful car. But it's basically just a turbocharged V8 with a super light body. The 959 was LIGHT YEARS more important in car history in terms of technological advancement. The GTR, and all these other cars with insanely complex computer controlled torque vectoring and such got all of that from the 959. 959 also first car with sequential turbos, run flat tires, tire pressure monitors, exotic materials never before used all over the car, electronically adjustable suspension and ride height and a TON of other things. That is why it is so highly regarded to this day. It's not just some random 911 as many people try to make it out to be.

That Ferrari just makes my heart melt whenever I see a video of it, it is just so good, I wish to drive 1 someday.

That F40 is nothing short of magnificent. Such a shame that we'll probably never see another supercar with the same raw visceral driving experience.

Top gear back when it was top gear and the very best automotive program ever. Thankfully we've got grand tour but I despite how great it is I still miss old top gear. These guys are my favorite hosts ever and together were the "Voltron" of great television. Never again will we see a better program hosted by better hosts. God bless you Jeremy, James and Richard for the best automobile program in history. I think for many generations including mine, the day they are gone from this earth is the day the music died for us. Often imitated never duplicated, long live old top gear and grand tour!

6:49 and all the emotion began.

THe F40 will remain a masterpiece forever! Looks amazing!!

The first car magazine I ever bought (well had bought for me as a kid) was "Car". It was the issue comparing the F40 to the 959. I remember back then thinking leather seats, air con, comfort beyond belief and 197mph - or rope door handles, plastic (I was a kid and never heard of carbon fibre! ) - I chose comfort over a few mph and pretty much have the same view as an adult. Cars that are fast enough but very comfortable still get my vote. These cars are a joy to look at though.

They are both very important and beautiful cars! The 959 being so technologically advanced; zooming yo the future, and the F40 is just bare boned and simple; meant to be driven. This two cars are marvelous!

Though I love Top Gear's comedy and generally chumminess between Clarkson, May, and Hammond; its the films like this that truly make me love the show, Jeremy's review of the Eagle Speedster, James' of the Singer 911, and then Richard with this. The passion they have really puts a huge smile on my face, Keep up the good work guys.

My childhood right there. The 959 and the F40. Remember playing Test Drive on Amiga and thinking man these two would be awesome to see in real life. And as a adult i'm thinking, man it would be awesome to drive these or even one of the two. But i haven't seen neither, let alone driven them. Hope to catch them one day. The level of awesomeness is out of the roof.

I was sold on the F40 as kid in 1990 just on the looks - it has timeless beauty

The 959 vs the f40 is like Jeremy clarkson in ukraine iwht the fiesta and up. The 959 is an absolutely genius car, but I *like* the f40.

Those 2 were man walking on the moon, and now with the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 it's man sending rovers to mars

I love the 959 so much that I actually resent the F40 for existing, and stealing my heart away

From 6:50 you can see how passionate he is about cars and this makes me miss the old top Gear

Wow, I am so lucky to be able to say I have stood next to both these cars at the same time!! They look more spectacular with the naked eye then any video can make them.

Being from that era myself, always thought they were both remarkable. They also seemed to epitomise the differences between the two marques. Ferrari was beautiful, fast and brilliant in corners. Yet it was also remarkably impractical and basic, a turbo V8 on a light body. Hardly innovative. The Porsche looked surprisingly dramatic by their standards. Also terrifically fast. Yet entirely possible to drive it to the shops and back. Plus a host of new technologies to boot. That's how I've always seen them. Ferrari for drama, looks and rather impractical but stunning driving. Porsche much more Jekyll and Hyde. Not as obviously dramatic, not as easy to drive quickly in the twisty stuff, yet wonderfully practical plus hidden monster performance. Plus usually significantly cheaper than the equivalent Ferrari. Which is why I'd still take a 911 Turbo S over its competitors as none of them can match its practicality and very few its performance, and certainly none of them for the same sort of money.

I would love to see a remastered 959 modern version 2020's

You have to think these cars in relative terms. They achieved 200 mph (more or less) back in the eighties. There aren't many cars that can achieve it now. 35 years later. You have to go to AMG / Ferrari / Lamborghini / Porsche territory, even today. That is crazy.

How can I feel so much emotion in this small clip?

The 959 must be one of the best looking cars ever made. The classic Porsche styling with an added bonus of the wing and some changes. Just a feast for the eyes.

I'm still impressed by those machines, they're still incredible... I want to live that dream, Mr. Pool

I’ll take the Porsche every time. I saw two at the Blaine port of entry in Canada. I spent several minutes drooling over them.

Song is Judgement Day by Terry Devine-King

I'll take the F40!

The F40 project has been developed by one single men. A genius. His name is #NicolaMaterazzi and he recently died. His masterpiece would last in history as the best car ever made in the entire world. So nice, so balanced, so true...

Top gear could feel you something. This is why it was pretty good. For example in 6:46 Richard`s speech. Pure gold.

These two cars are so really important.

BEST Top Gear video ive seen!

Two superb cars and heroes of my childhood. Wonderful!

i remember seeing 3 F40's parking in front of the monte carlo casino 13 years ago, i was just 13 back then and i was in awe and drooled all over myself since the F40 was my poster car and i never thought i'll ever get to see one in person, then one of the owners went to his F40 and saw me staring at it, he asked me if i want to sit in it and i did. that was the most amazing moment in my life. i also spotted a stunning porsche 930 turbo when we travelled uphill into the mainland, i will always remember that trip fondly. if i even get rich i'm buying both a 930 turbo and an F40

Anyone notice the sound editing is better with Hammond?

That Drag race though... wow

"They say don't drive your heroes, not this time" -Hammond

And the F40 was ALWAYS my favorite car as a kid. Got a Calendar once with a Different Car on EVERY DAY..... and my Birthday was the F40. Which is how I knew we were connected by a higher being.

The 959 was high-end space engineering with new technologies never seen before in a car. The F40 was just a very beautiful chassis with a windscreen wiper.

*It would be very interesting to see a comparative between the Chiron SS, Venom F5, Jesko Absolut and Tuatara, to see which is the currently fastest car in the world*

Amazing these cars still look fantastic. 80's car design was so good

I saw a 959 once. Couldn’t believe it. A very beautiful car.

This is too good of car journalism not to watch more than once

Car and Driver could only get a 4.2 sec 0-60 out of the F40; they got 3.6 for the 959. (The 959 was the fastest 0-60 they tested until the McLaren F1 came along with 3.2.) And, actually, if you do the research you see that the only "evidence" the F40 ever had of hitting 201 mph was Ferrari's own claim. But we're all used to Ferrari's dishonesty nowadays. Check out the article "How Ferrari Spins" by Chris Harris, if you're not.

I’ve seen a couple F40’s here n there…..never seen a 959 but absolutely love them

Finally i can see my favorite car in action awesome

Now the 918, P1, and LaFerrari are gonna be the ones car manufactures are gonna learn from. With the hybrid power

The 959 could do 200mph also. It is recorded. The two way test for the top speed averaged to less than 200. And yes, nowadays Bruce Canepa in Santa Cruz CA, is modifying these to go 215+ mph.

guy in work had an f40 25 years ago! Stunning looking car and was quick!

Latin soul Vs Nordic soul.......Fire and Ice battle !!! so manny feelings ! I have only 3 yrs old in 86 and I remeber to see the Porsche design for the first time in 89 because I have my childhood room in that year full of Porche s and Ferraris toys in very neat way for my age....it s almost like dream this cars they make me watch them just for fun as kid.....its so powerful a true inspirational feeling ! Years latter in my family I try the 911 from 86 and Ferrari Testa Rosa 1991 ....and yes its a huge experience but without driving them only like passanger !!!

This was the most poetic moment in The History of the Television and the car

God, both of these are just pieces of art both visually and performance-wise! Personally I would probably pick the Porsche, but damn, the F40 is without doubt one of the most gorgeous-looking cars ever made

Great Top Gear presentation, as always. Both cars are phenomenal of course for their time, but man that Ferrari looks like a kit car from some angles, especially in the front.

I'm not a car expert, but this, and then their later comparisons with the 918, P1 and LaFerrari... Porsches have all the power and speed and ability...AND A/C, stereos, cup holders and the things that make driving a car on the road functional.

We miss you guys

Door not closed on 1:21

So glad I had the chance to see F40s and McLaren F1 battle it out in the BPR series that visited my country in the 90ies. The F1s truly made me wish I had brought ear plugs but the F40 did really well. I was a bit surprised at the drag race result here, the cold+mild tweaking of the Porsche?

I would LOVE for Porsche to do a "959 Tributo" - a modern reinterpretation of that wonderful machine, up to date with all the modern tech... and take it rallying, as the 959 was originally designed for Groupe B! Who else wants to see this?

The 959, probably one of the greatest cars Porsche has ever produced, in my opinion.

The Porsche set the bar so high for what was to follow, and the Ferrari met the heights. The Ferrari F40 is one of the most beautiful machines ever made. I’d take the Porsche though, if I had a choice.

one of these MVP.. love it.

so glad this clip is actually from top gear.

Isn't it funny that almost 30 years later they made the same thing again A futuristic luxury car with alien tech that slammed every record : 918 A striped down raw super car with screaming 9.25k+ rpm v12 that make a grown man cry: la ferrari History repeats itself again after all these years

What's with the blurring at 0:56 ? Trying to cover up that Hammond isn't actually driving there?

The GOAT drag races, the hairs on my chest went from white to black after watching this. Thank you 🙏🏽

The 959, then the F40, and finally the F1... three of the all times cars legends

My God that f40 is a car enthusiasts dream. It reminds me of a Ferrari made AE86. Both extremely light weight, both came in red mostly (in canada atleast) both have a cult like following, both with amazing engines for the time. If the F40 is landing on the moon for the first time, the AE86 to me is landing on the moon in a commercial jetline.

The F40 was never the fastest car. When the F40 was finished enough for independent tests the Porsche 959s with 515hp was already there (29 built) and the Ruf Yellowbird (29 built). While the F40 couldn't even reach 200 mph at Nardo the 959s did 211 mph and the Yellowbird even 213 mph at the same AMS magazine test. Even before the F40 was introduced the Yellowbird had already reached 211 mph in a test by Road&Track.

A Phenomenal Video And Cars All The Best To Team.

Oh this reminds me so much of Test Drive 2 the Duel!! The memories!