You can't see air move. Pity really. It's doing a lot of work around here. Some of it good, some more... alarming. The wind turbine at the top of the Gotlandring's jump churns in the breeze as I watch Wookie hurl the 911 Dakar up the blind ramp. Hitting the lip at 92mph, the raised nose catches the wind and the damn thing pulls the mother of all wheelies.
I gulp. I'm sitting at the bottom in the GT3 RS, knowing I've got to follow him and that this, the wildest, most track focused road-going 911 there's ever been, will be able to take so much more speed up that slope - 106mph, it'll turn out. And yet I can barely get it off the ground. The air that had lifted the Dakar can't find a way under the GT3 RS. Porsche has clearly learned a lot since the days of backflipping GT1s.
The Dakar isn't part of this test, but the contrast between the two Porsches is a perfect illustration of what air can do, how it can be bent to your will or bend you to its. How powerful and dense this invisible force is.
I take the Alpine next, but it doesn't have the necessary power to hit wheel lifting speeds. Probably just as well given it's downforce-lite in this company. The others make full claims of figures and speeds, Alpine will only say "up to 29kg more than an A110S with aero kit"..
The Ariel (110kg of downforce at 70mph) fails to break the bonds of gravity for different reasons. I chicken out. I do the jump twice, the second time to check that the first time had been as squirrelly and unsettling as I'd thought. Less to do with the car I realise as I look at the direction the wind turbine is pointing. Cross wind. Played havoc with the 700kg lightweight.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Mi5 SILENT, POSH AND LETHAL!
With its reimagined design language, BMW has done what it does best-divided opinion with the kind of fervour usually reserved for debates about pineapple on pizza.
A VIRAL ESCAPE
The last time I visited Hampi in Karnataka was back in 2021, just as the world began to shake off the COVID-19 travel bans.
FROM UNDERDOG TO CHAMPION
Thierry Neuville's Journey to WRC Glory
Max Verstappen: FOUR-TIME CHAMP UNDER THE VEGAS LIGHTS
From dominance to resilience, Verstappen cements his legacy while Mercedes shines in Sin
VOLKSWAGEN VIRTUS GT PLUS SPORT: SEXY+SPORT
Volkswagen has a knack for keeping their loyal and enthusiastic customers grinning from ear to ear. The German manufacturer has almost become synonymous with build quality, safety and performance.
BE GE AND XEV 9E Sexy and Ballsy!
Starting a review can be quite a challenge, especially when it's hard to pinpoint the flaws!
CAPTURING THE ESSENCE
Chilly, cold mornings and Mumbai is a rare combination that we seldom see in this part of our beautiful country.
BATTLE OF TWO GOLIATHS
When Luxury Meets Performance, Who Takes the Crown?
THE E-MPV THAT DARES TO DREAM BIG
The MPV market, dominated for aeons by Toyota's Innova, has always felt like a rather predictable place. It's the type of vehicle you buy not out of passion but practicality-like a pair of orthopaedic shoes.
IMPRACTICAL YET IRRESISTIBLE
Exactly ten years ago, I took my first international trip. It was to Bahrain, a country of endless desert and skyscrapers, where my aunt and uncle lived. Among their friends and neighbours, one particular gentleman, upon learning I was a budding petrolhead, took an entire day off work to take me around the city’s showrooms to see some “normal” Middle East traffic.
