Rory Reid Takes An Aston Martin Rapide S Through the Furka Pass
One of my favorite things to come from Series 23 of Top Gear was any segment with Chris Harris and Rory Reid (I like Joey too, but he was a bit too…”Joey” for Top Gear). I have been watching Chris Harris since well before his stint on Top Gear, with his 2015 Ford Mustang review actually giving me the push to buy the car. Rory Reid, I’m a bit less familiar with, but he still was one of the few bright spots from Top Gear.
The BBC has now started a new online series called “Rory Reid’s Road Trips,” and it is basically exactly what it sounds like; Rory Reid in exotic cars traveling the world driving awesome roads. Top Gear Series 23 may have been panned by fans and critics, but being involved with the show certainly has its perks for our Mr. Reid.
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His first stop is the Furka Pass in Switzerland, better known as the section of road where James Bond (in his Aston Martin DB5) chased down a lovely lady (in her Ford Mustang) in the film Goldfinger. In today’s video, Reid gets to channel his inner Bond as he tackles the Furka Pass in an Aston Martin Rapide S:
The Furka Pass is a 22.5 km stretch of road that weaves through the Uri/Valais region of Switzerland. The altitude of the pass is 2,429 meters, making it the fourth highest paved mountain pass in Switzerland. Your chances to drive on this road are pretty slim, since the pass in only open between June and October (due to the amount of snow the region gets). Basically, go in the summer with a nice car and you should be fine.
Speaking of cars, what about the Aston Martin Rapide S that Rory is driving? First off, it’s a 4 door Aston, so it means I can actually convince my wife that it can serve as a family car (never mind the fact that I could never dream of affording one). The Rapide S came as part of the 2015 refresh, with the V12 engine producing 552 bhp. The top speed of the Rapide S is 203 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds.
Sure there are better cars and better roads (subjectively speaking), but the marriage of an Aston Martin Rapide S and the Furka Pass seems like a match made in heaven.
Believe it or don’t, but we DO have a couple of roads here in the U.S. that are as worthy as Furka Pass.
In Tennessee, there is one called “The Tail of the Dragon”, and in Arizona, try U.S. Highway 89 Alternate south from Flagstaff to Sedona.