Read a French-style test drive report that portrays the Porsche 963 RSP in an extreme way [Car English Studies vol. 09]

PORSCHE 963 RSP

The French way of experiencing test drives

The Porsche 963 RSP featured in this article is a road model based on the LMDh class hypercar that competes in the American IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship and the WEC (World Endurance Championship). French journalist Sylvain Vétaux of “Sport Auto” magazine passionately reports on his impressions of driving a “racing car that runs on public roads.”

The style of expression in car test drive reports can often reflect the reporter’s nationality and cultural background. British journalists tend to prefer a style that incorporates lyricism into their writing. Andrew Frankel’s writing, introduced in the third installment of this series, incorporates literary elements by likening engine sounds to music and using inversion.

In contrast, Veto’s Porsche 963 RSP test drive report is characterized by colloquial language that appeals directly to the reader’s senses. The writing flows quickly, and the structure emphasizes realism and emotional swell, making it appealing as “reading entertainment.” We have picked out some expressions from Veto’s article that are difficult to understand when translated literally, or that tend to lose their nuance.

What is a jackpot?

At the beginning, he expresses his joy at having had the opportunity to test drive the only 963 RSP in the world by saying, “I think I’ve hit the jackpot.” A literal translation would be, “I think I’ve won the lottery.” “Hit the jackpot” originally means “to win big” in gambling, but it can also be used to describe unexpected good fortune or great success in business.

In this case, this expression is used to fully convey the rarity and excitement of the test drive opportunity. It has the nuance of “I was blessed with the greatest luck” or “I got the best chance.”

A chicken in front of a knife?

He wrote about his impression of sitting in the driver’s seat, “I feel like a chicken in front of a knife.” This metaphor is thought to be a direct translation of the French phrase “comme une poule devant un couteau.” Chickens are used symbolically as timid and stupid animals, and are used to describe the situation of “standing there confused, not knowing what to do.”

The exact meaning of this phrase in Japanese would be something like, “I was so nervous my mind went blank.” GENROQ magazine, after noting that the steering controls were extremely complicated, gives the accurate and simple Japanese translation, “My mind was already in a state of confusion.”

Piranhas swarming around a bloody mudguard?

Regarding the handling, he describes it as “steering that rushes to the apex like piranhas on a bleeding mud flap.”

Piranhas are generally said to attack in groups in response to the smell of blood. This likely expresses the quick movements of the 963 RSP, just like when piranhas pounce on their prey. Furthermore, by using a “bleeding mud flap,” which does not actually exist, as a metaphor for prey, the author appears to be aiming to conjure up an impressive image for readers.

This expression is a powerful image of a car heading sharply and precisely towards the apex of a corner, but it may also come across as too grotesque. To interpret this accurately, one would need to have a detailed understanding of French culture and Veto’s character. In Japanese, a more accurate expression would be “heading sharply towards the apex, like a wild animal attacking its prey.”

In this way, Veto’s test drive report conveys to the reader not just the behavior of the car, but also the sense of being there through his own emotional heightening. In our next post, we will look at two more expressions and take a closer look at the points to note when understanding them in Japanese and the appeal of his writing style.

MAGAZINE/ GENROQ September 2025 issue

Related reading

The fascinating words that describe the heartbeat of Cosworth engines, such as the Bugatti Tourbillon [Car English Studies Vol. 8]

Test drive reports and technical explanations of supercars by overseas media often use rich language, including metaphors and idioms, to describe the appeal of cars that cannot be fully expressed in numbers. In this series, we will introduce the background and nuances of such English expressions based on articles by overseas journalists published in the monthly magazine GENROQ, while also touching on the unique style and culture of automotive journalism. In this, the eighth installment, we will take a look at an article about the Bugatti Tourbillon engine from the August 2025 issue of GENROQ and introduce some of the most memorable expressions.