Bad Boys For a Day: Driving Porsches With Will Smith and Martin Lawrence

Almost 30 years ago many of us sat down in a theater to watch Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Anyone who has seen the movie likely remembers the comedic banter between the two leads, the intense action scenes, but for me seeing the beautiful Porsche 911 Turbo 964 driven by Smith’s character Mike Lowrey, is a core memory.

Porsche has remained a staple of the film franchise since then and by the time you read this Bad Boys Ride or Die will be in theaters or just a few days from release. The Porsche 911 is once again going to play a role in the film and to celebrate Sony Pictures invited MotorTrend to a takeover of the Porsche Experience Center in Carson, CA to “drive like Mike Lowrey.”

To celebrate the release of the film Sony Pictures brought props and cars from the previous Bad Boys films including a 964 Porsche 911 from the first installment. Additionally, I was provided a tasting menu of all the activities that are offered by the Porsche Experience Center year-round. Well, except for the Ninja Warrior-esque obstacle course that my 42-year-old joints would not allow me to participate in. Things kicked off with an autocross session in a 718 Cayman GTS set up on the Experience Center’s dynamics pad. The group was competing for the best time, and we were told that we would only have one shot and if we touched a cone, it would be an automatic DQ. My first time wasn’t the fastest, but it was good enough to not bring shame to the masthead.

However, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence surprised the group by showing up after my first run and convinced the staff to give a few of us a second chance. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity and went much faster, however disaster struck, and I hit a cone right at the end of a slalom. According to the instructor I would have had the fastest time of the day were it not for that, bummer!

After the autocross I was given the opportunity to jump in a 911 Carrera for a turn at the Porsche Experience Center’s kick plate. The kick plate is a computer-controlled hydraulically actuated plate that is flush to the road surface. The plate can shift to the left or ride which will induce a loss of rear wheel traction just before the car goes over a soaked asphalt surface. Its actuation is random, so I didn’t know if it was going to shift left or right but once it happened, I needed to catch the slide and correct as quickly as possible. I managed to save the car two out of three times thanks to the expert instructors.

My last activity of the day was a ride-along with a pro-instructor driving a Porsche 911 Turbo S going full-send around the Experience Center’s 1.3-mile handling course. It’s hard to describe the experience but I was left astonished with just how capable the 911 is at speed. Don’t believe any of the ghost stories you’ve heard about the 911’s rear-biased dynamics, that thing was planted.

I can’t say for certain if I’m really capable of driving like Mike Lowrey, but I can say I came away from the day with a huge smile on my face. If you haven’t done so yet, can check out the Porsche Experience Center in Carson, California or Atlanta, Georgia if possible. They have a ton of experiences to offer and amazing staff to guide you. It’s not cheap but it’s not a bad way to spend a day if you can afford it.

If you want to see someone else have a go in a Porsche first then you can watch Will Smith thrash a Porsche 911 in Bad Boys Ride or Die when it hits theaters on June 5th, 2024.