After a largely successful first autocross event, we drove our Factory Five 818 all the way home, from Tampa to Daytona Beach. Except for a brief sprint through what felt like a small hurricane in the topless 818, it was actually a fairly well-mannered street car.
This got us thinking, what would it be like to daily drive this thing? The range might be a little annoying. A 12-gallon tank plus a turbocharged engine means a few more fuel stops than usual. But we decided to give it a go and drive it around town for a week.
Three days in, we haven’t had any reliability problems. Sure, the brakes need a little work and the cable shifter provides very little feel, but let’s remember that we just built this thing and there will always be kinks to iron out. We also have to admit that years of experience driving lowered cars are a huge benefit when negotiating parking lots in the 818. However, we don’t think the far right pedal will ever stop being a fun thing in this car. Getting to drive it every day is a treat.
The best part about driving this car around is the people you meet. Just this morning we met a man at our favorite coffee shop who told us about his almost complete Integra Type R with a right-hand-drive conversion and only 5000 miles on the clock. Why you need that in the states, we don’t know–but it sounds awesome. Car people gravitate towards the 818, and they all have a cool story to share.
| Get the best sports car content 8 times a year. Subscribe to Grassroots Motorsports now. |
View all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
