Those guys drive both left and right hand drive cars all the time. I would love to see them each set a lap time in the FR-S, once in a LHD and once in RHD, and see if there is a difference. Perhaps throw in a few drivers who grew up with LHD as well.
That sounds like an interesting idea! I've never driven a RHD car. I don't think I could shift with my left hand!
I would like to see them take an FR-S, add a left hand drive to a right hand drive car, then put two drivers in it, each side controlling only one side of the car.
Right driver controls right front wheel with steering wheel, power to the right rear wheel, and brakes on the right side.
I think that would be quite entertaining.
In reply to aircooled:
It would also be more consistent with their oeuvre.
When I was in Japan I got a chance to drive a B16 equipped Civic hatchback, in the middle of the night, on a mountain road. Despite the Initial-D fantasy come true, I felt like a total idiot trying to shift the damn thing. To make matters worse, I had one exactly like it at home, minus the B16.
That said, I wouldn't give up that experience for almost anything.
OK, random question because I've never sat in a RHD car. On the gear lever, which is closest to the driver, 1st or 3rd? (assuming a standard H-pattern).
-Rob
It's exactly the same as a LHD car in pattern and pedals, you just sit on the opposite side of the centerline.
I had no trouble with the shifting/driving/etc. Open roads were no issue. What I had surprising trouble with was knowing where the left front corner was in relation to the curb.
Of course with the gas pedal so close to the door you can do this! What else are you supposed to do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4ECEM86C4g
I found driving on the left while sitting on the right to be not as insane as I had expected. I wasn't ever driving with great vigor, or trying to time heel/toe stuff or anything.
The hardest part for me was definitely remembering where to look/go at intersections and roundabouts.
I imagine with enough seat time both ways it would become a non-issue in terms of lap times.
rob_lewis wrote: OK, random question because I've never sat in a RHD car. On the gear lever, which is closest to the driver, 1st or 3rd? (assuming a standard H-pattern). -Rob
3rd.
There could be performance differences between LHD and RHD. A lot of cars have more weight on one side than the other due to engine placement, and in some cases the placement of the driver's controls can make it worse.
A Samurai is a perfect example. The engine's off to the right, the transfer case is off to the right, the battery is on the right, the driveshafts and diffs are off to the right. A RHD Samurai has a balance closer to a motorcycle with a carbon-fiber sidecar than a traditional car (the Willys GP that it was copied off of has the same problem, in the opposite direction - they corrected it with an extra leaf on the driver's side springs). A LHD Samurai has better L/R balance.
Sky_Render wrote: That sounds like an interesting idea! I've never driven a RHD car. I don't think I could shift with my left hand!
You'll get used to that part very quickly. The bigger issue is the visibility (or lack thereof), for example if you're trying to overtake another vehicle.
One fun thing to do in a RHD car in countries that drive on the right is to have the passenger read a newspaper while you're driving. Or have a big dog in the passenger seat 
).
The first time I drove a Lotus Seven, I didn't even notice it was RHD until I got out I grew up driving both and I have both in the garage. The only time it's weird when hopping back and forth from RHD and LHD countries is dealing with parking lots. On the road, you've got enough cues to give you little reminders where you're supposed to go.
I think the current Nissan GT-R has an asymmetrical setup in either RHD or LHD configuration due to the shift in the location of the bag of meat that must be carried around (to the frustration of Nissan engineers).
Aren't the stalks backwards, too? This matters zero for track driving, but driving on the street and turning the wipers on every time I wanted a turn signal would get a little annoying.
I was stationed in Japan for 7 years (93-00). The first car I had was an 85 Celica/Supra. When stopped at a light or an intersection on base, music pumping, trying to be cool... I switch up my turn signal and the wipers go on. This was a sign that I had just arrived the country. Not cool..
I used to leave the club and clicked off my alarm. One time I tried to enter my car and thought the steering wheel was on the left side. I quickly opened the glove compartment and make believe I was looking for some papers in there. Then went around to the driver's side. 
We also had a few US SPEC vehicles in Japan. It was a pain trying to pass someone in the Shuto Expressway.
BoxheadTim wrote: One fun thing to do in a RHD car in countries that drive on the right is to have the passenger read a newspaper while you're driving. Or have a big dog in the passenger seat
I'd love to have a RHD Spitfire. I swear there is more foot room on the right without the bump in the trans cover for the slave cylinder.
I've done some many MINI runs with my g/f driving that when I'm driving myself, the same roads look odd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVjDaGDVkzE
Twin_Cam wrote: Aren't the stalks backwards, too? This matters zero for track driving, but driving on the street and turning the wipers on every time I wanted a turn signal would get a little annoying.
Yeah generally they are. For me this is the hardest part of switching back and forth.
And then you have cars like the 1st-gen RX-7, where the left footwell is quite noticeably wider than the right one, but the engine is actually canted in the chassis by a few degrees for RHD steering-box clearance. And the shifter in the FBs is definitely angled to the right side of the car. It's like they couldn't make up their mind which way to bias the car, so they did it all.
I don't know how the balance is on RHD cars, but the LHD cars are very left-biased. The engine is on the left, the battery and starter are on the left, the steering and pedal box are on the left, the fuel tank is left-justified. The only thing the right side has is the exhaust system. The kicker is that most FBs were welded together crooked, so even with the springs at the exact same resting height, the car looks lower on the left side. Only, they don't sit like that since everything's on the left, so they usually look like they have a broken spring on the left side.
Driving my RHD mini took me exactly 10 seconds to get used to, my wife as well.
Ok, I'll fess up. The turn signal and wiper stalks are reversed. After 10 years, I still turn the wipers on to turn left. The shifting came real quick though.
The thing that takes me the longest is interpreting the mirror information. Looking in the rearview is like reading Swahili.
Streetwiseguy wrote: The thing that takes me the longest is interpreting the mirror information. Looking in the rearview is like reading Swahili.
Sky_Render wrote: I've never driven a RHD car. I don't think I could shift with my left hand!
while I was in England I had a chance to drive a renault and bus... after the first or 2nd shift it just is kinda natural feeling...
from what I understand the REAL issue is more not turning into oncoming traffic... been told by some friends that grew up LHD that even years after moving to the states that was still occasionally an issue when no traffic was on the road to remind them what side to drive on haha
Didn't "Top Gear vs. the Germans" face off a LHD and RHD MINI against each other?
BTW my RHD Lotus has the signal/wiper stalks configured the SAME way as LHD (signals on the left.) Throws me the hell off when I jump into a Japanese RHD and they're swapped. Thanks for that Lotus. 
Left handed shifting was never any problem.
Shifting left handed is a lot easier than it seems like it would be. In my RHD Mini, the turn signal stalk is on the right - easy to remember since the hand that is not shifting is the one that actuates the turn signal. Same as my LHD cars. I admit, I used to hit the wipers fairly often, until I thought about it this way.
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