I had a weird thought while I was transporting the car from NYC to CT, “This isn’t my car..” Might sound odd, but up until this point I was the only person to have driven the car, the only person to really spend enough time with it to really get to know the car. It felt like it was my car. But it wasn’t, none of these 11 cars will be, but it hit me – I care about each one of them as if they were my cars. That is a good feeling.

Instead of showing up at the owner’s house with a truck and trailer, I decided to unload #01 at a local Home Depot and drive to the owner’s house. My thought was that it would feel a bit more special to see (and hear) your new car come rolling up. See it in motion for the first time. My thought was that it would give the owner a sense of occasion, the time is now, the car is mine, let’s go for a drive.

And drive we did. I stepped out, dangled the keys and climbed into the comfy Tartan-lined Recaro Pole Position passenger seat. This would be a drive of many firsts – first time the owner would drive his new 311RS Evo X, the first time I would ride as a passenger in my limited production automobile, the first time we’d fill the car up with fuel, you get the picture. This was a big moment for 311RS. Very exciting!!

To be brief, the drive went just as I had hoped. The car ran great and drove very smoothly. The owner took delivery with less than 50 miles on the odometer so we were technically still in break-in period. Even so, we pushed it a little to get some adrenaline flowing. These cars are so incredibly capable I was even blown away! The way the car carries itself is money. It felt planted, firm yet plush, very solid. It was interesting sitting in the passenger seat, I was able to relax and take in a lot of the nuances that I had previously never realized.

Owner #01 went for our full “Interior Upgrade” package that includes etnies E-Suede on the dash, A, B, and C pillars, headliner, and the steering wheel. The E-Suede adds a very premium feel to the interior of the car while retaining the OEM ambiance. We didn’t want the car to feel custom, rather we were after a very high end OEM-like product. After spending time in the car, I would say we accomplished just that.

Not only does the car feel much more upmarket with the E-Suede, it is also much quieter. The use of E-Suede throughout seems to have dampened a lot of the background noises allowing you to focus on the task at hand and enjoy the thoroughly beefy Akrapovic exhaust note.

We spent just over two hours on our first drive of 311RS #01. Winding through the back roads of CT just enjoying the car. It’s a great cruiser. I can’t stress enough how smooth this car is. Very well damped while giving you just the right amount of feedback. Driving the 311RS is a very pleasurable experience.

With 200 miles on the odometer we headed back to the owner’s home for some inspection time. I checked all of the nuts and bolts, looked for any leaks, smelled for any smells. etc. All was well. It was reassuring to see all that you have worked for come together and thrive so smoothly. We enjoyed dinner together and conversed about the car for the rest of the night. Plans are now to keep breaking in the car before our track day in mid-May. That’s when the real fun begins!

I’ll leave you with a quote from the owner after a week of ownership –

“After my first week of getting to know my new ride, I wanted to give you a quick update on the 311RS#01.  First of all I fallen hard for the interior!  It truly is an amazing blend of new technology with great visual references to some of my favorite cars from a different time. But what really has been a joy is the driving experience. Smooth but lightning quick engine response, a shifter that is precise but easy. Handling and steering that quite frankly is so razor sharp and communicates so well that I have not even been close to approaching it’s limits, and you know I have run it HARD already!  Congratulations on such a balanced and high quality transformation!”