It’s a big week for me, because I like cars, and this week the Seattle Auto Show is at Qwest Field Event Center from Wednesday through Sunday, November 11-15.

It’s one thing to visit the show, inhale the new-car smell, check out the concept cars, and sit behind the wheel of all the new models. But I managed to pull a few strings to get a pre-show drive in a car that really caught my eye — the Tesla roadster. It’s one of the fastest cars in the world, it looks wicked, and the coolest part is that it’s totally electric — it’s just about as green as a car can get. So naturally, I had to get my hands on one.

My first stop was Seattle’s Tesla showroom on Westlake in the South Lake Union neighborhood, where I met Jon Taylor, who gave me a tutorial on the car and a quick — and I mean quick — ride. Watch what happens when Jon floors it at a green light:

After Jon handed me the keys and sent me on my way, I immediately headed for I-5 to see what would happen when I turned up the juice on the Tesla. As I get onto the freeway under the Convention Center, notice how I start going a lot faster than the cars in the adjacent lanes:

The Tesla spent the night in my garage, where I charged the batteries using a plug that works in a regular old wall socket. You can also upgrade to a more robust plug that’s like the kind on a washer or a dryer, and you can even get a super-cool charging station from Tesla that completely charges the car in 3 1/2 hours:

And here’s a look at the outside of the car, at rest and in motion:

The Tesla’s probably the coolest car at the Auto Show, but there’s a ton more to see, so, I’m going to sneak in early and do some more blogging from the show later this week. Rubber side down!