This new Factory Five Racing Roadster is the result of an in-house development program and is an offshoot of the company’s Type 65 Coupe. Mark Smith, half of the brother duo that founded FFR, wanted a vehicle with the handling and performance of the Coupe but with the fun quotient of a convertible. Mark is also a fan of vintage Ferrari roadsters and the influence is evident in this new car. And unlike the other cars in the Factory Five stable, this car is to have a refinement and non-racing focus. In discussing the current FFR fleet recently, company president, David Smith, described the new roadster using phrases such as, “…for romantic weekend getaways,” whereas the 427 replica is more the “every guy’s hot rod,” the Spec Racer as “a real race car,” and the Coupe as “that psycho girlfriend we’ve all had.”

FFR started with the Coupe’s foundation, a stout backbone chassis, minus the beefy six-point roll cage. The chassis is constructed using four-inch round-tube steel main rails with appropriate cross members and the backbone center section. Like the other cars in the FFR stable, this roadster utilizes some Mustang 5.0 front suspension and brake components and, like the Coupe, some Thunderbird Super Coupe rear suspension and brake components (for the IRS set-up, though a live-axle arrangement is also available using a Mustang 8.8” rear end). The company will even offer two versions of live-axle rear suspension (using stock Mustang 4-link or FFR tubular 4-link) or their 3-link set-up like that used on the Spec Racer.

The car is also designed to be powered by Ford small-blocks, like those found in 1987-’93 Mustang 5.0s. Most of the rest of the necessary components come in the kit including adjustable upper front A-arms, rear upper and lower control arms, and coilover shocks. Some of the major Mustang and T-Bird components needed are front lower control arms, steering rack, brakes, spindles, rear horizontal shocks, rear spindles, differential, CV joints, gas tank, steering column, engine, transmission, master cylinder, driveshaft, and engine wiring harness.

Also like the other cars in the FFR stable, the Roadster features a non-stressed fiberglass body. That is, the body is not a structural part of the car. Instead, water-jet-cut aluminum panels are attached to the chassis and its components to form the foundation structure of the car. Things like flooring, foot boxes, trunk liner, engine bay aprons, splashwells, firewall, inner door panels, transmission tunnel, rear bulkhead are all made of pre-cut and formed aluminum panels that are riveted to the chassis.

The roadsters one-piece fiberglass nose section is hinged at the front to flip forward for access to the engine compartment. The twin side pipes on each side are neatly tucked into the rocker panels under the door sills like the original Daytona Coupe and at least a couple of special Cobra roadsters built in the ‘60s.

Though complete as a kit, FFR is offering several options similar to the Coupe offerings; powdercoated chassis, ceramic coated exhaust, leather interior, air conditioning and such. The car will also eventually have a convertible soft top that will fold away into a compartment forward of the trunk space.

Wheels for the roadster will of course be builder’s choice and the wheelwells can accommodate up to 17-incher shod with 335 series out back and 275 in front. For this prototype FFR chose a white-powdercoated two-piece wheel, similar to the Cobra R style and it looks good, though we would probably choose a chrome design to add a little more sparkle to the car’s exterior.

The company is still admittedly working on the cockpit’s final outfitting. We really liked the textured, formed dash for its simplicity and rich look. A set of white-faced AutoMeter ProComp gauges make up the dash with the two big instruments—speedo, tach—right in front of the wheel and 5 smaller instruments in a line stretching toward the passenger side. A typical Cobra replica, bent-forward shifter handles the gearbox duties and a leather-wrapped and polished-spoke steering wheel and a pair of cloth-upholstered buckets from the Coupe parts bin round out the cockpit amenities. On this car, the interior door panels were simply painted body color with carbon-fiber inserts added for a bit of contrast. In keeping with the less-racy aim of this car, we’d like to see a bit more luxury incorporated, instead of some of the Cobraesque features, and surely a home builder could easily swap in some upgrades like maybe more plush production car seats, upholstered door panels, and retractable seat belts and still not destroy the vintage feel of the car.

Factory Five is still developing the details for the Roadster, but having experience selling the Coupe has given them a leg up on what to offer with the car, since they are similar and cut from the same cloth. The GT-V8 Roadster kit will retail for $14,990.

We think Factory Five has a winner in this Grand Touring car because it is not only a departure from snake clones, it is a beautiful car. We think they’ve certainly nailed the look in that it quickly reminds us of those fabulous early GT cars that are among the most beautiful automotive designs ever. KCB

Factory Five Racing

18 Kendrick Rd.

Wareham, MA 02571 USA

001 508 291 3443

http://www.factoryfive.com/

Story and photos by Jim Youngs