Factory Five Racing began in 1995 and Kit Car magazine was there at the very start. Former KC editor Steve Temple, wrote that first article, "Horse Trader," letting folks know about a small company with a cool new idea, namely, of using late-model Mustang parts to build a budget Cobra replica that, thanks in part, to the more modern running gear, didn't give up much on the performance front.
Over the years, the company has grown and as each major milestone was reached, Kit Car was there to tell the story. Here are the highlights from 1995 to today. For an expanded version of this timeline with even more events, be sure to check out the Kit Car website at www.kitcarmag.com.
1995
January 1995: Factory Five Racing Formed by brothers Mark and David Smith
They quit their full time jobs and rent a small 2-bay garage in Dartmouth MA to build a prototype of their new Cobra replica. The business plan was written over beers at the Longboarder restaurant in Huntington Beach CA.
September 1995: Kit Car Magazine Tests New Factory Five Mk1
Horse Trader: From a small shop in Dartmouth, a new 5.0L-Mustang-powered Cobra replica is tested by Kit Car magazine editor Steve Temple.
November 1995: Production Begins
Factory Five ships its first production kit, the Mk1 Roadster Cobra Replica.
1996
March 1996: New Facility.
The new company moves into a 6,000 sq ft manufacturing building in Wareham, MA.
September 1996: Best Buy Cobra Kit
The new Factory Five MK1 Roadster wins Petersen Publishing's Best Buy Cobra Kit Award.
September 1996: Factory Five In Cobras Annual.
The new company is profiled in the COBRAS Annual issue of Kit Car Magazine in an article titled "The $9,900 Cobra Kit!"
November 1996: 100th Mk1 Kit Shipped
Factory Five ships its 100th Mk1 Roadster kit.
1997
January 1997: Thunder And Lightning.
An Original 427 S/C Cobra is compared to the new Factory Five replica and Kit Car Magazine asks, "Can a $15,300 Factory Five Cobra take on the World's fastest 427?"
May 1997: Kit Car Magazine Builds A Factory Five.
Kit Car magazine does a series of build-up articles on the Factory Five Mk1 Roadster entitled "Frame Up."
July 1997: Run & Gun Championships
Jaws dropped and records fell at the annual Replica Shootout Run & Gun event at Gateway International Raceway when Greg Lapoint pulled wheelstands in his Mk1 Factory Five en route to several class wins!
1998
June 1998: Inaugural FFR Open House
The beginning of the traditional FFR open house begins in 1998 with a handful of customers. Today the open house welcomes hundreds of cars and close to 5,000 guests.
July 1998: Run & Gun Crash And King Of The Hill.
In what would become legend, FFR President Dave Smith crashes and rolls his Mk1 Roadster at the annual race event. The car would be repaired and sent back out on the track, where it would win the King of the Hill race title, forever earning FFR a place in the history books for toughness and engineering.
1999
July 1999: New Products, Big Block Kit, and IRS SuspensionSeptember 1999: One-Day Cobra Build
Featured in the Sept. '99 issue of Kit Car, about 25 Factory Five customers gather for a one-day Cobra build at customer Mike Senior's house in Mission Viejo, California.
September 1999: 6 Run & Gun Titles
Factory Five customers and drivers rack up an impressive number of Class wins at the Annual race event.
2000
January 2000: New Model, Challenge Car
Race-version Challenge Series model approved by SCCA and enters production.
May 2000: FFR Ships 1,000th Mk1 Roadster Kit
This car would be given to their first customer, Bob Loscuito (updated and replaced his original car!).
May 2000: New Model, Type 65 Coupe
Factory Five introduces the new Type 65 Coupe after evaluation by Car and Driver magazine's tech editor Larry Webster. The new car ran 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds!
August 2000: Shelby Sues Factory Five
In the first of three legal battles, Carroll Shelby sues Factory Five over the name Cobra and the shape of the legendary car.
August 2000: First Challenge Series Race
The race is held at Virginia International Raceway with a 10-car field.
November 2000: Car And Driver Features FFR Mk2 and Coupe:
Taking FFR mainstream, Car & Driver Magazine feature very positive reviews of the FFR Roadster and Coupe.
2001
January 2001: Three-Day Build School Launches
Factory Five, in partnership with Mott Community College in Howell, Michigan, launches build school.
March 2001: Factory Five Sponsors Racing Adventures Driving School
Racing Adventures buys a fleet of 12 FFR Challenge cars and starts driving school that endures thru 2008.
May 2001: Build School Receives TAP Funding From Ford, GM, And Chrysler
Students taking the course qualify for continuing education course credit and TAP funding from the big three.
June 2001: Factory Five Moves Into New Facility
Its new facility, custom-built and designed for kit manufacturing and R&D testing, comes in at 45,000 square feet.
2002
February 2002: Shelby Lawsuit Concluded
The Factory Five guys prevailed in their Shelby lawsuit. Shelby agreed that FFR couldn't be sued for the body shapes of its Cobra replica, Daytona Coupe, and others, and FFR agreed not to use the word Cobra in describing its cars.
May 2002: New Model, Mk2 Version Roadster
After six years in production, the FFR guys launch a new and improved version of their replica. Kit Car featured the new model in the Dec. '02 issue in an article entitled, "On the Mark."
August 2002: New Model, Spyder GT
A convertible version of the Daytona Coupe (Type 65 Coupe) is launched. The company would make 48 units before stopping production in 2006 to make room for the new GTM Supercar.
September 2002: 1st National Challenge Series Championship.
The company sponsored a National Championship race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Customer Dave Borden won the event.
2003
May 2003: Robot Wars
Factory Five automates with robotics. FANUC five-axis milling machines and CNC Eastman cutting tables add to production.
November 2003: Factory Five Adds To Facility
Factory Five builds a 12,000 sq foot addition onto the existing facility to house robotics, welding, and all-new composite molding facility. FFR moves all molding in-house.
November 2003: New Model, Concept GTM Unveiled At SEMA
The first prototype of the FFR GTM Supercar was introduced at the 2003 SEMA show along with the prototype Mk3.
December 2003: SCCA Autocross Nationals
A Factory Five Mk1 would earn third place in SCCA Nationals Autocross competition!
December 2003: 25 Hours Racing At Thunderhill
FFR and its sponsored team, FFR West/Lawson Racing, would be the very first entrants into the inaugural 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
2004
February 2004: FFR Ships 4,000th Roadster!
The crew at FFR ships its 4,000th roadster as FFR becomes the world's largest replica manufacturer.
May 2004: GMP Award
FFR is recognized for quality with the Association of Handbuilt Cars' GMP Award at the West Coast AHA Show.
June 2004: Factory Five And Solidworks Software
After using AutoCAD and Pro-Engineer, FFR makes partnership with Solidworks and CAD engineering grows by leaps and bounds. Used on new GTM project.
July 2004: Factory Five Mk2 On Track In Car And Driver Magazine Comparo
The Factory Five Mk2 graced the cover of Car & Driver Magazine in an article where it gave the venerable Lotus Elise fits in the performance category.
August 2004: New Model, Mk3 Version Roadster
The guys at FFR launch a vastly improved replica with new suspensions (from their race series), better molds, and a slew of engine/drivetrain upgrades.
December 2004: SCCA Title Won By Factory Five/So Fast Racing
The FFR Challenge series car earns first place in the SCCA SP Class.
December 2004: FFR Selected As Official Champ Car Pace Car
Before IRL bought the Champ Car Series, 2 FFR cars were used as "Official Pace cars" in the exciting F1 style American Series.
2005
January 2005: FFR Wins 6 Awards At World Of Wheels
The company sweeps the Boston show with two 1st place finishes, two 2nd place finishes, a 3rd and a 4th.
March 2005: FFR Roadsters Approved for Import Into Canada
July 2005: Kit Car Magazine Goes To Build School
In a 2-part article, Doug McCleary from Kit Car Magazine takes the 3-day build school and reports on the class project of building the new FFR Mk3 roadster.
October 2005: NAPA And ASA Giveaway Type 65 Coupe
Customer Mike Aikens wins a NAPA Autoparts Type 65 Coupe giveaway.
October 2005: Factory Five Sponsors Sema Model Bill In Massachusetts
November 2005: New Model, GTM Enters Beta Production
Featured in Kit Car, the new GTM enters production with BETA customers getting cars before year end.
December 2005: Editor's Choice Award, Grassroots Motorsports December 2005: FFR Selected As Official Champ Car Pace Car
Before IRL bought the Champ Car Series, 2 FFR cars were used as "Official Pace cars" in the exciting F1 style American Series. Photos and graphic changed from 2004 to 2005!
2006
March 2006: New Model, GTM Enters Full ProductionApril 2006: 1st Annual Huntington Beach Cruise-In
April 2006: Factory Five Loses Challenge Series Director Dan Lawson in Crash
May 2006: Editor Mark Houlahan Starts Project Snake Charmer
June 2006: Factory Five On The Hot Rod Power Tour
The Factory Five guys sponsored the Hot Rod Power Tour for the first time.
October 2006: FFR At Pikes Peak Race
FFR customer Ed Gaven sets FFR class record at 15 min 46 seconds. while driving his Challenge car in exhibition class to the top of Pikes peak in the annual race competition.
December 2006: FFR Wins Targa Newfoundland Race
Factory Five customer Alan Townsley dominates the GT Class and wins the grueling race in an FFR Challenge Series car.
2007
March 2007: Factory Five Ships 6,000th Roadster.March 2007: Factory Five Partners With HP And Solidworks On GTM Project
In a project that would drive our partnerships with both larger companies for years, the FFR crew filmed and attended events highlighting the HP technology and Solidworks software behind the GTM supercar.
April 2007: Moment Of Thunder
FFR community says goodbye to Dick Smith at annual HB cruise-in event.
September 2007: FFR Challenge Series Car Wins 1st Place NASA ST2 Class
September 2007: Car & Driver Tests GTM
Time of 0-60 in 3.0 seconds earns the GTM the second fastest street car ever tested by the magazine and gushing compliments on the "build-it-yourself" supercar.
November 2007: GTM Wins Sony Playstation Award at SEMA 2008
January 2008: FFR Invests In Start-Up Company Local MotorsJuly 2008: GTM On Cover Of Kit Car, Corvette Magazine, & GM High Tech
The GTM garnered the lion's share of press in 2008 as it was featured and tested in multiple magazines.
September 2008: World Record Coupe at Bonneville
A Factory Five Type 65 Coupe earns a land speed record at Bonneville--Class C Blown Modified at 217 mph!
November 2008: FFR '33 Hot Rod wins Best in Show SEMA 2008
December 2008: New Model, '33 Hot Rod Released
Following a dramatic introduction at the 2008 SEMA show in the Ford Booth, the FFR 33 Hot Rod enters production as the company's 5th model.
December 2008: Shelby Sues Again!
Carroll Shelby filed a second lawsuit against the FFR boys. This lawsuit was over the shape of the Daytona Coupe. The lawsuit would be dismissed outright and FFR would prevail again.
December 2008: Gtm Completes 25 Hours Of Thunderhill Race
2009
February 2009: FFR Invests In New Tooling And Aftermarket Parts
Seeing a need for better options on FFR products, the company invests in tooling and begins to build stainless steel side pipes, aluminum wheels, and a slew of aftermarket performance parts for its cars.
April 2009: Five-Day Hot Rod Build With Hot Rod Magazine May 2009: 7,00th Mk Roadster Built And Shipped!
June 2009: New 33 Hot Rod Featured In College Text.
The Factory Five 33 was used by college textbooks teaching classes on Solidworks Software.
September 2009: 200-mph Factory Five Coupe
European customer Robert Schweiker runs more than 200 mph in his FFR coupe at Monza.
September 2009: Speed Channel Show "Two Guys Garage" Profiles Factory Five
November 2009: Factory Five On Cover Of HOT ROD Magazine!
The new Factory Five 33 makes the cover of the storied magazine.
November 2009: Electric Hot Rod Debuts at SEMA 2009
Developed with A123 Systems, Solidworks and Hewlett Packard, a fully BEV Factory Five 33 debuted at the SEMA show.
2010
January 2010: Hot-Rod Build School Added
The '33 Hot Rod is added as a build-school class to the Mk4 roadster classes.
March 2010: New Model, Mk4 Version Roadster Launched
The biggest change yet to the venerable FFR Roadster occurs as more than 6,500 units have been made.
April 2010: Factory Five 33 Hot Rod Wins Best In Show AHA
At the West coast Assoc. of Hand-built Auto Show, a Factory Five 33 built by customer Nick Seftu wins Best in Show.
May 2010: Factory Five Profiled on Speed Channel and Horsepower TV
Speed Channels "Two Guys Garage" builds a Factory Five 33, while Horsepower TV installs a GM LS3 E-rod engine in a new Factory Five GTM
June 2010: New Model, Gen 2 GTM Supercar
The GTM receives a major overhaul after four years in production. New body, running gear and interior parts top the list.
July 2010: Factory Five 33 Wins Best In Show New England Summer Nationals
August 2010: Bio-Deisel Powered GTM Is X-Prize Finalist At 65 Mpg!
August 2010: 400,000 Miles on a Factory Five Mk1
Factory Five customer Ralph Button rolls over 400,000 miles on his original Mk1 Roadster purchased in 1997!
November 2010: Tasca-Built Ffr 33 Headlines Ford Racing Booth At SEMA Show
December 2010: MuscleCar TV and Horsepower TV Build FFR '33
Horsepower TV and MuscleCar TV build a 5.0L Coyote-powered Hot Rod.
2011
January 2011: Factory Five '33 Makes Dupont Hot Hues CalendarFebruary 2011: New Model, Gen 2 Type 65 Coupe Released
The FFR team went back to the well with the 10 year old Coupe design making changes to bring it up to par with the new Mk4 roadster.
March 2011: Speedmakers TV Show Profiles FFR Cars and Company
April 2011: TDI-Powered FFR GTM Wins Green Grand Prix W/103 mpg!