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.

KIT CAR

Presents: Build Your Factory Five Dream Ride

Ferrari fans probably remember the forgettable movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off better than cinema fans. That's because the scene stealer was a stolen '59 California Spyder that, among other misadventures, crashed through a plate-glass window. A little-known fact is that the stunt stand-in was a replica called the Modena. The company that manufactured this vehicle changed hands a few times, only to suffer an untimely demise due to poor management. Nothing was ever faulty about the car itself, so Bill Eikner and Louis Linxwiler Jr. of Precision Design, with the help of Mark Goyette, the Modena's original designer and builder, have introduced an updated version called the GT250 California. And man are we glad, because this is one fabulous shape. Lines like these will always be in demand as long as there are folks who appreciate such graceful and classy styling. Note, however, that Precision's body and trim are not exact copies of any single model year of the authentic item. Instead the company has merged the best elements that appeared on several versions from 1959 to 1963. Still, Precision preserved the precise tone and feel of the original, right down to the stippled, black dash, the Connolly biscuit-colored leather seats and the Beverly Hills bank carpet in the footwells.

Competing at last year’s Northeast Replicar Challenge against a bevy of new or relatively young Cobras, Daytonas, Lotus-types, and GT40s was a 30-year-old kit from another era—a Kelmark. Looking and acting as young as its counterparts, this Ferrari-esque racer made all the competition sit up and take notice at last year’s NERC in Louden, New Hampshire.

To make up for missing out on KIT CAR's first ever Performance Day in 2007, Superformance fielded three cars for testing at the 2008 event: an SPF Coupe, an SPFGT Mk II, and an Mk III roadster. The two hardtops are Superformance company cars.

In its fourth year, the Western States Cobra Bash (WSCB) was bigger and better than ever. The event was held at John Ascuaga's Nugget Hotel/Casino in Sparks, Nevada, May 15-17, 2008. The Cobra Bash is for owners of original and replica Cobras, Daytona coupes, and GT40s. Participants came from all over the United States to participate in the three days of festivities. Combined, just over 220 cars packed into the corral, and to keep the event size under control, the limit was set to 200 cars. There were many who wanted to come but did not get their registration in on time. The '08 Bash was 100 percent sold out back in December 2007 in just less than two weeks. WSCB had evolved into one of those special gatherings that come along once in a lifetime.

Have you heard this one? A man comes up to a Cobra at a car show and asks the owner who's standing by, "Is that a Mazda Miata?"

Last year we enjoyed ourselves and gathered a great deal of useful information putting a dozen replicars through a quartet of performance tests, so we made a sequel for 2008. In Hollywood, sequels oftentimes fall far short of the original's impact. Thankfully, the second annual KIT CAR Performance Day was a blockbuster. The very same KIT CAR and Source Interlink Media colleagues who worked in 2007 rolled up their sleeves and produced an even better '08 event.

Just because the replica Cobra market was already well-established when Dave and Mark Smith entered it in 1995 didn't necessarily mean it couldn't be better.

One of the best ways to prove whether a replica is road-ready or race-worthy is in the driver's or the racer's seat. Mongoose Motorsports, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio has been building 1963 Grand Sport coupe and roadster replicas for the last four years. In 2007, MM also introduced a replica of the 1986 Corvette GTP.

Dave and Mark Smith weren't the first guys to get bored going fast in a straight line. In fact, the first quarter-mile tracks weren't straight at all; they were round or oval. Though midgets and "Big Cars" (sprint cars for the time) prevailed, there were legions of racecars fashioned from old Ford bodies. An important distinction about these cars is that they weren't necessarily Ford-powered...or sat on a Ford frame.

Race Car Replicas, a candy story for performance-minded car enthusiasts based in Clinton Township just north of Detroit, Michigan, debuted their new Superlite Coupe at the recent Run 'N' Gun event at Gateway International Raceway just outside St. Louis, Missouri.

Certain racecars transcend time. They're world-beaters during their reign, and they evoke an emotional response from many an automotive racing enthusiast. What the cars look like, how they performed at famous racing venues around the globe, what teams drove them to victory, the personalities behind those racing teams, and fond memories from our collective pasts-all of these things contribute to the lofty reputation these inanimate four-wheeled mechanical conveyances attain in our hearts and minds, and in the auto racing history tomes. The Ford GT40 and the Shelby American Type 65 Daytona Cobra coupe are prime examples of racecars that will always be etched in the hearts and souls of American gearheads. We dream to one day build and own a re-creation of one of these racing icons (if not both).

They're prolific about the landscape and easy to spot. Backdraft Racing roadsters, manufactured in South Africa and distributed worldwide, now number greater than 800 vehicles. With a 92-inch wheelbase offering a bit more legroom and cockpit comfort, the roadsters are two inches longer than the original AC Bristol and Shelby Cobras. BDRs sport a low and menacing stance, having rear fender haunches that appear disproportionately large, giving the car a pouncing, serpent-like (small wonder) posture.

It occurred to me as I've been working on the C5 GTO that this project is different from most other car projects. Classic hobbyist cars for the most part fall into one of several categories-street rod, muscle car, kit car, supercar, for example. Most projects in the kit car category generally follow one of three tracks: exact (or nearly so) copies of an original, faux look-a-likes on VW, Fiero, or other such modular factory car platform, or original designs not replicating any one car in particular. The common theme for the street rod category is a large V-8 in a car of U.S. origin made sometime before 1950. For muscle car category, it's a large V-8 in a mid to large size two-door sedan that usually had great straight line acceleration but left something to be desired around the curves. Then there's the supercar category-McLaren F1, Ferrari Enzo, Bugatti Veyron, Saleen S7, Ultima GTR, Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren-that are more often found in people's fantasies rather than a hobbyist's garage.

Performing body and paintwork on an automobile is an enormous undertaking. If you're a kit car enthusiast who enjoys doing something you haven't tried before in the construction of your replicar, doing body and paint may be for you. Being a detail-oriented sort of builder helps, as does having the tenacity to be meticulous and not satisfied with good enough. Should you be up to the tasks at hand, this article is designed to give a step-by-step guide to adding Le Mans stripes on an already painted FFR Type 65 coupe.

Hotrod & Restoration Magazine and the Petersen Automotive Museum have announced that "Speedy" Bill Smith, Founder and Owner of Speedway Motors, will be the eighth recipient of the prestigious Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the largest rod & custom association in the world with over 70,000 members, will stage twenty-two events in 2009. The event lineup features eighteen national events for rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage as well as four "Get-Together's" in California which welcome all years, makes and models of specialty vehicles.

ROUSH Performance continues their homage to the legendary World War II fighter plane with the 2009 P-51B(tm) Mustang, the second aviation-themed pony car from the Michigan-based manufacturer. This car, based on the 2009 Ford Mustang chassis, will belimited to just 51 numbered production vehicles in the 2009 model year.

The Goodguys Trendsetter Award is presented annually at SEMA to rising young talents in the realm of rod & custom car building. J.F. Launier, 33, got started early in the custom car scene. He completed his first build, a 1951 Mercury Pickup, when he was just 16 years old. His career accelerated during the new millennium with groundbreaking custom builds and six appearances on the hit show "Overhaulin'." Launier's breakout custom came in 2006 when he debuted a 1951 Kaiser 2 door named "Kontageous" which won the coveted Chip Foose Design Excellence Award at the 2006 Grand National Roadster show as well as a finalist bid for the 2006 Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year. Launier and his JF Kustoms crew upped the ante considerably for the 2008 event season, rolling out a jaw dropping 1955 Chrysler Phantom Station Wagon dubbed "R'Evolution." What started as a '55 Chrysler two door coupe was joined with the roof from a four-door wagon. Launier and his team built the custom wagon based on what could have been Chrysler's sport wagon of the 1950's had they built one. After an immense 14-month, 20-hour per day build, The pearl yellow wagon was received with overwhelming applause from the rod & custom industry being chosen as the Goodguys West Coast Custom of the Year as well as being named a "Great 8" Finalist for the prestigious Ridler award at the Detroit Autorama. JK Kustoms' next project, a '63 Buick Riviera is already taking shape up in British Columbia.

Speedway Motors is honored to announce that it has received the 2008 Business of the Year Award from the Hot Rod Industry Alliance. The award was presented at the HRIA Industry Awards Reception on Nov. 5 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The 15th Annual Unique Motorcars' Homecoming Celebration took place a couple of weeks earlier than it did last year. There was some sort of scheduling conflict with another automotive event. No worries. That simply gave KIT CAR the excuse to head out to Gadsden, Alabama, when the temperatures aren't so Southeast U.S. sultry and sticky.

Now that Project Devin is painted and pinstriped (KC, May 2008), it's time to finish out the interior. We took it to Jackie Collins Cars in Weatherford, Texas, for the upholstery and carpet. Collins has been in the interior business for over 40 years and builds complete award-winning hot rods in addition to his custom upholstery work. Two of his rods have been included in the Street Rodder list of best rods of the year. I needed to have both seats and the door panels upholstered, custom carpet cut to fit, and boots made up for the shifter and parking brake handle. Here is how Collins put it all together.