Anyone own a Factory Five Cobra

[strtcar]

I've always wanted one and am thinking about pulling the trigger. Anyone ever own one? Any feedback? I'm a member on ffcars.com but they are biased :)

[absintheisfun]

I've seen a few and they are beautiful cars. I think that FF is the company that will bring you out for a day or two to watch one being built right?

Cool concept to make sure you enjoy the project on your own, and don't get pissed when you can't figure it out.

[Nemesis RR]

I owned a 65 replica. Realize I said replica and not a kit car. Look at the different companies and stay away from factory 5. Just my recommendation. Also realize you are setting yourself up for the bare neccessities car. And I hope you enjoy the smell of exhaust with the side pipes.

[fordsbyjay]

I owned a 65 replica. Realize I said replica and not a kit car. Look at the different companies and stay away from factory 5. Just my recommendation. Also realize you are setting yourself up for the bare neccessities car. And I hope you enjoy the smell of exhaust with the side pipes.


That is a pretty interesting statement with no real explanations why....
I have sidepipes on my T-bucket and I don't smell exhaust all the time.

[Gitter Dun]

If you are considering a Factory Five kit sure would like to see you build the GTM Supercar.

[strtcar]

If you are considering a Factory Five kit sure would like to see you build the GTM Supercar.

I'd like too but man are those expenstive, your talking 5-8k just for the trans. Local guy around me is building one, w/twin turbo ls6. Awesome looking car, but too much money.

[DLinson]

A guy at my work built a GTM and I think he said he had about $45,000 in it. He didn't do any of the body work or paint.

He did attend a build class at the Factory 5 shop building a Cobra kit car. This guy at work had no fab skills prior to buying the GTM. He thought changing the cam in his C-5 Vette was way too big of a project before this.

The car is running now but had to go back to paint jail to get some more work. The fit and finish wasn't too good. The overall look of the car was nice but it's definitely not a a show car. His build skills aren't the greatest but he did tackle a big project and it is pretty much complete.

I'm not a supercar fan so I'd probably buy the 33 Coupe or the Daytona kit if I were to purchase one.

Just my opinion.

Dennis

[rrunner68]

Why not just buy a new real cobra from Shelby?

[Nemesis RR]

That is a pretty interesting statement with no real explanations why....
I have sidepipes on my T-bucket and I don't smell exhaust all the time.

Do you have a big block idling in traffic sitting inches off the floor? And my comment was not to factory 5 but to the car style.

[fordsbyjay]

Do you have a big block idling in traffic sitting inches off the floor? And my comment was not to factory 5 but to the car style.

Ahhhh, cool. I find the older I get all of my cars tend to wear a guy out more than when I was younger but yes my T-bucket is hot and a chore. LOL. Definitely not a daily driver but it would depend on the owners needs I guess.

[Ishmael]

Build it, pull the trigger. I've seen a few up close, talked to the owners, spent a lot of time and taken a ride in one. I think they are great looking cars. You aren't going to find a better engineered kit and I doubt you'll be importing one from Superformance. If you are on this site you can no doubt assemble one as one of these guys had no experience with cars whatsoever and did a damn good job. Can you imagine working with mostly new and mostly non-rusted bolts and parts? I say mostly because you are going to be looking for a donor car. Ya its a visceral experience being in one but man I loved it. There have got to be message boards out there for cobras and kits but I doubt you'll find somebody that's involved in the hobby that says they don't like theirs. I badly want to do one but my wife's rule is all our cars have to have 4 seats. I say 2 and Jr. and I should leave mom at home.

[claytonisbob]

Do it!

Do an LS engine, and dress it up like a Ford engine a bit (I've seen this done somewhere). I bet the headers that come with the kit would fit the engine with minimal amount of effort. I don't know if a t56 would fit easily though. But then again, if you're building the car, you can make it fit. I've been dreaming of a Factory Five LSx/t56 Cobra with a 3 link for a while now... one of these days...

[LineUPP]

Build it, If you like it, thats all that matters

[wellis77]

I've been dreaming of a Factory Five LSx/t56 Cobra with a 3 link for a while now... one of these days...

That would be cool. I've been dreaming of one with a Hemi/T-56 and IRS...

[Rhino]

I believe there's a guy on the conversions section of LS1tech that's doing an LS1/T56 right now. Pretty cool build.

[NOPANTS-68]

I have one. It was a pretty easy build. It isn't for everyone- especially the timid. I've owned duece roadsters and this is far more fun. It handles amazingly well and is as fast as anything I've owned. Mine is 500hp, TKO500, Cobra IRS, and weighs 2400 lbs. Would I drive it to LA? No. Is it about the best car I've owned to go grab a burger on a late summer night? Hell yes.

The newest version (Mark4) is vastly superior to mine which is only four years old. I have seen three other manufacturer's cars with the bodies off while mine was being painted. I'll just say the FF car would be the ONLY kit I would buy. The Superformance was actually the most disapointing to see naked.

a terrible video of my rig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VkqZGXD79k

[showa]

My neighbor built a FF Cobra with independent rear... Has been doing HPDE weekends for a couple years and it sees street duty on weekends...
Very fast and a very good handling ride.... I drove it on the street and all I can say is WOW!!!
I watched him build it and it seemed to go together fairly well....
He's going fast enough that the Cobra is retired from track duty...
Track duty is now in a dedicated track car.....
You can build the drivetrain as mild (stock mustang) or wild as $$$....
Also the pin style knockoff wheels are not the hot setup for track..........

[subtlez28]

I've been wanting to build one with a LSX/T56 and corvette IRS. What held me back was the initial cost (easier to spread a project over time) and the open cockpit makes for more rules at the track. It also kicks you out of street tire classes in my organization.

That said, I still want one, and it may have made more sense than my current C4 project $$ wise. Maybe one day the C4 will give up its drive line to one.

Anyone make a frame to use a C4 as a donor, rather than a mustang? I'd be all over that!

[EPYON]

The kits don't cost that much , it's the small stuff that gets you every time . But yes , seeing and hearing a 605 BOSS in a Cobra would be to cool . I thought about building one for myself to .

[BulldawgMusclecars]

A friend here in GA (hes in Florida now) de-modded his Vortech blown 600RWHP '95 Z28 convertible several years ago (late 90s), and put that and the T56 into a Factory Five roadster. If any of you remember seeing the candy apple red one at the Year One event in Bristol about 10 years ago, that was it. I'm pretty sure he still has it.

[MonzaRacer]

As for Cobra Kits(sic) any one who got smart and bought one is a genius.
I have help people do 4 of these and if you get in good with salvage yard you can get a fox mustang donor(the ones we did were Mustang/Cobras.
We have one getting ready after local cruise to get its air ride conversion as his wife wants better ride.
And her street rod a steel repop 32 I think has it and she loves that but is eyeing a street rod like Bret from Ridetech is building.

[CARLMB]

I built and owned 1 for a few years. Highly recommend it from a ease of build standpoint and the fun factor of driving. Mine had a 347 with dual quads and aluminum heads, about 400 hp. My only recommendation is check with your state as to the inspection and registration process. Here in Massachusetts you have to register it as the year it is completed and be OBDII compliant and emissions legal. You can get around this with a late model crate motor and emissions components as long as you don't mind the look. This has deterred a lot of locals from building them and their manufacturing plant is located here in Mass.

[MarkM66]

Might be cheaper, easier and quicker to buy a used one, and make some changes to your likings.