Based in Massachusetts, Factory Five Racing started in 1995 out of a small garage and has grown to become one of the most renowned kit car makers on the market. The company is best known for its replica Shelby Cobra models and its quasi-sports-prototype and mid-engined 818 sports car, but it's not going to stop there.
The kit carmaker has been planning a new supercar for a while and presented its 9.5-liter LS3-based V12 engine prototype (called the GTF) at SEMA 2019. Factory Five's existing GTM supercar is mid-engined, but this one is set to be a more traditional front-engined monster along with a body made from carbon-fiber.
As a harness for the insanely large engine, Factory Five is using a widened and stretched version of the spaceframe chassis from its Shelby Daytona coupe kit car. Components being used to make what's now been trademarked as the F9R includes a Koni adjustable suspension and a Wilwood brake system. The body that Factory Five has settled on now is designed by Jim Schenck and Phil Frank, and Factory Five says that it will be delivered clear coated and without needing paint. It will also have a different nose cone available for road use. The target weight for the finished supercar is 2,400 lbs.
As the F9R is destined to be a kit car, the chassis will accept small block Ford crate engines, modular Ford Engines, and the LS-series of engines. Most importantly, for speed freaks, the car can pack a 9.5-liter V12 engine based on GM's LS3 V8 commonly found in the C6 Corvette, which is developed by the mad scientists at an Australian company called Race Cast Engineering. It packs 750 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque, and if the F9R makes its target weight under 2,400 lbs, it's going to be one hell of a wild beast reminiscent of the Dodge Viper.
The body is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020, and Factory Five will be building and testing the prototype through the Spring and Summer. "For as much work as we have put into this design, production is dependent upon body delivery and evaluation, prototype testing, final feasibility, and pricing," Factory Five says.
Pricing has not been announced.