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Click the image (above) to enlarge it. This artwork was done by
FFCobra.com. Factory Five has not released specifics on what
the headlights, tail lights, or rear end body work will look like.
But the picture above is what we think it could look like.
Below - Official photos released
by Factory Five Racing of the GTM-200 Concept.
Click on the image (above) to enlarge the design study done by FFCobra.com. We
took the liberty of adding clear headlight lenses, fog lamps, Brembo
brakes, and FFR logos.
Below - more pictures directly
from Factory Five Racing. This is a full-size body plug with
the windshield in place.
The following picture was the
first one FFCobra.com worked on, but later we realized that this
tail light configuration wouldn't work. So don't look for this
to be the real production rear end. Most likely the center
mounted exhaust will make it to production and we think it looks
very cool and appropriately retro.
Click on the image (above) to enlarge the design image created by FFCobra.com of the new
Factory Five Racing GTM-200.
Below is a picture of the rear-end
with the tail-lights between the rear bodywork. Installing the tail
lights inside of the rear opening will
make it to production.
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June 19, 2002 - Factory Five Racing has released the highly anticipated photos of the future limited production mid-engine supercar they plan on releasing in 2003 or 2004 as a kit. A few months ago the president of Factory Five Racing, David Smith, announced that FFR was going to be working on a concept car that would compete with the world's best exotic supercars. Finally, the long awaited pictures have been released of the body plug. These pictures should be a good indication of what the final product will look like.
FFCobra.com has taken two of these pictures and modified them so that our visitors can get an idea of what the car may look like.
These modified pictures may not reflect how the final car will look; it's just our idea of how it could look.
(left) The pictures were taken by Factory Five Racing. They are of the new GTM-200 project/concept car, body mold plug. This is not a running car, rather a full-size body plug with the windshield installed. The design is a well-executed futuristic blend of retro sports car racer and modern exotic supercar. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.
The front-end has a very aggressive look. The car looks fast, even when sitting still. The spoiler has large, very aggressive openings. I'm told that the opening will have grills installed. The spoiler also includes round openings that could be used for brake ducts during track duty or fog lamps to complete that mean supercar look. The headlights will undoubtedly be clear lenses and we hope it will include options for HID pinpoint lighting. FFCobra.com re-did one of the front-end photos to include clear lenses and HID lights and the look is killer!
The sides have design cues from the upcoming Porsche GT Supercar. The large rear side scoops will be used for cooling the engine via twin radiators. One of the criteria that FFR set was to make sure the car was comfortable to drive. So keeping the heat items in the rear of the car was a requirement from the beginning.
The limited edition kit will be produced in small numbers at the factory's Wareham, Massachusetts facility. Even though the official price has not been released, don't expect this kit to cost more than $20,000 - $22,000 plus options.
Just like Ferrari did with it's F-40 and F-50, the factory is considering offering the first few produced to loyal Factory Five Racing customers who have built one of their world renowned
Type 65
Roadsters, the Spec
Racer, or the Type 65
Coupe.
Factory Five has not released complete details on the specs, but David told us that it would be designed to handle either a Ford or Chevrolet V-8. The transaxle may be sourced from an Audi. Speculations are that the platform allows for a wide variety of engine configurations, but I think an LT-1 or LS-1 engine would be perfect for this modern supercar. The suspension will be designed from the ground up by the engineers at Factory Five relying on an 8" round center tube as the main frame structure. The wheel base is 98" and the height of the car is just 42.5", which is 1.4" lower than a Lamborghini Diablo. The expected curb weight will be under 2,500 pounds, while FFR engineer Jim Schenck
maintains it will be about 2,200 pounds. Considering the weight and available power plants, this car should out perform just about any car on the road. After the successful engineering of the FFR Type 65 Roadster, the company is looking for a new product to showcase their engineering talents.
Look for this car to break new grounds in both performance and styling.
The rear has a lot of design cues from the mid 60's sports car racers that won Le Mans; yet the design remains original and well planned out. The rear window has a nice racecar look that will be functional. David said that the main goal of this supercar is "visibility and comfort." Unlike other mid-engine supercars like the Lamborghini Countach or Diablo, he assures me the car will have good visibility from all sides.
The engine can be accessed from a hinged rear hatch like a trunk. We're not sure exactly how the rear end bodywork will look, so in our design study we added egg-crate vents and a center exit exhaust. We're told that the car will have center mounted exhaust like our drawings and twin round lights on each side. After reviewing the direct rear photos and talking to Factory Five's engineers, we doubt that the lights will be placed outside of the rear square area because you couldn't see them. So we also did a quick re-do of the rear end and placed the taillights inside of the square area. If I would change anything, it would be the rear square area. Again, we're not sure what Factory Five Racing will do, so we'll have to wait until a factory prototype is fitted with lights and exhaust to see the final version.
I like the rear exit vents and wide bodywork. It's very apparent that the people at Factory Five expect builders to include very large rubber under those fenders. We're told that the rear bodywork will support up to 335/30-18 tires and the front is designed for 245/40-17 tires for more turn-in capabilities. Besides large tires to handle all the power one can stuff under the hatch, the chassis will also have a complete front-to-rear enclosed under tray and rear exit venturies to create a massive amount of down force.
Over the next year, Factory Five will be working on the GTM-200 and we hope to bring you updates as we learn about the development. Please visit our discussion forum and tell us what you think of this new kit from Factory Five Racing.
- Bill Peirce
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