Double Venom
Everyone is gearing up for the Double Venom 2002, to be held in central Ohio on June 21-23,  Benefiting Team Jenny and Cystic Fibrosis. Several hundred Cobra replicas are expected to attend this great event.  You can read more about this event by visiting the DV website, http://www.cobras.com and if you want to discuss caravans, please post your questions and comments by clicking here.

Knott's Berry Farms
   
Many FFCobra Discussion Forum members went to the kit car show at Knott's Berry Farm on Saturday, April 27th.  You can see many cool pictures by visiting these three links: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

David Smith Talks Lives with FFCobra.com Members
"I work for you. Anyone who says that owning a company means not having a boss is wrong. I work for you guys. My biggest job is teaching everyone we work with that there is only one boss. I owe you guys a debt I could never repay. Team Jenny has raised over $500,000 in two years. That's beyond words." - David Smith, Factory Five Racing, Inc.   

We were lucky enough to have David Smith, one of the owners of Factory Five Racing, host a live chat with our members.  The 2-hour live web event was a success and we look forward to the next one.  You can read the text from the discussion by clicking here.

FFCobra Magazine
You can find some very cool articles on the new FFCobra Magazine. This includes some rare photos of original Cobra's and Daytona's, plus stories from members about FFR ownership.  Just can visit the Magazine online, just visit www.ffcobra.com/magazine
 

The Phoenix Project
John Phillips prepared all month for the "Phoenix Project". The Phoenix Project is a week long build planned by John to replace his Factory Five Racing Roadster which was lost to a tragic fire.  John has been posting pictures of this momentous project on his website and relaying updates to the FFCobra Discussion Forums.  John's had a lot of help from many friends and we look forward to seeing the finished car.

VeryCoolParts.com
Wayne Presley launched his new website, VeryCoolParts.com where he will sell parts for Cobras and GT-40's, including a "stack fuel-injection system" which looks very nice. Good luck with this venture Wayne!

3-Link Updates
Many people stared to install the new 3-link set-up for the live axle cars this month. This is a kit that can be added to any FFR roadster.  David Borden was the first to report back the result of using the 3-link on an autocross course. You can read his story by clicking here.  You can read more about the 3-link kit by visiting www.factoryfive.com.

Factory Five Racing Announced the "Supercar Project"
FFCobra talked to David Smith of Factory Five and he said that they are making some small changes the new coupe/roadster (oxymoron car) in the quarter panels. They're going to reshape the rear end of the car that is coming to be known as the spyder. Based on customer feedback, they've decided that the car is a hit, but the read end needs to go back to the drawing board.

They are releasing a yet to be named mid-engine supercar with FFR's own styling cues. This car code-named GTM, it's a combination of vintage and modern mid engine supercars, but with a very distinct look of its own. He promises to release the drawings as soon as the body design has been approved.

FFR is making plans to release an FIA style 289 car. The kit should be available this summer. This should be a cool kit!

They plan to have the red car ready this summer, in two versions with a couple of engine options. The cars, code-named GTV8 and GTV12 will be powered by either a small block, or have the ability to use the XJS V-12 motor. Old Jag XJS' can be bought for under a couple of thousand dollars and then you get the sound of an old F-car! Also, based on this chassis, he's working on a vintage convertible based on a very famous Italian GT car that won the hearts of many, but Pontiac stole the name.  You can discuss this news by clicking here.

Factory Five Racing also announced that they will be selling an aluminum body for the FFR Roadster. You can see pictures by clicking here.

Cool Miller Beer Poster with Factory Five Racing Roadster!
Miller Beer is giving away an FFR kit.  We got to see the pictures and all I can say is, WOW!  You must see these pictures, just click here.

Ribs and Rides
Several West Coast people got together at Heeney's to watch some NASCAR, eat some good food and hang out with a lot of really good people.  All the while, surrounded by snakes!  Click here to read the story and see the pictures.

Factory Five Racing Club About To Go LIVE!
We're just about ready to GO LIVE with the National FFR Club. We're lucky to have several people who have volunteered to run regions. Please join me in thanking the people who will be working hard for YOU!

Northwest Regional President – David Borden
Southeast Regional President – Wade Chamberlain
Northeast Regional President – Gary Cheney
Midwest Regional President – Richard Oben
Southcentral Regional President – Duane Bertrand
Southwest Regional President – Wayne Presley

Mary Borden has graciously agreed to be the clubs Treasurer. We’re lucky to get such a great group to come aboard. They each will need help in running the region, so if you would like to volunteer, please contact them directly.

After two years, the regions will elect the officers by ballot. To get the club started, we’re appointing people to the positions.

As for the club’s name, many people wanted FFROG and many people wanted anything BUT FFROG, so we have decided to incorporate the non-profit company as Factory Five Racing Owners Group and Club, with dba’s of “FFRC”, “Factory Five Racing Club”, “FFROG”, and “Factory Five Racing Owners Group”. The club will use a logo with the FFR “5” and the words, Factory Five Racing Club. Some regions many want to use the tag line, “FFROG” and some may not. It’s up to the region to run it as they wish. No one will be putting frogs on shirts, so don’t worry.

Factory Five Racing, Inc. will not own the club, but will allow us to use the name and logo under agreements. This will be the official club for Factory Five owner’s worldwide. We will be releasing the details of the clubs function in a few weeks. Click here to read the whole story.

Wade Meets Deer!
We had another FFR owner run over a deer. Luckily, this time was not as bad as the last guy.  You can see the pictures and read the story by clicking here.

Many More FFR Kits Are Done!
During April, we had many discussion forum members finish their car.  I would guess at least 10 were completed during the month.  Congratulations to all the new completions and to everyone who just ordered your kit!  Have fun and keep the right side up!

FFCobra.com News

• We upgraded to a new dedicated server so we could speed up our connection.  You should notice that our web site is much faster!
• We had a couple of very cool survey's this month.   How long did it take people to build their kit?  What wheels did they use? How much horsepower do they have?  You can see all the results by clicking here. 
• Thanks to Sergio Trejo, we have a cool new logo!  Thanks Sergio!
• We have updated the builder link page with the newest builders sites.  We have also marked a few sites that really stand out.
• Several new FFR related vendors have been added to the free vendor listing page.
• We continue to update the FFR FAQ each day. We would like to thank everyone who has submitted great ideas for the FAQ.
• The discussion forum was updated to include a "Who's Online" feature so you can see who's been online. Just go to the front page of the forum and look at the bottom of the front page.

I'm sure I missed a lot of news, but this was a very busy month.  Thanks to all the vendors who support our hobby by making the coolest after-market parts for FFR kits.  And thanks to Factory Five Racing's employees and owners for giving us the best dang kit you can buy!

Thank you to all the discussion forum members. Without your help, building an FFR kit would not be near as much fun! Keep up the good work.

- The FFCobra Gang