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The evolution of the automobile has been a swift one when you consider that just over one hundred years ago vehicles with single-figure horsepower outputs were deemed as marvels of technology. Nowadays, cars like the exquisite Bugatti Chiron Super Sport and its hugely powerful 1600 hp engine are becoming almost commonplace.
Away from the highly-priced manufacturer specials, a booming market for kit cars and home-built sports cars has grown up. It has brought the spirit and process of assembling a bespoke vehicle by hand back to the realms in which auto manufacturing originally started. Many of these homegrown cars are sympathetic replicas built on a budget, while others take things to a whole new level.
For those individuals though sold on the dream of owning something more unique but don’t have the financial means to stretch to an exotic supercar, then the kit car industry provides them with an affordable doorway into experiencing something fantastic and unique. Offering enough power and poise to take its fight to any of the big mainstream names associated with supercars, here’s what we know about Factory Five’s LS V12-powered F9R supercar concept.
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Who Are They?
Probably best known for its Shelby Cobra-inspired kit car replicas, the Massachusetts-based company also released the well-received GTM, a mid-engined supercar that mechanically savvy customers can build at home.
Built from the underpinnings of a C5 Corvette, the GTM kits start at $24,990 and have led to the team behind its creation to plan a replacement that will boast more style, more power and offer potentially more exclusivity.
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From Pipe Dream To Reality
With a unique supercar in the bag, the only way to move forward was for the Factory Five team to concentrate on the development of something better, and that could only come in the shape of a ballistic hypercar.
Retaining a coupe shape, the F9R is a wonderful piece of design, with steeply raked A-pillars creating a low roofline that sweeps back to a rear end that features retro-inspired louvered windows for an aggressive look.
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Cutting-Edge Design
Styled in conjunction with Phil Frank, the man behind the Saleen S7, the Factory Five S9R has a purposely pointed front end with a deep splitter whilst sectional heat extractors proudly cut up the shaped hood.
Draped over a lightweight and super strong spaceframe chassis, the carbon-fiber bodywork is available with a clear coat finish, allowing home builders the ease of not needing to apply a paint finish if they so wish.
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An Australian Engine
The shining jewel in the F9R crown is the Australian sourced engine, a fire-breathing 9.5-liter V12 unit built by Race Cast Engineering that elevates the humble LS to an all-new plane of otherworldly existence.
Sounding like a rampaging monster from another dimension, the 750 hp engine generates an enormous 775 lb-ft of torque, utilizes LS7 heads, and will spin up past 6,000rpm in the mere blink of a surprised eye.
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Codename Romulan
Stripping the project back to its bare bones the chassis is an evolution of the Factory Five generation 3 Type 65 Daytona Coupe, longer and wider it provides the structure for what will be a unique and sensationally looking kit car.
Having made its debut at SEMA 2019 the skeletonized glory of the rolling chassis looked like a modern piece of art, nicknamed project Romulan it proudly displayed its V12 engine and running gear to the world.
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Built Not Bought
Founded in 1995 Factory Five Racing has grown from being a humble yet ambitious start-up company into the world’s largest manufacturer of build-it-yourself component kit cars, an incredible effort from a proud American company.
Having built a strong reputation for creating kits that honored the 427 Cobra and Type 65 Coupe, Factory Five Racing also offers a range of awesome Hot Rod projects along with a rapid mid-engined supercar called the GTM.
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Horses For Courses
Adapting the Type 65 Coupe spaceframe for their newest project, the striking-looking F9R allows its end users a degree of personalization when it comes to engine choices, especially if the mighty V12 unit proves to be too expensive.
Initially designed to take an LS engine, the Type 65 layout allows those looking to use a more traditional V8 for power far more flexibility when choosing a powerplant for their projects, with only finances being the restricting factor.
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What Does It Cost?
Likely to retain the outgoing GTM supercar model’s asking price of $24,990 for the basic kit, the upcoming F9R allows enthusiastic and competent home builders to create a hypercar for an incredible bargain price.
Adding the frighteningly powerful V12 will more than likely double that price due to the unit’s bespoke nature, but then, how many sub-$100,000 hypercars with handbuilt 9.3-liter engines are there currently on the market?
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Awesome Inside And Out
Retaining a wonderfully simple layout without feeling the need for an array of complex screens or digital readouts, the Factory Five Racing F9R hypercars interior is purposefully focused on the driving experience.
A vision of sleek, muscular power from every angle, the incredible Fast Five Racing V12 F9R looks every bit ready to take on the big names within the world of high speed, high-powered ultra sought-after hypercars.
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Production Due In 2022
The bespoke two-seater build-it-yourself sports car progress has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, but despite this, the intellectual property rights for F9, F9R, and F9E have been registered and the all-new design suitably protected.
Further enhancements have also been made to enhance aerodynamics and styling by the design team as the final production model edges ever closer to getting its highly anticipated release sometime in 2022.
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