Customer Profile – Bill Haas

FFR 3358RD & FFR 2889SP, Northridge, CA

forum handle:   bill32

email: bill.haas@dptechnology.com
 


Parade lap with wife, Claudia, 2003 Nationals, Las Vegas Int’l Speedway

Bill Haas has been messing with cars since he was old enough to hold a wrench, much to the annoyance of his father at times.  At age 10, he rebuilt his first engine – a 1954 Ford V8.

 

His life changed in high school, however, when he got his first look at a 289 FIA (“slab side”), and then a chance to sit in a 427 SC.

 

That car remained a life long dream for Bill, and until Factory Five came along, he had to accept many substitutes.  These were all great cars, but just didn’t compare with the car he dreamed about for over 40 years.
 

Believing that his dream car was out of reach, Bill supplicated his obsession with some awesome rides, including a stable of killer Mustangs. 

1967 Mustang GT with a FE 390 CID

1984 Mustang Conv, 5.0

1988 Mustang GT Conv, 5.0

1999 Mustang GT Conv, 4.6

 

Although they never really replaced the dream, they did provide a lot of fun along the way.

 

Grandsons (and future FFROGs) Reilly (6) and Collin (2)
 

In the late ‘90s, Bill discovered the world of replicas at the Hot August Nights event in Reno, NV, and that started the gears turning again.  He stumbled upon a Factory Five ad while thumbing through a Classic Car Trader magazine, and immediately got on the internet – he was hooked again. 

 

As Bill is thorough, he embarked on a research project that lasted about 6 months, and included research into every Roadster manufacturer on the planet, and was shocked at how many there were out there.

 

He started the process of reducing the potential pool, limiting them to only ones which: had actually built a significant number of kits, had been in business for a number of years, had a quality frame design, had a kit that he could actually build himself (instead of having to settle for a turnkey minus), had a number of available options (before and after the kit sale) and had an enthusiastic customer base.   Not surprisingly, Factory Five was the only company left standing when all of the criteria were sorted (in fact, FFR dominated every category – earning five out of a possible five stars in each criteria).

Grandson Nick does a tech inspection prior to letting Bill go racing

  
 

A tour of the factory sealed the deal.

 

“These were good people with a great design, better support and a stable company that looked like it would be around for a long time.”

 

He ordered his kit in August 2001, and found a donor car the next month. 

 

“I decided that I would take my time on the build, mostly working only on Saturdays - otherwise I would have had an unhappy wife and no other life.” 

It started with a slow but steady six month donor teardown, with miscellaneous parts repairs, component cleaning and painting.

 


FFR Challenge Car – just add decals
 

Early one Saturday morning in February 2002, the big Stewart Transport truck came lumbering around the corner to deliver his kit – what a day that was!  The birth, and delivery of his new baby!

 

Over the next 10 months, Bill’s father and son-in-law assisted Bill on the project. 

“I have to say that the owner’s group forum (www.ffcobra.com) was invaluable and the FFR owners (have become) closer than family.  So much free help, suggestions, parts and frustration solving.”

 

By late December, the car was basically done, but Bill was stuck on an electrical problem for about a week, the car just refusing to fire up.  On Christmas Eve he tossed in the towel and decided to wait and ask for assistance after the New Year.

 

“While we were getting ready for holiday guests Christmas morning, I snuck out to the garage, stuck my head under the hood and discovered the problem - I had forgotten to plug in the EEC harness!  I turned the key and the car exploded into life, waking the household as well as the entire neighborhood!  …an absolutely perfect Christmas present!”


First time on track, Button Willow Raceway
 

The car has been his daily driver ever since, taking him 75 miles a day back and forth to work.  In the past few years, he has put 39,000 miles on it and “it still gives me a thrill every morning.  It’s the best end-of-the-day Psychiatrist you can possibly have”.

 

“In October  2004, several months after my wife's death, I was on a plane headed to Europe on business and got to thinking that I was 57, and not getting any younger.  If I wanted to do one of my other life long dreams (race), I better get started now.” 
 

Which car to race was never even a question - a Factory Five Challenge Car was the only one in the running.


 


When he landed in France, he went on the forum again and discovered a used Challenge Car in Santa Barbara, only 90 miles from home.  After several email exchanges with the owner, he bought it two weeks later.

 

“I decided to rebuild it as it had been raced for two years, and besides, I didn't like the color.” 

Whether or not he would be competitive in the series was less of a concern than looking good in the process. 

The clean-up after racing in the rain always adds to the fun

  
 

In the mean time, Bill has it both ways – a Roadster that he can drive everyday, and a Challenge Car that he can use on the track on the weekends.  It’s the perfect combination - a psychiatrist for the work week, and a sparring partner for your days off.

 

What’s next for Bill? 

His next project may be a Type 65 Coupe or Spyder GT, or maybe he’ll hold out for the new GTM.  Although his next project is still undetermined, we know that we’ll be seeing more of Bill in the near future.