Customer Profile – George Halleck

FFR RD, Yorktown, IN

forum handle:   ghalleck

email:   ghalleck63@hotmail.com
 

 
George Halleck bailed us out of a jam this past summer and donated his Factory Five to Ron Francis Wire Works for a display at a NSRA show in Louisville.  In the process of coordinating the event, we realized that George has quite an interesting story.
 

George started reading sports car magazines as a kid in the early 1960’s and closely followed the racing reports of Ford against Ferrari.  Naturally, his first car had to be a sports car - he wanted a Cobra, but his finances would only allow a 1956 MGA.

 

In the seventies, he hit the track on his own,  racing Formula V’s and often would be on the false grid waiting to take the track as the big bore machinery returned from the course. The sensation of the exhaust pipes rocking his little car as they drove by, getting his adrenaline going well before his own session, was exhilarating.
 
His dream car would always be the 1965 Cobra, and although he had built a number of cars in his early years nothing seemed to take the vision he had of roaring down the straight-away in a 8 cylinder Cobra.

 

Years later, the trigger to build his own was pulled  during a business trip to Las Vegas. He tried (unsuccessfully) to win a Viper Coupe at a slot machine, and then in the Paris casino he tried the same thing for a yellow roadster reproduction.

 

His wife commented that she liked the looks of the Roadster more than the Viper, and he excitedly responded, “we can build one of these at home.”

 

With that exchange his dream was back on track. 

 

He was already sold on Factory Five, but before undertaking the project, he wanted to get a better feeling for how a Factory Five handles at speed.  He flew out to Phoenix and headed straight for the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving where they were using FFR Challenge Cars as Hot Lap rockets. 

 

His first ride was with the chief instructor, and they went out hunting for some Formula Fords, which were on the track at the time.  “We had to slow several times to let the Formula cars get ahead because we kept catching them!” (and so, the deal was sealed).

 

He ordered his Mark II early in 2002 and it was delivered just a few months later.  Within two years, his dream car was on the road with a mighty Roush engine, a stout Tremec tranny, an IRS with aluminum differential, vintage Team III wheels, a VPM sway bar, and a lot of detail changes and upgrades…a total non-donor build. \
 

The perfect way to break in the car, he felt, was a road trip up to the Spring Fling in London, Ohio.

 

Just two hours prior to his scheduled departure, George finally installed and started his engine.  He was off and running, and just in the nick of time.

 

The first drive was 150 miles with only one burned spark plug wire and a loose steering wheel center bolt! The remainder of the 700 mile trip was trouble free.

 

A new aluminum radiator, dual master cylinders, Baer 13” brakes, Koni shocks and stiffer springs were installed the following winter.

 

At the National Street Rod show in Louisville, his car was the perfect complement to the vintage hot rods all over the show, and generated more interest than most of the rods in attendance.
 

George summarizes his feeling for the car best: 

“the feeling of driving something as personal as that which you have built yourself, is amazing.”

 

“Thank you Factory Five for providing a fine product.”