| " |
. . . that’s when I fell
for, the leader of the pack . . . " |
May,
2000 |
Leader of
the Pack - The Shangri-Las |
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| Customer
Bill Karns and FFR engineer Jesper Ingerslev review our latest style rolling chassis'. |
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| 2000
Carlisle Car Show Carlisle, PA -
Once again, the kit car industry brought out
it's best for the annual Carlisle (PA) Car Show the weekend of May 19-21,
2000. |
| This show consistently represents
the launching pad for a year of activity in the replica industry, and can make or break
products, even companies. We brought an amazing amount of hardware to the show, in
an attempt to fill our ever-expanding booth space. Joining the six member factory crew was
a silver, stealth single-donor street car, and an immaculate rolling chassis highlighting
all donor, and many kit, components. One of the entries for the new FFR Challenge Series
also |
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| attended, as did an IRS display jig, another
street car with a 460cu.inch beast of an engine, and, of course, the debut of the much
anticipated and heralded FFR Coupe. This was the
public launch of the FFR Coupe, Weighing in at an unbelievable sub-2200 pounds, the curvaceous Coupe simply
stole the show. The attention to detail, the fit and finish, and the overall potential of
this sleekly styled car won praise from all in attendance. The no-nonsense, bottom
line price of $19,900 also packed a wallop. The superior quality, design and
engineering of our product, coupled with the tremendous value of the kit made this the
tack of the show. This kit comes complete, incorporating most of the parts which
would have required a 'donor car' in the past. |
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Annually, the Carlisle
Show is host to the major kit manufacturers, their products and staff, as well as some of
the worst weather a car could ever withstand. This was a banner year, on all fronts.
In terms of the weather, the rains not only came; they stayed around long enough to
create mud the caliber of the Woodstock concert weekend. These were deluges that would
have made Noah reminisce for the olden days. Nonetheless, the determined car |
| crowds came out to absorb all that the
manufacturers could display - and they did not go away disappointed. Carlisle is the
show to attend if you are considering one of the many kits or re-body packages
available on the market today. It affords one the opportunity to compare product design,
manufacturing and quality head to head, and to meet and talk with company representatives
at the same time.
Not only did we have the prototype Coupe, featuring the
trademark FFR aluminum substructure. The new FFR Challenge Series spec racer was also
showcased, along with many quality and design |
| improvements to the standard
roadster kit. The debut of the FFR Challenge Series spec racer
– the world’s first racing series devoted entirely to roadsters, was
one of the many highlights in the FFR booth. Established in conjunction with the
National Auto Sports Association (NASA), the Challenge Series will begin this summer
in the Mid-Atlantic region, and is will quickly spread to encompass the entire country in
the near future. There are already dates being established |
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| for two West Coast regions (North Cal. and
So.Cal/Phoenix)– watch our website for details. This series is a very exciting
prospect for both the consumer and for Factory Five Racing. It gives the average guy a
chance to get into a (fast, reliable and safe) racecar and get involved in wheel-to-wheel
racing, all for less than $20,000. Several streetcars also demanded attention and
admiration, and flanked the coupe on either side. These two cars represented both sides of
the roadster equation - driveability and power. On one side sat a silver 5.0L powered
beauty, poised and ready to go the distance on an adventure of any kind, then come home to
defeat all comers at a traffic light near you. On the other side, an aluminum 460
beast growled at all whom leaned over the edge of
the blue, dual purpose, street-to-track demon.
Catching most of the attention of the gear-head oriented crowd, however, the rolling
chassis display gave visitors a chance to view the inner-workings of the kit, as well as
the harmonious, co-existent marriage of FFR and Ford MustangÔ
components. Here it all becomes clear for those still wary of the |
| kit car song & dance and
continuous sales-pitch – the FFR kit, unlike the rest of the crowd of perfect
paint-jobs at the show, truly is a "bolt together" quality package – a
virtual adult erector set. Although hampered by the
poor conditions, many FFROGs nonetheless decided to come out and join us in the booth.
This second shift of workers is exactly what anyone working a car show needs –
someone whocan step in at any time, who is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the
product. We, at FFR, are |
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| blessed with more than a thousand customers
who regularly join us at shows and events to talk to future and potential FFROGs. They
love the product (as well as the project) and simply enjoy talking about it. At
Carlisle we were joined by many of the New Jersey FFROGs, who had to break their tradition
of caravaning out with their roadsters due to the inclement weather. Many came, nonetheless,
just to join us in the fun of the show, as well as to recruit future FFROG members. Among
them were Bill Karns (FFR 1108), Barry Nealis (FFR 1236), Dennis
Tiernan (FFR 1257), and John Sawyer (FFR 1475)(proudly presenting photos of his
crashed roadster – check them out in the crash section).
From other parts of the country came still others, including Roy
Coleman (FFR 1204), Jim Crabtree (FFR 1090), Robert Oaks (FFR 1221), Bob Lennon (FFR
1182), Jack Rosen (FFR 1393), Art Totten (FFR 1360), and Robert Walker (FFR 1351),
to name a few. |
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