Carlisle Import Show '00

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

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.

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

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

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.