The true impact of building a Factory Five

Mike Marshall realizes what building an FFR is really all about

 

MasterCard’s ubiquitous “priceless” advertising campaign tugs at our heartstrings every time that we see one, but the message is clear and real in all of our lives.  In the end, the things that you own are not nearly as important as they once seemed, but the memories that they create are what last forever.
 

 

Mike Marshall recently reminded us of the impact that building his Factory Five had on the entire family.  Mike and his son John have spent many pleasurable hours building their Mk3 (F5R1004614RD) together and now he is almost lamenting the fact that the build is coming to an end.

 

John, we’ve learned, is currently serving our country on his third tour of duty in Iraq and every moment that Mike can spend with him is a priceless gift.

 

Mike’s recent emails and post on the Owner’s Group forum sums things up completely:
 

I got a call a couple months back that my son on his third tour in Iraq took another direct hit from an IED. This was about the fifth time he has been hit. He is fine and even got some awards for the way that he led his squad thru a fire fight. I found out that he was coming home for a two week break in October and really wanted to have the car done so we could do a little cruising together.

 

I had really wanted to paint the car myself. I've put together a paint booth at the house and have practiced. I even recruited some experienced help to coach me along. Bummer, things change.


John shows a buddy what real performance feels like
 


A sneak peak from Metal Morphous

To make a long story shorter…Ron Randall at Metal Morphous took my body work on with very short notice. My son and I picked up the finished package this past Tuesday.

 

With a little bit of assembly we will be cruising even if it is in winter parkas before he goes back.
(In advance, Ron teased me with some photos (of the painted body). You notice in the photos that he doesn't show the whole body - just a little peek here and there. It’s just not fair!)

 

If you notice, the paint actually changes colors a bit depending on the light. I noticed this last year when I was painting the frame. It is green in the sunlight and blue in the areas that are in the shade.

 

The primary color is the 2004 Jaguar New British Racing Green. The stripes are a white pearl that absolutely dance in the sun.
 
 

My son and I spent an all-nighter getting the heater install to function correctly so we could set the body on. Then we drove from NH to Metal Morphous the next morning on a little over 1 hr of sleep. Man was it worth it!

 

Now we have some really good quality time in the shop ahead of us.

 

Not surprisingly, the Factory Five community came together to support Mike and John towards completion of their Mk3.  One customer even offered to loan out his Factory Five to them for the duration of John’s leave.

 

A few final notes from Mike:

When I look at some of these young kids my son's age that are doing the tough jobs they are doing, I think that we really do have a generation to be extremely proud of. 
Camp Taji was where John was stationed on his second tour. He became extremely familiar with some of the more seedy areas of Baghdad.
 

It was really tough doing most of the Mk3 build with him away on combat tours. 

 

Every so often he would get a chance to call from Iraq.  He would tell me some of the things that he couldn't tell his mother about. 

 

I'd be working in the shop days later thinking about what he was going through and I'd hear a car door close outside.  I'm always afraid that if I looked I'd see the official Army sedan in the drive and a chaplain walking up to the door.  My heart goes out to any of the families that have lost loved ones like this.  It really is making a supreme sacrifice for our freedoms and for what these young people believe in.

 

The drive down to Boston to head back to Iraq
 
 

I am really overwhelmed when I do hear people come up to John at the airport and say thank you!  He brushes it off and doesn't make a big deal out if it but it means a lot to me that there are people out there that appreciate their efforts on our behalf.

 

We at Factory Five are thankful for all of the servicemen and woman who risk their lives on a daily basis trying to establish freedoms and liberties for those who have known only tyranny.