160 MPG Factory Five GTM!

Details: Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovation Award Winner
The November 2011 issue of Popular Mechanics includes a front page blurb that states:

“The 160 MPG built by high school students!”

And inside is a feature on the TDI-powered GTM hyper mileage car built by the kids at West Philly High School and directed by faculty adviser Simon Hauger.

Each year, Popular Mechanics celebrates the year’s best and boldest inventions. Our car shared this honor with James Cameron and his deep sea camera rig technology, the Mars rover, a cell phone tower in the palm of your hand, a cure for paralysis, and bird-like flying robot as well as a reasonable space capsule and a super-efficient engine design… pretty serious company.

We are super proud of the accomplishments made by Simon’s team and have an agreement going forward to integrate this technology into our newest 818 chassis.

Factory Five Racing

GTM at Popular Mechanics’ Awards Night

Latest Factory Five News

Peter D. Graduates Mk5 Build for Son Scott’s Wedding

Factory Five customer Peter D. from Pfafftown, NC and his son Scott started to put thier Mk5 Roadster plans together early in Fall 2025. The submitted their order in mid-October 2025 with the kit arriving in mid-December. They soon started to inventory the kit and start building the car as they had a goal of having the Mk5 featured at Scott’s wedding in June 2026. “I am a retired healthcare administrator, and Scott is a project manager for a transportation company,” wrote Peter on The Factory Five Forum. “We are both very mechanically minded. I bought my first car at 14… Read More »

Read More

Factory Five’s USA 250th Celebration Event!

2026 is off to a great start, and the team wants to keep the momentum going! They have put together a sale for all of our kits to help you build your car your way this year. Score a Free IRS Upgrade OR Save $2,026 Off Options on Mk5 Roadsters, Mk4 Roadsters, Type 65 Coupe, and ’33 Hot Rod To ensure your finest ride is possible, we are offering FREE IRS Upgrades (up to $3,199 in value). Our Independent Rear Suspension is the best suspension configuration Factory Five has to offer. This upgrade package includes: OR you can save $2,026… Read More »

Read More

Rob M. Reaches First Start Milestone!

There’s many milestones when building a Factory Five including getting the kit in your garage, making it a roller, engine install, and of course, graduating the build. One of the most exciting ones though is the first start, and customer Rob M. from Suttons Bay, MI recently shared his Mk4 firing up for the first time on The Factory Five Forum! “First start was a success!” wrote Rob on the forum. “Dad made it up and we had perfect weather. I primed the fuel pump with my power probe and got the pressure right at 65 psi per the Gen… Read More »

Read More
Top