Factory Five Family: Ayala Edition

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Nicole Smith in What's New

Sunset Proposal in the FFR MkIII Video

Six years ago customer Jon Ayala planned a surprise proposal to his now wife, Elisa at the end of a sunset drive in a Factory Five MkIII Roadster. The couple pulled up to a finish line setup surrounded by friends and family.

Jon says “it was right at sunset so she couldn’t see everyone right away and know what was going on. She was quite surprised.” The whole proposal was filmed and is linked here.

Jon and Elisa welcomed a new member to their Factory Five family upon the birth of their son, Bear. Unsurprisingly, Bear has already started taking a liking to the car.

In regards to his unpainted car, Jon says “…everyone knows it as this unfinished, raw car and I really like being able to let kids and whoever around the car and not worry about immaculate paint (for now).”

Keep making the miles count Jon, Elisa and Bear!

Jon, Elisa, Bear and their FFR MkIII Roadster

Latest Factory Five News

Rob M. Reaches First Start Milestone!

June 26, 2026

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 »

Charles M. is Show Favorite with ’33 Hot Rod

June 24, 2026

Charles M. from Lakeland, FL purchased a built Factory Five ’33 Hot Rod in February 2026. This Hot Rod was built by a company in California that builds cars for movies and TV shows. It was sold at auction with the proceeds being donated to a charity. The auction winner then sold the car to Charles with 594 miles on it. Charles brought the Hot Rod to the 21st Annual Bay Life Car Show the other week which saw 675 cars attend. As the car show awards were being handed out, Charles was presented with the Show Favorite award! The… Read More »

Dark Horse Racing Earns Podium at Historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway

June 23, 2026

Congratulations to Brion G. and Dark Horse Racing on earning a 2nd place finish with their Factory Five Type 65 Coupe-R in the GT class in the Trans Am Championship this past weekend. Last month, Brion drove his Coupe-R to a 3rd place finish at Lime Rock. “The Type 65 Coupe is performing better than ever,” said Brion. “We couldn’t be happier!” Read their full press release below. Indianapolis, Indiana – June 21, 2026 — Dark Horse Racing (DHR) and driver-owner Brion “G-Luck” Gluck captured a second-place finish in the GT class during Round 6 of the Trans Am Championship Presented… Read More »