Category: What’s New

Two Blue and White Visitors – Friday, Sept 16, 2011

Paul Shaw and Charlie Olivier Cruise to the Factory Factory Five customer Charlie Oliver (left), Paul Shaw (center), and Factory Five President Dave Smith (right). Only a week after running into these guys at the Tasca Show, it’s Friday afternoon at FFR and two blue Roadsters come rumbling up. Paul…Read More

Factory Five Roadster: Official Canadian Stamp

Customer Tony G.'s Roadster Photo Used for Official Postal Stamp We met Factory Five customer Tony G. when he stopped by the FFR booth at last year's SEMA Show and recently, sent us a letter with some really exciting news. "This just may be a first for Factory Five. Our…Read More

"One of the Coolest Things I Have Ever Done"

Customer Darcy Cook Sends Photos of His Mk4 Roadster Factory Five customer Darcy Cook from Calgary, Alberta sent us these photos of his Mk4 Roadster nearing completion. "...This was one of the coolest things I have ever done," said Darcy. "Thanks all the way from Calgary, Alberta." Here's some of…Read More

West Philly High School Showcased by Newsweek

"It's Down to Us America!" Features West Philly High's TDI-Powered GTM Talk about real-world technology transfer! Simon Hauger and the team from West Philly High School are showcased by Newsweek with their TDI-powered GTM that earned 1st place at the Green Grand Prix and was a finalist in the X-Prize…Read More

Factory Five Congratulates NASA Challenge Series Champions

Paul Kaiser Wins 2011 NASA National Championship Paul Kaiser from Troutville, VA racing for Kaiser Racing won the 2011 Factory Five-NASA Challenge Series title in an exciting race last weekend at the Mid-Ohio Championships. Veteran Challenge Series Racer Scott McKay was second followed by Nashville's Paul Arnold in third. Championship…Read More

2011 Tasca Ford Car Show

Factory Five Customers Enjoy Big Presence at Annual Tasca Show [caption id="attachment_4866" align="alignnone" width="675" caption="Factory Five President Dave Smith (left), John Force (center), and Bob Tasca III (right)"][/caption] The 2011 Tasca Ford Annual Event was a great success. The weather was perfect, 72 degrees with bright blue skies, and a…Read More

Jeff and Debra O's Almost Finished Mk3

Only a Few Small Details Remain Before Graduation It's always an exciting time when each builder tells us their project is almost complete and ready to hit the road. Our tech guy Dan received an e-mail today from customer Debra O. expressing just that. Debra and her husband Jeff have…Read More

A Cool Roadster Photo from Yosemite

Factory Five Customer Arlin Anderson and Wife Take Roadster on a Road Trip Factory Five customer Arlin Anderson sent us this photo the other day from a cruise through Yosemite that he and his wife Sharolyn took back in June. We thought we'd share his story and photo with you…Read More

Type 65 Coupe Rear Glass Hatch Update

The Third Time is the Charm We were very excited when we got our new glass hatches made for the Gen 2 Coupe some months ago. Our disappointment was just as big when we found that the glass manufacturer didn't temper the glass correctly. We changed suppliers (new guy in…Read More

"My Ride, My Story"

The MetroWest Daily News (New England) Profiles FFR Customer Karl Magnussen In the September 4, 2011 issue of "The Daily News," Factory Five customer Karl Magnussen was interviewed by reporter Rob Haneisen. They discussed everything from when Karl bought the partially completed kit to the shows and events Karl takes…Read More

Thumbs Up for GoodGuys Organization

October Issue of GoodGuys Gazette Features Factory Five [caption id="attachment_4477" align="alignnone" width="675" caption=""Dave Smith's (a different Dave Smith than FFR owner) Factory Five '33 Hot Rod from Des Moines, IA was every bit as lethal as it looked. These are race cars in Hot Rod clothing." - GoodGuys Gazette"][/caption] We've…Read More

Factory Five Forum Pictures of the Month

The Winners for September 2011 Have Been Announced The new Factory Five Forum continues to grow as we now have over 4,600 member and more than 31,000 posts. As a way of saying thank you, and rewarding the community, Factory Five sponsors a monthly "Picture of the Month" contest. Each…Read More

Factory Five Alumni – Craig West and his Mk4

The Famous "Honeymoon in Wareham" Car Returns [caption id="attachment_4941" align="alignnone" width="675" caption="Factory Five President Dave Smith and customer Craig West on a perfect New England day."][/caption] Factory Five is full of great stories, and this is one of them. Craig brought his new bride, Terry, here in July of 2002…Read More

Whitby Goes All Electric

Jeff Collins and the Crew at Whitby Motorcars Build an Electric '33 The crew at Whitby Motorcars has been helping customers build their Factory Fives for a long time, each one unique, but they recently had a project that gave them a new challenge. Jeff Collins sent us some photos…Read More

Factory Five Survives Hurricane Irene

FFR Crew Back at Full Speed [caption id="attachment_4959" align="alignright" width="180" caption="The storm is replaced with a beautiful New England late summer day and a lot of relief..."][/caption] The crew did an outstanding job of prepping the building for the storm and it survived without damage. Thanks to all of you…Read More

Factory Five Crew Prepares for Irene

New England Readies for the Storm [caption id="attachment_5032" align="alignright" width="300" caption="This is the path of Irene as of Friday afternoon."][/caption] Americans all along the east coast are preparing for what, for now appears to be, a major hurricane event. The crew at FFR are no different, busy securing outside racks…Read More

Factory Five '33 Full Fendered Versions

New FFR Hot Rod Shows a Lot of Different Looks Unlike our venerable Mk4 Roadster that is commonly built as a vintage replica along similar style lines, the Factory Five '33 is proving to be a truly customizable car, and each one is very different from the others. We haven't…Read More

Factory Five Salutes Our Military

Fighter Pilot Laura K. is Bad News for Bad Guys [caption id="attachment_5043" align="alignnone" width="675" caption="Fight Pilot Laura K. flies this exact E/A-6B fighter plane off of the carrier USS John C Stennis."][/caption] Sally B. here at Factory Five received a nice note from fighter pilot Laura K. and put together…Read More

Factory Five Export Nation Part 2

The Shipping Crew Spend Day Getting Kits Ready to Ship Around the World Back in 2009, we posted about our how international shipments have increased. This week, the guys in shipping built crates for EIGHT (!) out going international orders, with most of them heading to Chris Canning's Component Cars…Read More