2012 Open House Report… Best Ever, Full Coverage!

The Factory Five 2012 Open House was by far the best Open House to date. The best weather, the most number of cars, and the most attendees.

The day dawned clear skies, perfect 75 degrees and mostly sunny all day long. Factory Fives began rolling in around 8 AM and didn’t stop until about 10 AM when the parking lot was COMPLETELY filled! There was a great turnout of Type 65 Coupes, 12 in all, and about the same number of Hot Rods.

This year, we had live music with the band Latitudes and the car show judging was extremely difficult with such a full field of well-built Factory Fives. Factory Five customer Joe Leone, Rick Lacourse, and Henry Renaud were judges and did a great job. Here is the list of winners:

President Dave Smith with Best in Show Winner Phil Gaglione.

Best in Show – Phil Gaglione
Best Roadster – Thierry Mont
Best Challenge Car – Dana Johnston
Best ’33 Hot Rod – Ollie Hempel
Best GTM – Joe Mascierelli
Best Type 65 Coupe – Gregg Pellegrino
Best Under Construction – Gordon St. John
Best Use of Chrome – Ollie Hempel
Best Paint – Joe Gulluni
Best Interior – Frank Somma
Best Engine – George Robitaille
Most Innovative Design – Justin Forko
Long Distance Award – Mike Jones (550 Miles)
High Milage Award – Tom Reid (53,900)

 

Factory Five Forum head Dave Hodgkins was awarded The Robert Feddersen Legacy Award for his contributions to every single person that he ever meets! Just a great ambassador for Factory Five and the community.

 

From left to right: Randy and Julie Jones, David Hodgkins, and David Smith. Randy and Julie presented David with the 2012 Robert Feddersen Legacy Award.

 

2012 will go in the record books as a great one to remember and we’re already hatching plans to try and make 2013 even better. Thank you to everyone who attended, especially everyone who brought their beautiful cars.

Dave Smith

Photos courtesy Adam Clear of Clear Photography and Gary Bean

 

Dave Smith presents Ollie Hempel with the Best in Show - '33 Hot Rod Award.

 

Latest Factory Five News

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

Five Deals from the Factory Five Guys Sunday, 6/28!

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

Charles M. is Show Favorite with ’33 Hot Rod

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 »

Read More
Top