818 News from Factory Five
The 818S gets tested by Automobile Magazine and Kit Car Builder Magazine.
Busy Month for Our Newest Factory Five
I’m taking a week of vacation, so I figured I would shoot out a quick update on the busy month of July and recent news on the Factory Five 818.
Following the successful introduction of the 818 at our Open House, two magazines have taken the car for testing. Steve Temple from Kit Car Builder had a chance to drive the car, and his report will be in the next issue of KCB magazine. His most notable comment was how absolutely surprised he was at the brutal acceleration of the 1,828 lbs., 270 HP car.
Last weekend, Ezra Dyer from Automobile Magazine tested the car down in Virginia. The original plan was to compare the car with a used Porsche Boxster (similar prices) until Ezra drove the car… out came the 640 HP Dodge Viper for a drag race! This report will be in an upcoming issue of Automobile Magazine.
Production continues to ramp up in a controlled and quality fashion. We will be at a production rate of four per week in September, and ultimately five per week by October. We hope to improve lead times, but are committed to a steady, quality-focused launch. Related to production, we travelled to A2 Wind Tunnel, LLC. in Charlotte, NC to validate the aero parts. The wind tunnel testing was crucial to validate the full line of optional aero parts. As a result of the wind tunnel testing, the front spliter, side skirts (shown on car above), and rear diffuser were released to production and the rear spoiler was modified slightly. More details below.
The 818R participated in the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine Ultimate Track Car Challenge and ran a VERY IMPRESSIVE 2:09 lap time. It’s impressive because that time was accomplished without 3rd gear!!! More below.
The technical staff in the office has successfully started the e-mail hot list for people interested in taking advantage of potential openings in the production schedule. If you would like to be added to the hot list, please e-mail jason.lavigne@factoryfive.com and let him know. All orders will be strictly first come, first served. We now have 295 orders total for the 818S and the 818R, and the next available production date is August 2014.
The road ahead is filled with the much less glorious work of production and customer service. The soft top is scheduled to be completed by Rod Tops at the end of September, and the next major show for the 818 will be the 2013 SEMA Show, where we already have a good number of exciting opportunities for the car. Thanks for your support, and we will do our very best building your 818.
Dave Smith
President
Ultimate Track Car Challenge!
The 818 chassis proved its competence, and driver John George did his best despite a transmission failure at the 2013 Ultimate Track Car Challenge. Click here for the full report.
818 Wind Tunnel Testing
The 818S generated 168 lbs. of total down force at 150 MPH! The 818R generated an impressive 649 lbs. of total down force at 150 MPH. Read the full report here.
Grassroots Motorsports Build
Our friends at Grassroots Motorsports Magazine have received the first Factory Five 818 and will begin their build this week. For daily updates throughout the process, click here.
Climb behind the wheel with Factory Five National Champion Driver John George as he takes the 818 around the track at VIR! The handling of the mid-engine 818 is exceptional! Watch the video here.
