Factory Five Hits the Books

Coming this July, in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the C-car, is D. Brian Smith’s new book How to Build Cobra Kit Cars. Smith is the former editor of Kit Car Magazine, and in March 2012, he completed the assembly of a Factory Five Mk4, which serves as the subject for his how-to book.

Brian built this Factory Five Mk4 with his dad.

Brian built this Mk4 with his dad.
Published by CarTech Books, this SA Design Project Series book features 18 chapters and 510 color photos. Trim size is 8-1/2 x 11 inches and it’s 176 pages in length. Most importantly, it provides step-by-step procedural instruction for assembling an entire Factory Five Cobra replica.

Brian’s car will be at the 2012 Huntington Beach Cruise-In if you want to check it out and the book will be available in July.

The new Mk4 looks great from behind and the body style is extremely period correct.

Powering the car is Ford's 351W/427 stroker.

Latest Factory Five News

Ryan B. Unveils his ’35 Hot Rod Truck ‘MACH 35e’!

The Factory Five ’35 Hot Rod Truck is designed to be built with a small block Ford or Chevy, 5.0L Coyote, LS, or Hemi engine, but every so often these days, we hear a story about someone going down a different path and building their own custom EV out of our kit. Ryan B. from East Coast Cobras in Hollis, NH did just that, and recently graduated his Tesla-powered ’35 Hot Rod Truck! Read More »

Read More

The Bostrom’s Mk4 Shines at First Car Show!

“This is a lifetime dream come true for me!” John exclaims as he shares the news of graduating Mk4 Roadster build and attending his first car show with the completed car earlier this month. John found a partially built Mk4 Roadster for sale back in November 2023. He took a trip to talk to the owner in Katy, TX, and was soon bringing it home for him to complete the assembly. “I built a 454 Windsor Ford with Inglese 8 stack injection for it myself,” said John. “Installed it and got it to the running stage. My younger brother, his friend,… Read More »

Read More

Jim and Cecily T. Graduate Their Mk4 Roadster!

Congratulations to Jim. and Cecily T. from Heathsville, VA on graduating their Factory Five Mk4 Roadster build! They received their kit in April 2024. “I was in no rush since I planned on enjoying the build just as much as cruising in it.,” said Jim. “Goes back to my old drag racing days in the 70’s. Tinkering on that car was as much fun as racing it.” Jim’s plan for his Roadster build also included building up a 427 stroker engine as well as doing the paint as he saw it as an additional part of the build that he would enjoy… Read More »

Read More
Top