SUMMARY
2007 Factory Five Racing Type 65 Coupe / Assembly completed in 2013It’s been over 20 years since the first Factory Five Cobra rolled off the assembly line. Today, creations like this spry Daytona coupe, officially termed Factory Five Type 65, are poised to continue the firm’s trade of producing the best-selling, best-engineered and best-performing replicas of all time. At face value, the formula is simple: take a modern, lightweight chassis, wrap it in quality, tight-fitting composite, plant a hot Ford V8 between the fenders and enjoy whiplash-inducing performance. But, as all car enthusiasts know, simplicity and reliability are only achieved through planning and precision. Built, polished and ready to roar, this Type 65 Daytona combines cool Shelby looks with all the right hardware to turn your knuckles white with excitement! Best of all, it’s a fully sorted, turnkey package that’s available to you for a fraction of the time and money someone else spent building it. If you’ve been searching for the perfect car to maximize your dollar-to-thrill ratio, welcome to your next classic!
BODYWORK/TRIM
Factory Five Racing has long been applauded for their great fiberglass work, and this Daytona is no exception. The car’s profile, roughly 6% larger than authentic Shelby American fodder, is a hand-laid Vinylester shell that was laminated to 3/16ths, CNC trimmed and covered in a .015-inch gel coat. That gel lays excellent groundwork for wet looking burgundy 2-stage. Since pretty much every muscle car worth its salt needs some kind of war paint, the builder added a classy trio of silver racing stripes. And today, this super slick coupe is a head-turning classic that’s ready to rock the track, the boulevard or the show!
Produced in 2007, this Shelby’s proven chassis and taut body were mated to its raucous drivetrain by Todd Baumann of Howell, Michigan. Mr. Baumann, a build instructor for Factory Five Racing, decided to sell the car in 2010, minus bodywork and paint. That’s when the car’s current owner, a North Carolina resident, finished its show stopping aesthetics. And since officially debuting in February of 2013, this coupe has traveled a scant 815 sunny day miles. Those aesthetics are kicked off by a mesh grille, which rides between bright fog lamps and dual-mode, British-style headlights. Behind that grille, an original-style hood bulge fronts original-style scoops and polished wipers, which clear a DOT windshield. At the sides of that glass, Lexan sliders reflect mesh heat extractors, chromed bonnet latches, painted mirrors and Factory Five side-pipes. And at the back of the car, a DOT backlite shades a polished fuel filler, an aggressive deck spoiler, convenient battery leads and Lucas twin-filament tail lamps.
ENGINE
Tilt this coupe’s lightweight bonnet and you’ll find 347 cubic inches of Ford small block that, thanks to Maricopa, Arizona’s Levy Racing, has been built to an impressive 550 track-eating horsepower! At the top of the stroked mill, a small air cleaner funnels oxygen through a big Holley carburetor, which is sequenced to an Aeromotive regulator and small Mr. Gasket pressure gauge via braided Summit fuel lines. The resulting air/fuel mixture makes its way from an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake to fresh aluminum heads, which ride under Summit breathers and polished valve covers. When those heads flood the cylinders, MSD 6AL ignition sequences spark between a stainless-cased coil, a slick MSD distributor and thick Taylor Spiro Pro Race Wires. Spent gases roar through custom, ceramic-coated headers. Cooling comes courtesy of a beefy aluminum radiator, which fronts corrugated hoses and dual SPAL puller fans. A coated alternator spins with a coated Sanden compressor thanks to a full array of billet brackets and pulleys. And overall, the car’s clean, all-business engine bay is exceptionally well done!
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
Behind this Shelby’s impressive small block, a fresh Tremec 5-speed, dressed in a tough McLeod scattershield, utilizes a Weber street/strip clutch to spin fun, 3.55 gears around a fresh, 8.8-inch pumpkin. That drivetrain rides a powdercoated chassis, which distills a 4-inch, DOM frame into an independent front and adjustable, 3-link rear suspension. That suspension, which makes excellent use of tubular control arms and modern coil-over-shocks, is connected to four big calipers that utilize a Summit proportioning valve and braided Goodridge lines to squeeze a combination of vented and solid discs. At the front of the car’s aluminum floor, modern rack-and-pinion steering makes low speed cruising almost as easy as high-speed sweeps. Power meets the pavement through Vintage Wheel Works 48s, which twist 245/45R17 Nitto NT555R Extreme Drags in front of 315/35R17 Nitto NT555R Extreme Drags. And details like a deep-sump oil pan and a 22-gallon fuel cell round out the car’s impressive build.
INTERIOR
Shelby interiors have always been stylish and simple, and one look inside this coupe reveals just how serious the car’s aspirations are when it comes to being driver-focused. Kirkey high-back racing seats stretch tight cloth under 5-point Simpson harnesses. In front of those seats, a Gloss Black dash plants color-keyed Auto Meter telemetry above pushbutton ignition and knobs for the car’s Vintage Air climate control. At the sides of that dash, steel-reinforced doors hang DOT-approved latches behind French-stitched panels. Below those doors, thick Dynamat insulation floats clean carpet beneath AC foot pedals and a small shifter. Opposite that rug, dark-tint visors front a 6-point roll cage. The driver feels the asphalt through a removable, leather-wrapped steering wheel. And the passenger stows cargo in a fully finished hatch.
OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION AND ACCESSORIES
A Manufacturer’s Statement of OriginAn appealing union of vintage design and modern, CAD-based engineering, this fully-sorted Daytona combines all the nostalgia of a proper Shelby with a dramatically enhanced driving experience. In the words of Factory Five: “There is no better way to honor a legacy than to continue it”. Don’t miss your chance to own this striking, turnkey sports car!