This is a Factory Five Type 65 Coupe, the design is based on the original Shelby Daytona from the 1960s that was built to do battle with the best sports racing cars coming out of Europe.
The Factory Five version shown here has a modern tubular steel chassis, modern suspension and brakes, and a modern drivetrain. It’s also slightly larger than the Shelby original so it can accommodate owners who aren’t quite as svelte as 1960s-era racing drivers.
Fast Facts – The Factory Five Type 65 Coupe
- The Factory Five Type 65 Coupe is a modern reinterpretation of the classic Shelby Daytona. It features a contemporary tubular steel chassis, updated suspension, brakes, and drivetrain, while being slightly larger than the original to provide greater comfort for taller drivers.
- Founded in 1995, Factory Five Racing, Inc. produces both kit built and turnkey sports cars. The Type 65 Coupe, often built with donor parts from Ford Mustangs, honors the Peter Brock-designed lines of the original while allowing builders to customize engine, transmission, suspension, and interior options.
- This 2021-built Type 65 Coupe is equipped with a 302 cubic inch Ford V8 featuring an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold and a four-barrel carburetor. It uses a 5-speed manual transmission, limited-slip differential, independent suspension, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, and period-correct styling details like rack-and-pinion steering and LED lighting.
- Currently offered for sale from Mahwah, New Jersey on Bring a Trailer, this Type 65 Coupe has 1,300 miles and a clean title. It comes with complete build documentation and represents a modern, customizable homage to the classic Shelby Daytona with a raft of upgrades over a (rare) original.
The Factory Five Type 65 Coupe
Factory Five Racing, Inc. (F.F.R.) was founded in 1995, they design, develop, and manufacture a series of kit and turnkey sports cars in the United States including the Roadster, Challenge Series Racer, Type 65 Coupe, GTM Supercar, ’33 Hot Rod, Project 818, and the recent XTF Pre-Runner Truck.
The Type 65 Coupe is an undeniably beautiful car, and thanks to Factory Five you can build one in your garage.
The Factory Five Type 65 Coupe is a modern reinterpretation of the Shelby Daytona that has a contemporary tubular steel chassis, modern suspension and brakes, a choice of current generation V8 engines and transmissions, and a lightweight fiberglass body. The car is also a little larger than the original, just to ensure that people over 6′ will be able to fit into it comfortably.
Factory Five has built the Type 65 Coupe over three generations, each an advancement over its predecessor, but they all stay true to the original Peter Brock-designed lines of the originals.
Those who opt to build the kit version of the car have a broad range of options, from which engine and transmission to use, to whether they want a live axle rear or independent suspension front and back, what kind of suspension and brakes they would prefer, right down to whether they want a stripped out racer interior or something a little more GT-style with air conditioning for cross-country trips.
The current third generation base kit costs $17,990 USD, putting it well within the reach of many, and it requires the running gear from a 1987-1993 Ford Mustang donor car – which is readily available in the USA and Canada.
The 2021 Factory Five Type 65 Coupe Shown Here
The car you see here was built from a Factory Five Type 65 Coupe kit and completed in 2021. As with all Factory Five Type 65s, this one has a tubular steel chassis, a lightweight fiberglass body, and a front-mounted V8 powering the rear wheels.
This car is powered by a 302 cubic inch (5.0 liter) Ford V8 topped with an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold and a four-barrel carburetor.
Factory Five makes allowances for owners to install quite a wide variety of engines and transmissions, as well as brakes and rear axle or IRS set ups, so no two examples of the car have ever been identical.
The builder of this car opted to fit it with a 302 cubic inch (5.0 liter) Ford V8 topped with an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold and a four-barrel carburetor. The engine has alloy Cobra-branded finned valve covers, an MSD digital ignition control module, and an aluminum radiator with an electric cooling fan.
Power is sent back through a 5-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. The car rides on independent front and rear suspension, it has four-wheel disc brakes, and it rides on 15″ knock-off alloy wheels with 245/60 front and 275/55 rear Avon Radial tires.
The car has rack and pinion steering, LED headlights and taillights, a Le Mans-style fuel filler cap, Plexiglass rear-quarter window scoops, and those distinctive side-exit exhaust pipes.
The interior is period correct, with low-back black bucket seats, racing harnesses, a full roll cage, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, and plenty of toggle switches.
Inside you’ll find black bucket seats with Simpson racing harnesses, an integral roll cage, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, sliding side windows, and toggle switches in the center stack.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Mahwah, New Jersey on Bring a Trailer. It has 1,300 miles on the odometer and a clean New Jersey title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
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