So a FFR 818 is going to be available as coupe now...nice!

[snow]

I agree looks like a kit car and no AC WTF... not a chance in Hot FLA..........

[Vracer111]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Honestly, not a fan. The headlight design is poor and the panel fit at least in the pictures seems awful. Don't like the gap at the front of the door into the fender either.

The overall look just screams "KITCAR" to me. The second I saw the photo I knew that was what it was.

Factory Five Racing... yes they are a component car manufacturer, but one of the best around in regards to engineering and performance. Car can do 0-60 in 3.x seconds, 1/4 mile in 12.x, lateral grip approaching 2G's on sticky tires, and is nimble on its feet at less than 1,900lbs... its a near perfect track car for 15-20k. Even has front and rear crumple zones built into the tubular chassis. Kit is only ~10k...you just need a Impreza/WRX donor car to be able to finish it.

I actually like the 818C better than their GTM supercar, which is a frigg'n land missile on wheels (Corvette power with ~700lbs less weight...). But I like the custom work this guy has done with his GTM:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB9R8rmiJtY"]GTM Supercar at Shelton Car Show 2015 - YouTube[/ame]

[serialk11r]

No AC is possibly survivable here in Norcal if the ventilation system works properly and doesn't heat up the air coming in.

The bodywork however is uglier than the soft top one and I still don't like the WRX drivetrain (unless it's easy to get a newer motor in there).

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

Factory Five Racing... yes they are a component car manufacturer, but one of the best around in regards to engineering and performance.

Understood. Don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with component or kit car (or other kit) companies. Heck, I have a 2 seater kit plane in my shop I'm slowly building.


My issue with them for me is these are immediately identifiable as that type of car, which both of FFR cars in this thread are, regardless of performance. Just not my thing I suppose, but I certainly appreciate them for what they are.

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

If it had AC....

It's a kit car, add it

Originally Posted by BRZZZZZZZZZZ

I'd still go Exocet myself personally.

Totally different cars and not based off the same donor car.

Originally Posted by f0rge

They say "under $15,000" for this car, is that in any way realistic?

If you do all the work yourself, probably.

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Honestly, not a fan. The headlight design is poor and the panel fit at least in the pictures seems awful. Don't like the gap at the front of the door into the fender either.

The overall look just screams "KITCAR" to me. The second I saw the photo I knew that was what it was.

I think it looks better than their older version. That gap between the front fender and door is there for aero. Overall fit and finish has always been an issue with kit cars though...

Originally Posted by serialk11r

No AC is possibly survivable here in Norcal if the ventilation system works properly and doesn't heat up the air coming in.

The bodywork however is uglier than the soft top one and I still don't like the WRX drivetrain (unless it's easy to get a newer motor in there).

That roof scoop appears functional, so it's going to be sucking fresh air in quite well at speed.


Why the WRX hate? You're shaving so much weight off, you could leave the engine stock and it would still be a rocket.

[BRZZZZZZZZZZ]

Originally Posted by Poodles

It's a kit car, add it
Totally different cars and not based off the same donor car.

Both are kit cars based off donor cars. Same class of car, I would much prefer the lighter simpler Exocet is all I am saying.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Poodles

It's a kit car, add it

While possible, it's not easy to do it nicely integrated into the dash like it should be. They should just make it an option and make some money on cheap molded plastic.

[funwheeldrive]

They should have made it look like a 90s honda civic.

[White64Goat]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

Honestly, not a fan. The headlight design is poor and the panel fit at least in the pictures seems awful. Don't like the gap at the front of the door into the fender either.

The overall look just screams "KITCAR" to me. The second I saw the photo I knew that was what it was.

It's a kit car for sure. The thing is, you need to be prolific in finishing the kit or have the money to have someone do it for you (the body work). I went to FFR for their open house in 2012 as I was looking to build one of their 33 hot-rod kits. I was glad I did as I'm 6' 2" and fitting in the front seat was not easy as there is not much leg room at all and if you install a manual transmission, even less. There was nowhere for me to stretch out my left foot or even attempt to slide it under the clutch pedal. I sat in 3 different customer cars and decided against it. That's how I ended up with the BRZ. They were just starting development of the 818 back then.

As with everything, the amount of time spent in doing proper finish work with sanding and priming and sanding and priming and paint determines your end result. Some cars at the show if you looked closely, you could see the join lines in the fiberglass and some you couldn't. I figured that with having to buy an engine and transmission and finish the car would put it well over $40 grand. Of course most of the kits have 'options' which also drives the cost, such as front suspension, rear ends, brakes etc., etc.

The first 2 pictures are the beginning of the 818, next picture is of one of their MK4 cars (Cobra copy) with all the join lines unfinished but the body has been painted as they all come out red from the molds. The last 3 are of the most beautiful MK4 I saw there. If you notice all the striping goes under the hood and across the dash. This car was gorgeous.













Again, what effort you put into a kit is what your end result will be. Factory Five also offers a 3 day build class in Michigan where you go and actually build one of the cars. Believe it is $799 and you get a $250 credit towards buying your own kit. Classes are limited to 15 students. (Their annual open house was last weekend 6/13 at FFR) and the year I went there were reps there from Ford with good deals on engine/transmission packages.

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by BRZZZZZZZZZZ

Both are kit cars based off donor cars. Same class of car, I would much prefer the lighter simpler Exocet is all I am saying.

Maybe I was too short, these are entirely different levels of kitcar. The Exocet is basically a rebody of a Miata. It can be built very fast because of this.


This borrows some pieces from the WRX, but because of so few parts being used from the donor car, it could be pieced together from simple parts from a WRX from what I've seen.


Not to mention making it into a 2WD MR car from an AWD front mounted engine car. The amount of work is going to be a hell of a lot higher.

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

While possible, it's not easy to do it nicely integrated into the dash like it should be. They should just make it an option and make some money on cheap molded plastic.

Looking at their dash, it looks like there's plenty of real estate to install whatever you want. Wouldn't be hard to piece together something that works and looks good with Vintage Air parts and some custom lines and fittings.


Big issue is that the engine is under glass, but it's not isolated from the rest of the cabin. Fully isolating it and feeding the intercooler could be an issue though. Then again, a setup like this could work well with an A2W intercooler...


Never enough time or money for this stuff...

[Entroper]

Originally Posted by Poodles

Maybe I was too short, these are entirely different levels of kitcar. The Exocet is basically a rebody of a Miata. It can be built very fast because of this.


This borrows some pieces from the WRX, but because of so few parts being used from the donor car, it could be pieced together from simple parts from a WRX from what I've seen.


Not to mention making it into a 2WD MR car from an AWD front mounted engine car. The amount of work is going to be a hell of a lot higher.

Selling me even more on the Exocet.

[hmong337]

The more I look at this car, the more I wanna just sell everything and build one of these cars. I would want a nice plush interior and lots of sound deadening so I think $25k would be a good range in what I would spend to complete one of these. I really love the coupe look. I can only imagine that in real life that it looks much more exotic.

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by Entroper

Selling me even more on the Exocet.

Never said the Exocet was bad It's on my short list of cars to get eventually.


If my mom's last Miata didn't take such bad damage to the rear suspension, I would have done it when it was totaled out.