Alright, hear me out. I know I'm unemployed right now, but things are looking up - have my second interview with AEP this Thursday - hopefully be back to work in a week or two. For the rest of this post, just PRETEND that I'm gainfully employed!
With the 'Cuda gone and the plan to basically buy one that's ready to roll, I've been trying to think of what my first serious automotive project is going to be. I've been thinking for some time that the ultimate automotive project would be to build a kit car. My wife and I have chatted about it while going on evening walks together, and she thinks it'd be a lot of fun - something we could even work on together from time to time. So I started researching.
I don't want to build a "replicar" - modifying one vehicle to look like another. Most seem to use Mazda Miatas or Toyota MR2's. I want something that's one-off, completely unique - something that makes people go "What the heck is that!?!"
Introducing the Factory Five GTM. I'm sure some of you are familiar with it.
It's a completely one-of-a-kind vehicle built by Factory Five - arguably the #1 designer of Cobra replica kits in the world.
This thing uses parts from 1997-2004 Chevy C5 Corvettes. It uses the front and rear suspensions (minus the springs,) brakes, and the 350hp LS1 engine. It uses a G50 transaxle from Porsche to fulfill the needs of the mid-engine chassis.
The kit costs $20,000 plus a few grand in "upgrades" such as A/C, a custom-built steering shaft, carbon fiber air-splitters, etc. The Corvette parts can be acquired for less than $9,000. The Porsche tranny can be acquired for less than $3,000. Add in paint, and you've got a Ferrari-fighting supercar for right around $40,000. It seems pricey, but if you spread the costs out over a few years, it's a pretty sweet deal!
Today I spoke on the phone with a rep from Factory Five. Whereas I love the appearance and performance of the GTM, the biggest problem I have with it is that big ol' Chevy engine sitting beneath glass at the rear. I asked about the possibility of installing the 6.1L HEMI from the Charger/Challenger/300C SRT8 cars. He said that I might need to modify the front wall of the engine bay (basically behind the back seats) and of course modify the engine mounts and exhaust, but that it would probably fit without any serious issues. They built a version of the GTM that used an LS7 Crate Motor, so they said that I'd probably have to do the same modifications they had to do. He also recommended using the Porsche GT3 transmission from the 911, which can take the beefier torque figures that the HEMI produces. He said they can modify the chassis for me to fit the GT3, since they used it on the LS7 build.
I'm actually thinking of building it! I'm thinking of spending a year paying off some more debt, and then starting to save up for the kit. By the time I get it built (estimating about 3 years) my current daily driver will be near-death, and this will be able to take over! After all, if I BUILD my own car from near-scratch, I'm going to drive the wheels off of it!
Some quick stats - 0-to-60 in 3 seconds, quarter mile in low-to-mid 11's. 2,500 pound curb weight.
Whaddaya guys think?
Jeff
