2006 Factory Five GTM LS7

Description

Factory Five has proven itself time and again to be the King of the Replicas, and when it was time for them to make their own supercar, they rose to the occasion and knocked it out of the park with supercars like this 2006 Factory Five GTM LS7. The direct result was an incredibly stylish, super-fast, customizable, and made-to-order mid-engine V8 American sportscar that can take down some big competition on the street or track. There's not a lot of GTMs on the market right now, there never really is, and Factory Five has halted orders and stopped building them. The good news is, much like the other FF creations on the secondary market, you don't have to spend this time, money, and effort to build one anyway, not when the lowest-mileage one with the biggest engine we've seen is right here for the taking. Lightning-hot paint, a sporty interior, and a 427 LS7 V8/5-speed manual drivetrain that'll knock your socks off, this is the GTM you've been dreaming about.

Factory Five are the masters at building the necessary pieces for some serious sports cars, that's exactly why they are arguably the top name in track-worthy Shelby Cobra replicas. So, when it came time for them to wrap that expertise into their own package, they really had some fun and made sure all the "i's" were dotted. FF took some of the best design elements from contemporary supercars and created an attractively unique design with mid-engine supercar, and quite frankly we can't stop ogling it. It's hard not to make comparisons to a Ford GT in the front, a Saleen S7 silhouette, and a rear reminiscent of the Mosler MT900 - that's some pretty fast company. Painted by the pros at Hatfield Restorations, the red-hot Orange finish is a warning to anyone that wants to test this beauty's mettle, and to back-up that flash is a whole lot of substance thanks to such great craftsmanship. Despite being finished back in 2011 it only has 22 miles on the build and still looks incredibly fresh, living up to its name with a metallic element inside that radiates in the light like it assembled millions of little stars. In fact, everywhere you look, the finish, fit, panels, and glass all are quite excellent, with only the most minor of imperfections to speak of. There's a touch of darkness on the car, and all those accents seem to point to the most aerodynamic pieces on the composite body (made from vinylester resin and black gel coat), like the smooth headlight covers, hood extractors, side scoops, rear diffuser, and the rear panel with those awesome-looking, header-fed dual exhaust tips. The Corvette Z06 wheels have a fan-style look that's like they want to move the wind as much as the body, and the chrome adds plenty of flair while still harmonizing with the bright orange paint. It all makes for a total package that looks powerful, thoughtful, and very distinct.

The interior does a great job creating a hardcore performance car that's also every day comfortable. It starts with custom racing buckets that completely envelop you and your passenger, wrapped in gorgeous black leather-and-suede hides that are equal part sporty and luxurious. The high central tunnel is at the exact right height to rest your arm while your right hand is firmly planted on the 5-speed manual stick shift, which feels like heaven when you're rattling through all the gears. Your left hand takes command of the thick, leather-wrapped three-spoke sports steering wheel at the helm, mounted atop a tilt column that allows room for taller drivers. Beyond it is a complete set of AutoMeter Pro-Comp Ultra Lite gauges laid inside a carbon-fiber bezel, all of which keep a keen eye on the engine behind the seats. There's even a FiTech fuel-injection control panel display on top of the dash, and an industrial-style bezel around the gearbox that houses a variety of switches including those for the power windows. While all this seems like everything you want in a track car, everything's neatly finished with plush black carpets on the floors, a taut headliner above, along with clean door panels at the flanks.

FF developed the GTM utilizing some of the best components around, from the uber-powerful drivetrain taken straight out of the crate and dropped inside, to the CAD-designed ultra-rigid space frame and aluminum chassis panels, to the sporty independent front/rear suspension complete with KONI coilovers. But let's start with that mid-mounted, fuel-injected 427 LS7 Chevrolet crate V8 producing 500+ horsepower. It practically needs no introduction, the power and performance is astounding, and with only 22 miles, it's not even broken in. Mated to a Porsche G50 5-speed transaxle, it's a near-perfect marriage that can turn fun into fear in seconds, but thanks to an intelligently designed chassis and suspension, this sucker stays planted to the road. The total package gives a good weight balance to FF's custom underpinnings, in fact, the entire car is supposed to weigh a mere 2,200 lbs. It makes the ultra-light Z06 seem portly by comparison, and so the power-to-weight ratio really brings this GTM into supercar territory. Many of the suspension components are borrowed from a C5 Corvette, including the four-wheel power disc brakes with drilled & slotted rotors, an epic cooling system, and the heroically throaty Kooks exhaust system. Keeping it planted are the aforementioned staggered Corvette wheels, wrapped in sticky 245/45/17 front and 275/40/18 rear Goodyear Eagle F1 radials.

It's very rare to see one of these pop up for sale, let alone one built so well just a handful of miles ago. Call today!