Factory Five is known for making some of the greatest replica kit cars, but they also offer a supercar kit for an insane bargain.
Every gearhead wants a supercar. It is the ultimate symbol of performance, luxury, and style. The problem is not every gearhead can afford a supercar. Lamborghini, Ferrari, and other high-performance companies charge hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars for their exclusive machines. This price tag is something that most will simply never be able to reach.
If you’re dying for the performance car experience and don’t want to shell out the “supercar” cash, there’s a way. Enter Factory Five, an American Kit car company specializing in Shelby replicas. Their flagship model, the Factory Five GTM, is an unconventional supercar. This is because they deliver it to you in pieces, and you build it at home, making it a bargain for incredible performance and a unique experience.
Factory Five GTM Is A Supercar Kit For Prius Money
A Factory Five GTM kit costs less than a Toyota Prius. A base model 2023 Prius starts at $27,450 and can be optioned all the way up to over $38,000. The GTM kit comes in at $24,990, and that is the only trim you can get. The kit is extensive too. They aren’t ripping you off with that price tag. Factory Five sets its customers up for a great experience building their own supercar.
The frame is delivered already welded together by Factory Five. It’s a low center of gravity, high-strength frame painted in gloss black. Included in that is a six-point roll cage for racing, collapsing steering column, side impact bars, and front and rear crumple zones for safety. Mount plates for the engine, transmission, pedals, and more come on the frame to make installation and construction easy.
The chassis consists of aluminum and composite body panels, bulkheads, and diffusers. The suspension setup includes KONI shocks and coil-overs paired with Corvette control arms in the front and rear of the car. Corvette parts are a recurring theme with the GTM, as it borrows many pieces from the C5 Corvette.
Now not everything you need comes with the GTM kit. You will have to source an engine for the GTM build. Factory Five suggests the LS6 and other engine components from the Chevrolet Corvette. You also need the fuel tanks, radiator, wheels and tire, and the various sensors needed to run the engine. On top of this, Factory Five also suggests using a Porsche G50 transmission.
Combining the price of the kit, the price of the parts you need to source yourself, and the number of hours it will take to build a supercar yourself, it is definitely going to breach the $60,000 mark. But it is still a bargain for the performance that the GTM supercar packs.
The Cheap GTM Supercar Rivals Ferrari Speed
With a stock LS6 engine, most Factory Five GTMs make around 400 horsepower. While not a mind-boggling number, the lightweight and low-slung GTM stays stuck to the road and flies from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. When tested by Car and Driver during its prototype phase in the mid-2000s, the GTM did the quarter mile in 11 seconds at 134 mph.
That beat the tested speeds of the Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Murcielago SV, and Porsche Carrera GT. The mid-engine layout and low center of gravity helps make the GTM nimble and a joy to take around a corner. It will easily exceed 160 mph and deliver 1.05 Gs on street tires. Fully prepared for the track, the GTM could be a monster.
There are also plenty of upgrade opportunities that come with the use of an LS engine. From turbocharging or supercharging to simply choosing a different model LS engine, a gearhead could easily exceed the baseline 400 horsepower from the suggested hardware. With enough upgrades, a Factory Five GTM can even transform from a supercar to a hypercar.
Building The Factory Five GTM Is An Exclusive Experience
As of right now, Factory Five is no longer taking orders for GTM supercar kits. It’s unclear if this is due to production demand or if the company is prepping a successor to their flagship model. Factory Five has teased a V12 front-engined supercar, and that could be the reason the GTM is currently off-limits.
While this means you can’t have the experience of building one for yourself right now, you can still get your hands on a GTM, just not for the bargain that Factory Five offers it at. Many GTMs have been sold on BringATrailer, and the price has steadily been climbing. The most recent sale in November 2022 was at an impressive $84,500. That’s supercar money, even in the used car space!
If you still want the experience of a sports car from your own garage, then don’t worry; Factory Five offers plenty of other models, including a Roadster, Hot Rod, Hot Rod Truck, Type 65 Coupe, and 818.
