Factory Five Racing

There were only six original Coupes ever made. Those cars captured the 1965 FIA World Championship for America in the last years before mega-money took American roadracing from its roots and from the average guy. Despite the fact that the design never entered production, those six cars, hand-built upon 289 AC chassis, are some of the most valuable collector cars on the planet. Each of the original six Daytona Coupes is valued at more than $8 million. More importantly than the money, these cars have became symbolic of the end of an era.

This car is one of the most unique and stunning shapes in automotive history. Even today, more than 50 years later, the muscular lines and aggressive stance has no equal. There is perhaps no other car more capable of making a Corvette driver appear to be wearing a skirt.

While the dramatic design makes people stop and stare, only the hard-core car guys know its full history. You won’t see three of them lined up at your local Starbucks, and even at car shows these Factory Fives are rare birds. It is certainly not a car for everyone, but it is definitely the only car for some.

Each Factory Five Type 65 Coupe is true to the road racing legacy that gave the design its birth, and yet with modern engineering and technologies, our cars are much more livable than the originals.

Of all our designs, the Coupe is my favorite. I have one parked at home in my garage. I have raced it at tracks around the country and drive it on the street here in New England. It makes me feel like Dan Gurney when I drive it, and my wife wrinkles her nose and says it smells like gas when I make her ride in it with me … a man cannot ask more of a car.

Dave Smith
President