Factory Five 818 at SEMA

[Sandy Washburn]

Factory Five introduced their new Subie powered mid engine race car at SEMA.

This car will be a sub $15,000 open race car that is going to set COM track records for whatever class it is in.

I have been told that DENTSPORT Garage will be building the beta version of the race car this winter in Norwood.

I will try to attach several pictures from SEMA but many images can be found on the FFR 818 forum

818 at Sema

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[mug23]

I'm in my planning stage and waiting for the coupe/hardtop with all the R goodies but still registered for the streets. I will be planning to use the SVX EG33 motor as I love the sounds that engine makes when rev to 8 or 9K rpm after a complete engine rebuild to be able to handle it.

Also, I would always rather prefer a NA motor over a turbo motor if given close or near the same power range for simplicity and better throttle response.

[Sandy Washburn]

My son, Bill Washburn, at Dentsport Garage is the Subie expert. However, everything I have read on the Factory Five 818 forum site recently indicates that the flat six Subie engine will not fit into the 818 chassis as designed. I totally agree that a flat six sound would be ideal, but the modified Subie WRX engine will put out 450 conservative hp with a very aggressive sound. You should talk to the team at Dentsport about your plans before making any commitments.

[mug23]

There's already a big discussion on the 818 forum about fitting a H6 in there and many think that it can work with a little mod. We'll see when the actual specs are out from FFR to determine what will and will not work.

Again, it's a kit car and almost anything can be done. It just a matter of time and if you are willing to put a bit more money into it or not.

[Resolution78]

maybe if i could fit a ford ecoboost in it.....

[horizenjob]

This car will be a sub $15,000 open race car that is going to set COM track records for whatever class it is in.

I am way behind on practicalities of COM classes, what class or classes would this likely run in?

From what I can see it doesn't really seem to have anything like a spec roll cage and that seems a little unfortunate for a fast car like this. How does the NASA rules work for this? I don't have much experience with them but was trying to read the rules for cages to understand the requirements and it sort of seemed to expect a tall front hoop, or at least around the windshield... Does anyone know? We're getting ready to buy tubes for three Car9's and would like it to be legal...

[zchris]

Marcus, I assume you'll be buying from Marmon Keystone. If you need help with getting a good price, let me know. Also I do not think there have been any injuries due to a low front hoop in the many years of SCCA production car racing.
Chris

[WillM]

I've followed the 818 on and off since the concept was announced. Pretty interesting. I think it would make a great track day type car. The 818 has a lot to like about it, but I am not a fan of that bar right next to the driver's head.

This car would slot into SPB or PB car if turbocharged, SPC or PC if naturally aspirated.

For the new rule set, the car could slot into one of the Touring classes, or any of the Super classes, depending on how its base class is set and the specifics of how a particular car is built (engine & hp choice).

[horizenjob]

Thanks Will and Chris. Chris, I hadn't found that tubing place yet, was looking at some other local places...


Here's a picture of that car from another thread here. You can zoom in a bit and see the actual frame in the background behind this street version. There's a bunch of stuff I would like to say but I am just going to resist. One comment though is that it is unusual for the rear braces of a roll bar to not actually connect to the roll hoop. I guess they do on the track version though, now that I go back and look at it.

The forward braces by the drivers head would be padded in real life, so that would be good with a helmut. Without those braces the next thing to hit might be pavement or wall, so they may not be so bad. I saw this happen last year on the highway. Someone rolled their Toyota in front of me when they were inattentive and hit some snow in the break down lane on route 128. It was a gentle roll but the driver's injuries were severe, his head hit the pavement... Very sad actually.