Road & Track eval of the 818R

[Dave Smith]

The July issue of Road & Track Magazine just landed in my mailbox. Here are some fun bits that I just read! The crew is pleased and we're DYING to start shipping these cars and taking over the world of stoplights and racetracks!

"It rips the tires loose in pit lane on a whisper of throttle. Forget the WRX. Forget every street car you've ever driven. This is something else."

"The 818 explodes down Gingerman's front straight. This isn't the fast you get with a 911 Turbo or a Corvette, that sense of mighty power overcoming considerable weight. It's the whoa of a linearly accelerated roller coaster. Second and third dissapear in a rush as the rear end oscillates. I find myself short-shifting just to keep the car straight. It's a genuine thrill, and even if you never took your 818 to the track, the joy of warping between stoplights would keep you occupied for months"

"It takes a few corners for my brain to catch up to how the car handles. You think a Mazda Miata is light? The 818 weighs 400 lbs less than the first generation Miata, it rolls on tires 50 percent wider. Turn-in is neck-straining at high speed. On the first lap it feels like the limits are too high to reach, but once you reach them, the 818's a true sweetheart, pushing the front predictably before uncorking its tail in a lazy slide."

Jack Baruth, Road & Track magazine and Grand Am driver.

Metrics tested/measured:

0-60 3.8 seconds
1/4 mile 12.4 seconds
Road Holding 1.12 G*
curb weight 2012 lbs. **
power: 270 rwhp, 300lb ft @ 4300 rpm



* Tires were DOT legal race tires.

** a note about weight in the article as this had everyone here concerned and we had weighed the car almost 100 lbs lighter. The magazine FILLED the large capacity fuel tank to the top as is standard for all their curb weight tests (ugh! that's 13 more gallons and +91 lbs more than you'd routinely drive or autocross with). Further the 818R cage (+22 lbs), fuel cell mounting hardware/brackets (+6 lbs), paint (+26 lbs), wheels (+16 lbs), and heavy battery (+20lbs) account for another +181 lbs, add in the street seat, carpets, and windshield and we figure the street car should be right in the mid-to-low 1800 lbs range. We will have the street car in the showroom ON SCALES for the Open House!

Dave Smith

[DARKPT]

Now THAT's a product launch!

[David Hodgkins]

Holy Smokes! I gotta have it!

[freds]

Very Exciting for all!!!!!

[Niburu]

guess I'll be buying the July issue of R&T

[Dave Smith]

I like these quotes a lot as they sum up the results of two years of very very hard work by our talented team...

" The 818 offers a combination of virtues previously unavailable at the price. For the average WRX-driving track rat, schooled in infinite understeer and benign traction, this thing will be a revalation. For everyone else, it'll just be a hell of a lot of fun!"

"Feels durable, like its been conditioned to take abuse"

Oh yeah!

[flytosail]

Congrats!

[RSxx]

Great job Dave and team.

Can't wait to get mine in November or hopefully sooner!!!

[Erik W. Treves]

June 15th cannot come fast enough

[Vman7]

Can't get a much better endorsement than that!

[longislandwrx]

AWESOME. But how does a paint job weigh 26 lbs?

[wallace18]

Great job all at FFR. I can see all the hard work paid off.

[Niburu]

AWESOME. But how does a paint job weigh 26 lbs?

maybe that metal flake is really heavy?
dunno, paint is generally 10lbs a gallon

Start working on that coupe Mr. Smith!!

[longislandwrx]

Exactly... like 11lbs for a gallon of enamel, and there's no way this car needed a gallon and a half of paint/clear each. No matter though, I'm too excited to be critical.

I'm at the hospital now waiting for my baby boy to arrive. So much awesome for one day. Hope the gift shop has Road and Track!

[Xusia]

The waiting to get my kit is going to kill me...

[Dave Smith]

The weight of the car is really important and we've worked very hard to make sure that the things that matter (like chassis etc) are strong/durable/tough. Paint is estimate based on the prototype mold shapes that the car was made from for primer, paint and some filler (not needed on production paint free panels) and lots of clear as we were showing the car at SEMA. Also the wheels were pretty heavy, maybe 4 lbs each too high. The best idea yet is to drive the 818 into the Open House and onto waiting scale pads to show the driving weight of the car. I am confident that the design has met its goals and we can celebrate for just a bit and then gear up for the last stretch before production. Nate was in packaging all day going over packlists, chassis assembly is getting geared up for that stage when the frames arrive back from powdercoating, we're all just doing our jobs to make sure we are good to go on the 15th.

Also a lot of guys have asked about the production schedule. We're still working on it and Jason will be in touch shortly as he is the master of the schedule.

Dave

[David Hodgkins]

The weight of the car is really important .../

Dave

So, uh, Dave?

Any truth to the rumor that the production car will be called a 912.6?



PS I know, I'm evil. It's a JOKE people!!

[longislandwrx]

I just can't wait. You guys are amazing. From paper to full scale production in less than two years? crazy. Keep up the good work.

Can you make the weigh in a contest/raffle? Guess the exact number and win a ...?

[metalmaker12]

Dave, you guys are awesome, I am a subie guy at heart and you guys just made me fall in love all over again. My date of august or hopefully sooner can not come fast enough

[FFR-ADV]

Dave,

The 818 and track results prove what a motivated team with the right tools, experience and motivation can accomplish! Congratulations to all of Factory Five on the spectacular results. I am excited to get my 818 home this fall! You guys ROCK!

Thank you for all you have done for us!

Steve

[gwader]

Can't wait!!!

[shinn497]

so%u00252Bmuch%u00252Bwin.jpg

[bstuke]

Can I just go to bed now and not wake up until Dave calls and says come get your 818R?

[WIS89]

This is out of control awesome!! Everyone at Factory Five should be over the moon!! What an amazing effort by everyone, and I can't wait to see the build begin!!

You guys ROCK!!

Regards,

Steve

[Dave Smith]

Thats a GREAT idea (guessing the weight at the Open House!)... We could do a contest and the winner gets something really cool and maybe we could donate all the money to the One Fund or the CF Foundation.

btw: the guys reminded me that the street car won't have the full fire suppression system that's in the 818R (and didn't weigh that). One of the toughest things is knowing how potent this little racer is and NOT going all nuts with race plans right away and focusing on quality of production launch and all the things that are so vital. We'll have to rely on Presley and Stuke for the track press!

We are going to try and do a few things to the blue 818R before the GRM Magazine Ultimate Track Car Challenge and see how it stacks up to the really fast comp cars out there.

Dave

[shinn497]

I'm loving these reviews and really regret not being an early adopter.

[GUNS]

Good work Dave and FFR team, can't wait to start building mine in only a few weeks!

[Movieman]

0-60 3.8 seconds
1/4 mile 12.4 seconds
Road Holding 1.12 G*
curb weight 2012 lbs. **
power: 270 rwhp, 300lb ft @ 4300 rpm

WOW! I kid you not when I read that all I did was go "WOW!"
I've seen the pictures, watched the videos but when you see the numbers it's like the period at the end of a sentence or in this case
more of an exclamation point.

[Samiam1017]

The July issue is available thru iTunes

[Wayne Presley]

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Send me mine NOW Dave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The funny part about the article is that it was just 40°F (which hurt the skidpad G numbers) and was before the second round of track testing. The car was noticeably faster and more balanced after the R&T article was written.

[Silvertop]

I'm sure glad I pre-ordered the week of the SEMA show! With a road test report like that, I'm betting that FFR is going to be SWAMPED with orders after the magazine hits the stands!!! Just WOW!

[Movieman]

I'm sure glad I pre-ordered the week of the SEMA show! With a road test report like that, I'm betting that FFR is going to be SWAMPED with orders after the magazine hits the stands!!! Just WOW!

That thought came to mind and made me smile because having met some of the people at FRR you want to see them do well.
Looking forward to seeing Dave Smith's face on the cover of Forbes Top 500 in a couple years!

[JeromeS13]

Just read the full article on my iPad. I can't wait!

[JAubin]

Congrats Dave and the rest of the FFR team, it's got to be great to have independent sources verifying what you guys have known all along (and well a lot of people here) This is going to be a sick little car.

Now I'm starting to feel really torn. I REALLY want to hold out and see what comes of a potential coupe/targa/hardtop....BUT I'm starting to get anxious and I think on June 15 I might just break down and get onto the queue before I'm waiting 3 years for my spot. Can't wait to see the builds start happening! Wonder when those hit news stands...

[AZPete]

Road & Track was in my mailbox this afternoon and there was smoke coming out! An amazing article with lots of praise and no negatives, as Dave quoted above! An incredible car from an incredible American company! And, congrats FFR on getting this huge PR at a perfect time.
Now, I've got to continue polishing my WRX steering rack for my baby's August arrival.
Pete

[Ray]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!



Here is a link to the R&T article. Don't follow the link unless you want to spoiler your own enjoyment of reading the hard copy!!!




LAST CHANCE!!!!!
















http://www.roadandtrack.com/first-dr...?click=main_sr

Ray

[David Hodgkins]

I don't think that's the article. I think that was a teaser. None of the quotes Dave mentioned above are in that online article...

[Silvertop]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!



Here is a link to the R&T article. Don't follow the link unless you want to spoiler your own enjoyment of reading the hard copy!!!

LAST CHANCE!!!!!

http://www.roadandtrack.com/first-dr...?click=main_sr

Ray

That's fun reading, but I don't think that's the full article -- just the teaser that has been out there for a month or so.......

[Movieman]

I don't think that's the article. I think that was a teaser. None of the quotes Dave mentioned above are in that online article...

[longislandwrx]

To put things in perspective
0-60 in 3.8 is Ferrari F430 fast $187K
12.4 is how fast the first gen Lamborghini Gallardo did the quarter $175K
1.12 g's on street tires is what the Nissan Skyline GT-R Spec V did (with the help of 3 computers) $160K