Factory Five 818 Update – Spring 2015

[Dave Smith]

This summer will mark the two-year anniversary of the introduction of the new Factory Five 818! Shortly thereafter we began shipping 818S kits. This summer we will celebrate this milestone by adding a new chapter to the 818 story with the new 818C Coupe model! The coupe will join the existing 818S street model and 818R race model. We will unveil the 818C at our summer Open House on June 13th.

The last 818 update I sent out was in September 2014! That seems like only yesterday. While customers have been building amazing cars and winning praise at shows and events, the team here at Factory Five has continued to work tirelessly to make the 818 platform stronger, faster, and to offer more build options.

Now with the warm weather just around the corner, I’m anxious to get the cars out and start enjoying the fun results of all this hard work.



Dave Smith
President

PRODUCTION PASSES 350, LEAD TIMES REDUCED!

When the 818 entered production, lead times approached a year! The manufacturing team gets big credit for reducing those lead times to only 4-6 weeks. Hand-in-hand with the production ramp-up has been improvements in molds and tools, as well as the accuracy and efficiency that comes with more than a year and a half of regular production. Order an 818 today and the lead time is weeks, not months thanks to the efforts of our manufacturing team. We’ve posted photos of the facility/production upgrades. Check out a day in the life at Factory Five.


As of March 2015, the new 818 model passed 350 units built! Of those 350 cars, 66 were R models like the one above.

ALL-NEW 818C COUPE MODEL TO DEBUT AT OPEN HOUSE 2015!

In January, we showed you our prototype shape for the new 818C removable hard top. Since then, production molds have been built and the tech/R&D team has been building an all-new car that will serve as the first 818C model.



Here is a photo of the first part out of the mold. We have decided to make some minor changes to the part, but this picture gives a good idea of what the final shape will be. Pricing and other details will be announced at the Open House debut where the production car will be unveiled. Click here for more details and photos of the 818C.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BUILD 818S X2!



Experience Aviation is a charitable organization run by world-record setting pilot Barrington Irving, who was the youngest and first African-American pilot to fly solo around the world. Experience Aviation teaches inner-city youth valuable skills and self-confidence.

Factory Five Racing sponsored this important charity a few years ago. Since then, the students have built a GTM and an 818S. Now they are doing it again! The students from Experience Aviation are building their second 818! We will keep you updated. Click here to read more.

NEW 818 BUILD CLASSES JOIN FACTORY FIVE BUILD SCHOOL!



Factory Five Engineer Jesper I. and Tech Support Specialist Jay K. headed over to Howell, MI to attend the first 818S class at the Factory Five-Mott Community College three-day build school. The 818 now joins the Hot Rod and Mk4 Roadster classes at the school.

Jesper and Jay were there for the Friday and Saturday portions of the class, and all the school instructors – Jim, Scott, Todd, and Charles – were there for the full three days. Seven students attended the inaugural class. 818 classes will be scheduled going forward based on demand and estimated for every other month.

Click here for photos from the build class or to register.

DIY FACTORY FIVE VS. PORSCHE - GRASSROOTS MOTORSPORTS

“We started with nothing more than a pile of parts, a wrecked Subaru, and an instruction manual, and we finished with a car that can attract drooling bystanders, beat a Porsche on a track, and take you to work every day.” – Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

The 10th and final issue of Grassroots Motorsports’ 818 Build Series was a success. The crew took the newly-built street car to the track and pitted it against a race-prepped Porsche Boxster. Click here to read the final article or visit www.grassrootsmotorsports.com.


The crew at Grassroots Motorsports built their 818S over the last year with help from Factory Five customer Wayne Presley from Very Cool Parts, and concluded their series with street and track testing.

[Dave Smith]

CUSTOMER CHRIS M. ROCKS HIS 818S IN RHODE ISLAND

It’s really fun to receive more and more photos of customer-built 818s, and here is just one. Chris M. from Rhode Island sent us photos of his recently completed 818S. Chris used a 2002 WRX as a donor car with a 2004 fully built JDM STi EJ207 engine and a Blouch 1.5 dominator twin scrool turbo with 350+ rwhp.



CUSTOMER VIDEOS FROM THE ROAD COURSE & AUTOCROSS

Factory Five customer-built cars are being seen on tracks around the country. Here are a couple of videos from a NASA event at Willow Springs and an SCCA autocross at Michelin Proving Grounds.


Factory Five customer Chad P. takes his 818R out onto the road course at Willow Springs to work out set-up specs. Running in the ST2 class with NASA, Chad competed with some very fast cars while he dialed in his 818R.

[Dave Smith]

Factory Five customer Bob S. runs VERY fast with his 818R at an SCCA autocross event held at Michelin Proving Grounds this past March.

SPRING IS FINALLY HERE AFTER RECORD-SETTING WINTER

With all of the snow this year in New England, we thought it would be a fun idea to take some pictures of our cars in an unnatural environment! Dan, Jay, and Vinny did a nice job of pulling the car outs so they could be photographed. It was fun to see a 500 HP Type 65 Coupe spinning its rear wheels as it simply tried to idle through the hard packed snow and ice. Click here to see more photos.


The Factory Five 818S with our new optional wheels and soft top after yet another New England snow storm.

SEMA 2014 HIGHLIGHTS

The Factory Five 818 was well represented at the 2014 SEMA Show. We showcased a brand-new rolling chassis and 818R in our booth while customer Erik Hansen displayed his electric-powered 818S in the featured vehicles area, and Six Star Cars brought their 818R to the Spectre booth in the main hall. Check out videos and photos from SEMA 2014.


The Factory Five crew was joined by customers and partners at the 2014 SEMA Show. Wayne didn’t get the memo about long pants.

EV WEST FEATURES ALL-ELECTRIC 818S IN YOUTUBE VIDEO

There have been an impressive number of online builds and custom ideas posted here on TheFactoryFiveForum.com. Factory Five customer Erik Hansen built his 818S with an electric power plant from the guys at EV West. The car was featured in one of their YouTube videos and they did a really nice job of driving/testing it. Click here to watch the video.


Erik’s white 818 is a well executed electric conversion. The car was at the SEMA 2014 show.

SIMON HAUGER AND WEST PHILLY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SHOOT FOR THIRD GREEN GRAND PRIX TITLE WITH 818 HYBRID!

The 818 prototype hard top is on its way to Philadelphia to help make the West Philly High School team’s 818 more aerodynamic for the upcoming Green Grand Prix. The award-winning students have already won this event twice with a hybrid-powered GTM. This year, they will be seeking to notch their third win with an all-new hybrid-powered 818.


The Factory Five crew preps the 818C prototype hard top for delivery to Simon and his team at West Philly High.

[Dave Smith]

ENGINEERING UPGRADES AND NEW 818 PARTS

In addition to work on the 818 removable hard top, the engineering team has made improvements to the 818 model across the board and has added some exciting new options. Here are all of the new options and upgrades that are available for the 818.

NEW 818 WHEELS IN STOCK!



The search for the perfect 818 wheels is over! These new 10 spoke aluminum wheels are a great complement to your build. Available in black or metallic gray (shown left), these wheels were selected by the Factory Five Engineering Team to deliver an aggressive look without the aggressive price! A full set of 4 costs $789.

Technical Specifications:
Front Wheel Size (Diameter x Width): 17″ x 7.5″
Rear Wheel Size (Diameter x Width): 18″ x 8.5″
Front Wheel Offset: 40 mm
Rear Wheel Offset: 40 mm
Centercore: 56.1
Wheel Lug Pattern: Subaru 5 x 100 mm
Material: Cast Aluminum
Recommended Tire Sizes: Front: 215/40 R17, Rear: 255/35 R18

More Info – Buy It.

818S WILWOOD BRAKE KIT



The stock Subi brakes are great, but the team at Wilwood has developed a special brake kit for 818 customers. The enhanced brake capacity and pad performance of the forged narrow superlite 6R six-piston and forged narrow superlite 4R four piston calipers are combined with 13.06″ and 12.88″ diameter 1.25″ thick rotors to provide excellent braking performance on Factory Five Racing 818 kits.

These brakes work well with our high performance wheels, and suspension upgrades on daily drivers, competition vehicles, and custom styled machines. This brake package requires a minimum of a 17″ wheel, please check wheel fitment before ordering.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW 818S TRUNK STORAGE




Looking for some cargo space in your 818 kit? This trunk package will give you the extra storage space that you have been looking for. The new soft top fits inside!

Mounted at the rear of the car above the transaxle, this kit includes a 3 piece fiberglass surround that is easy to install in partially or fully completed 818S and 818R models. Package includes hardware and instructions for installation.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW 818 BILLET SHIFTER



The 818 shifter that comes with the kit is fine for most applications, but some customers were asking for a more high performance and precise billet shifter. This aluminum shifter assembly is now available as an option.

The billet aluminum shifter has been race tested in our 818R. This unit can work with both the 818 and GTM using a cable shift set-up.

More Info – Buy It.

818S WIPER KIT IN PRODUCTION



The 818S wiper kit has been in production for a little while. The wiper kit costs $225 and uses the Subaru wiper motor/transmission and works with the stock wiper controls found on the factory Subaru turn signal stalk.

The kit includes wiper arms, blades, mounts and mounting hardware, as well as a two-piece drop-in fiberglass tray for the trailing edge of the hood. The factory hood will be trimmed on those cars using wipers.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW CARBON FIBER PARTS & PROCESS



Up to now, optional 818 carbon fiber pieces have been made by hand by our molding department in-house. We have had complaints about the finish (it’s not perfect), so we have invested in new tooling and a new outside carbon fiber molding supplier.

The new tools enable the carbon cloth to be used and autoclaved to result in an absolutely PERFECT carbon fiber part.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW AERO FRONT CANARDS



Part of the 818R development program involved increasing downforce in the front and rear of the car. Up front, we designed a larger carbon front splitter and these cool new carbon canards.

These carbon fiber canards cost $199 for the pair and were designed for the 818R, but can be used on the street as well. Recommended to be used with rear wing for balanced downforce.

More Info – Buy It.

[Dave Smith]

ALL-NEW PADDED INTERIOR


New padded dash comes with door panels.

The standard 818 interior panels are nice, but these new optional padded interior door panels and dash do not require any upholstery work, are easy to install, look great, and cost $550 as an option.

This interior set comes in black and adds a rich finish to an 818S build.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW HARNESS BAR MOUNT



Sales of the track-focused 818R have been good. However, many 818S customers are realizing that these cars are also exceptional open track and autocross cars.

We’ve added a harness bar option to the 818S kit for customers who are taking their cars to the track. The harness bar costs $85 and comes powdercoated in black. It is designed to mount to the upper section of the chassis.

More Info – Buy It.

818S SEAT OPTIONS


The Kirkey race seats in an 818S.

The stock 818 utilizes the Subaru seats, but we have fitted and tested our optional Kirkey road race seats as well as our GTM sport seats, and they both fit well. The Kirkey seats offer the most available space and is the most popular option. The GTM seats are tilted back further and don’t provide as much leg room as the Kirkeys, but are comfortable and look great.

More Info on the Kirkey Seats – Buy It.

More Info on the black GTM Seats – Buy It.

NEW 6-SPEED STI CONVERTER



Customers wanting to use a heavier-duty 6-speed transmission from the Subaru STi can use this part to convert the 2006-2007 STi 6-speed transmission from AWD to a FWD locking spool. This was tested in our 818R.

More Info – Buy It.

NEW UPGRADED 818 FUEL TANK DESIGN



The new 818 fuel tank design allows the driver to sit further back in the cockpit for extra leg room. The tank utilizes the factory Subaru fuel pick-up and sending units.

These new fuel tanks are standard in all 818s being shipped currently. They can also be retro-fitted to existing 818s. Call us at 508-291-3443 for more info and pricing.

WILWOOD PEDAL KIT



This kit can be used to upgrade/replace your existing Subaru pedalbox in an 818S or 818R kit. The pedal box features dual 3/4″ bore master cylinders linked with a balance bar for brake bias adjustment and forged pedals. Twin stainless steel reservoirs with lines and fittings are included, along with all mounting brackets and hardware. The pedal box is also configured with a 3/4″ bore master cylinder for use with a hydraulic clutch.

More Info – Buy It.

[Dave Smith]

818R SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS



We’ve added an addendum section to the 818S manual for customers building an 818R. Most of the build for both models are similar, but there are some race specific set-ups that the R supplemental instructions detail.

More Info – Buy It.

Download the 818R Supplemental Instructions here.

818S SOFT TOP



This new premium soft top is manufactured by one of the best guys in the hot rod industry (Rod Tops by DTS Enterprises).

The design incorporates all stainless steel fasteners, collapsible tubular construction with double lined canvas, and custom bag that fits in the trunk. The top design only requires two holes in the body, one behind each door for the main hoop. This soft top makes an 818 a true commuter-capable car!

More Info – Buy It.

818S HARD TOP



The new 818 removable hard top will be standard in the 818C model and will be an available option that is easily retro-fittable to earlier 818S models. The hard top will not fit the 818R models due to roll cage clearance. The hard top comes with door/power window mechanisms. Includes side window glass, rear hatch glass, rear quarter window glass, and windshield glass.

Click here for more details and photos.

[Mechie3]

Quite a few things going on for sure!

[David Hodgkins]

That trunk looks awesome!

[RM1SepEx]

the trunk sits right below a hole in the trunk lid... and looks like it attaches to an engine cover held on by hood pins...

[billjr212]

I'm excited for the trunk too. Dan - I had the same observations. Started a new thread so we don't clutter this one up trying to get at specifics.

Congrats on another great year FFR and thank you to Dave for the thorough update. Really reminds us just how much has happened/been developed in such a short time.

[AZPete]

Dave, I've been so busy having fun building my 818S that I didn't realize how much you have done in 2 years. Creating the 818 was amazing but FFR has also made a lot of improvements, upgrades, options and now the coupe. Truly amazing and I'm proud to be a customer.

[wallace18]

I really like that orange 818S in the photo. LOL. FFR has been busy making mods for sure. I bet even more to come.

[FFR-ADV]

Thank you Dave, Jim and the whole team for the great work on the 818!

[Flamshackle]

Can't wait for open house! Looking to order the coupe before the end of the year. Can't wait to get this project started!

[bigAl]

It looks like some nice additions and developments to the program. Personally, I love that billet shifter. Who actually produces that anyway?

[wleehendrick]

Personally, I love that billet shifter. Who actually produces that anyway?

It looks like this K-tuned unit.

[Santiago]

I was told that K-tuned did the guts on it. I have it and it's gorgeous.

Best,
-j

[Dave Smith]

The 818 Coupe is almost ready for the Open House in a few weeks. We've implemented 3D printing in the headlight buckets and 3D scanning in the design and development of the updated front end. At this point, the only long lead time item that MAY NOT make it for our Open House is the all-new glass sections.


3D headlamp bucket for the 818 Coupe being printed.

[TrickyPete]

Maybe no more camery headlights? That would make a drastic change to the front end... I guess I will have to wait and see.

[RM1SepEx]

It looks like this K-tuned unit.

I had one, it says K-Tuned right on it.

[flynntuna]

Are these front end changes for the coupe only, or is it an 818 upgrade?

[fact5racer]

months ago I was told it was gonna be upgradeable for all 818s

[Flamshackle]

The 818 Coupe is almost ready for the Open House in a few weeks. We've implemented 3D printing in the headlight buckets and 3D scanning in the design and development of the updated front end. At this point, the only long lead time item that MAY NOT make it for our Open House is the all-new glass sections.


3D headlamp bucket for the 818 Coupe being printed.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

I can't wait to be one of the first to order this hard top coupe!