I've seen posts like this for a number of years now, and for each I can only imagine its the same as I feel now. Excitement, relief, trepidation, and commitment; these emotions are what make the whole concept of building a car with your own hands so incredibly unique! I can only thank Factory Five for creating the package that allows all of us to experience a thrill of a lifetime, knowing that what you'll end up with is something comparable to any other vehicle on the road; only this car is what legends have been written about.

Some background: I've served in the military for almost 10 years, then took a civilian job with DOD doing the same (counter drug and air defense) for both our nation and Canada. I recently retired after 40 years of combined service (enjoyed every minute of it!), and have now come back home to enjoy the fruits that life can offer. The only thing is though, I've been out of country for the past 13 years and don't have a place yet in the U.S. to hang my hat. I do have a home in Nova Scotia (my wife's family home), but that is not what I consider my home as a U.S. citizen. At some point this year we do plan on getting a place in the Arizona, but I digress.

I have wanted to build this car ever since I saw "2 Guys Garage" back in 2010; even went to the school at Mott College 3 years ago to make sure I could do this. So now that I've retired, I've realized that to try to do this in Nova Scotia Canada it would just be to difficult, due to the issues with the border and taxation. I didn't want to wait any longer than I had too; so what to do?

I was perusing the forum and noticed that there were some who were offering their services to build a roadster for those who didn't want to go through the process. In my case, I was looking for a compromise; luckily enough I saw a note on the "Replica Parts" website that offered services to help if so desired. So I emailed Mike Everson and proposed the idea that I temporarily find a place near his residence and build the roadster with him, as opposed to him doing it all himself; he was totally agreeable to the idea!

So here we are today; Mike and I, with the help of the FFR's great staff (Nate and crew) loaded up my kit this past Saturday into Mike's trailer and we then took it back to his place to begin the build tomorrow morning 7:30 sharp!

A dream finally realized……. I know the forum will ask what the build will be, so here goes….nothing radical I can assure you. I'm looking for a daily driver that I intend to use in the summer at our home in Canada and in the winter at our place (to be) in Arizona. I also wanted to ensure that all the vendor support was from the local area in MA; so Forte is building my drivetrain, Breeze will be providing all the ancillary parts, and Mike Everson will be making all the sheet metal mods at his place (hopefully I get to help ).

So here's what we've got so far:
Basic complete Roadster package
306 engine with T5
North Race Car A/C
Navigation and Audio (Blaupunkt)
Heated seats
Breeze Cubby mod
RodTop Convertible Top with zipper and quarter windows
IRS with 17" Halibrands and 245/275 Mickey Thompson tires
Jaguar British Green paint
GasnPipes (probably)
and a beautiful Serpent Express 20' trailer for both my Harley and the Roadster!

I anticipate a lot of sheet metal work in the trunk in order to maximize storage (for my wife's luggage ) and am looking to add the trunk rack to give it the British look (more than likely will use it as well!)

So I get the best of both worlds; I'll be building my car with a TV star! (Peoples Court) and getting past all of the normal roadblocks and brain hemorrhaging that would occur if I were building the car by myself. We believe we can have it done within 6 to 8 weeks, with both of us on it full time; after seeing what he can do, I don't doubt it!

It truly is beautiful when a plan comes together…

Rick Hayton