Thanks bbjones,

I agree with you. The Factory Five should far exceed the X-Bow performance. I was making a comparison to a production Exo, in a similar way to comparisons made against production F and P cars. I expect that the 818 will outperform many of the exos including the X-Bow even in Targa/Coupe form (my personal favorite).

I agree that the Subaru Motor is capable of alot more HP while still being reliable (I was not clear enough on that). I look forward to doing upgrades myself, and will benifit greatly from the knowledge provided by this community. More power, light weight! The 818 will be very cool!!!

The 818 has choosen the correct aplication of composites within our price range (for body only, where fiberglass will get the job done well). Factory Five use of a steel tube frame with rivited aluminum skins very effective (stiff and lightweight). Bad applications of composites look cool but add weight and give up stiffness. This is the main reason I choose it as a point of comparison is that I believe that Factory Five is making great choices in the application of materials to achieve a light, stiff car that will exceed those of even an expensive production exo, while the 818 will be much better looking and streetable in my eyes.