This 1965 Factory Five Mark IV Roadster is freshly built Cobra with a little over 200 miles since completion. The handling and acceleration are both amazing, and this car is nearly new.
The Factory Five frame is a thing of beauty. It is both lightweight and very strong, weighing it at just 321 lbs. The tubular sections are made of 4" round and have .120" wall tubing. The Many people just picture these frames as standard flat chassis, however, the Factory Five chassis follows the curves of the fenders, crosses horizontally at dash height, and features front and rear crumple zones, triangulation bracing, and welded side impact bars. The doors, hood, and trunk are hinged to the structural frame, and not just a fiberglass body.
The Mark IV suspension comes complete with an independent front suspension that utilizes unequal A-arm control arms with Koni Coil over shocks. The rear is Factory Five Deluxe 3-link also with Koni coilovers and an adjustable pan hard bar. The entire setup uses polyurethane bushings. The steering is of the rack and pinion variety and uses a 15:1 ratio. The brakes are new Ford GT rotors and PBR calipers provided by Factory 5 and work wonders. The car uses a Wilwood master cylinder and a Wilwood clutch and brake pedal assembly.
The engine is a Ford Mustang GT 4.6 liter modular engine running its mated 5-speed transmission. The motor has been converted over to an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold with an MSD ignition controller. The build utilizes long tube headers which connect to the polished side pipes. The car has a very tolerable exhaust note at idle which increases to a more intense thunder as the RPMs climb. It’s nicely balanced and not hard on the ears on longer drives.
For the Ford/Shelby or for that matter, any type of car enthusiast, this nearly new Cobra will please in terms of quality and performance.
