This 1965 Factory Five Cobra has just over 1000 miles since it was completed. The car was built with all new high-end parts and is an absolute rocket. Accompanying the car are all the receipts for the build as well as all of the build manuals.
The Factory Five frame is a thing of beauty. It is both lightweight and very strong, weighing in at just 321 lbs. The tubular sections are made of 4" round and have .120" wall tubing. 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 suspension comes complete with an independent front suspension that utilizes unequal tubular control arms and coil over shocks. The car also has the competition bump steer adjustments. The rear is the Factory Five Deluxe 3-link also with coilovers and an adjustable Afco pan hard bar. The entire setup uses polyurethane bushings. The steering is of the Flaming River rack and pinion variety and uses a 15:1 ratio. It’s very precise and has great feel. The brakes are Baer Track/Tour system and have 13" front drilled and slotted rotors and 11" drilled and slotted rear rotors. The wheels are beautifully crafted Simmons wheels that measure 17×8.5 in the front and 17×10.5 in the rear. The tires are Nitto NT-555R 245/45R17 Front and 315/35R17-102. The wheels and huge rear tires set off the stance of the Cobra perfectly.
The motor is a Ford Racing SVO 460 CI Super Cobra Jet that makes 535 HP @6250 RPM and 530 ft lbs of torque @4750 RPM. The torque curve on these Ford crate engines are flat as a pancake and the engine really moves a little car like this Cobra. The carburetor is a Quick Fuel 850 Double pumper and the intake is an Edelbrock 50661 Torker II manifold. The big spark comes from a MSD 7AL-3 Digital box with an MSD Pro-Power HVC coil. The motor uses a Canton Accusump oil system with a Canton front sump pan. The Accusump system reserves pressurized oil that can then be distributed in situations where oil pressure is low, thereby preserving the motor. Cooling the motor is a Ford Racing aluminum radiator with a 2360 CFM electric fan. Fuel flows from a Fuel Safe cell via a Holley 110 pump. The transmission is a Tremec 5-Speed with road race gearing and the rear end is a Ford 8.8" that has been narrowed. It has Tracloc 3.73 gears and 28 spline axles. The Cobra leaves the line hard, and cruises nice on the highway as well with this set up.
The interiors in these cars are pretty simple/functional and utilize a set of Autometer Vintage gauges. The steering wheel is the 15" leather FFR wheel and the seats are the FFR racing seats. The car uses Simpson 4-Point harnesses and has dual chrome roll bars. Unlike many Cobras, this car is equipped with a heater for those chilly nights, and it also has a parking brake.
For the Cobra enthusiast looking for a comprehensively built car with a lot of high end parts, this one goes the distance.
