PROJECT 818: Build a 300+ Horsepower 818kg Autocross Kit Car.
Factory Five Racing makes a lot of really cool replica kits. This kit however, is a different kind of car. The Factory Five 818 is a 818kg Autocross chassis (designed in house) that utilizes the Subaru WRX and Sti engine and other components. Think of it like a pile of really big Legos. You take the engine and transmission out of the Subaru, move some stuff around, and drop it into the back of the 818’s steel tube frame. This kit is a mid-engine, rear wheel drive powerhouse that is capable of 0-60 in roughly 3.8 seconds and pulls over 1.1G in tums. Even though it looks finished, there’s always room for improvement, upgrades, and more stylish parts. Where do you start when you build a kit car? For me, it was reading the “user manual” over and over again. Factory Five has an instruction manual for building their kits. It’s full of pictures, and some text, but it’s basically an overview. I downloaded it from their website and read it before I even had my hands on a kit. It does have some useful bolt torque specs and a list of tools you will need to get started. The donor car that works in a FFR 818 can be any 2002-2007 Subaru WRX or Sti. I choose an ‘07 hawk-eye for two reasons. The first reason, it was the only one in the area I could find with manual transmission. The second reason, the ‘06-’07 engine is a 2.5L turbo-charged boxer engine with 230HP stock. This gives the 818 a power-to-weight ratio of 7.82:1 at stock power. That is nothing to sneeze at, considering the 1995 NA Miata (which dominates the autocross scene) has roughly a 12:1 ratio. The Factory Five 818 kit arrives with the steel tube chassis pre-welded and powder-coated (as an option). The fiberglass body panels are duct taped to the chassis and there are 15 big boxes of parts. The kit for the 818S (the convertible) is $9,990. In a perfect world, this would make the total cost of the build $16,000. Not a bad price for a sporty, Miata munching, autocross monster. That price is just the tip of the iceberg. There are an infinite amount of ways to build an 818. Oh, have I mentioned it is mid-engine?
I bought the car to attempt something new and different. I\'ve always liked doing off-the-wall things. I was in deep with this car. Everything I know about cars, started with this kit. I spent 10 years messing around with my 818 kit car and eventually went to automotive school, and became a technician.
I will add more to this tread as I get my photos consolidated on my computer. I would love to show more but for now here is a small taste!
