• Chevrolet Sonic priced
• Factory Five's crowdsourced car contest
• Coral Gables fining pickup truck owners leaving rigs out overnight
• 2012 BMW M5 details

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #235

Autoblog Podcast #235 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Factory Five announces winners of crowdsourced WRX-based sportscar design [w/video]

Factory Five announces winners of crowdsourced WRX-based sportscar design [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You can design Factory Five's new mid-engine, WRX-powered kit car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"On October 13th, 2010, the court denied his application and our opposition was successful. We felt that if he were to get a trademark on the Cobra shape, his PR machine would use that to make the legitimate replica industry look bad. Our position was that a Shelby trademark would have ignored the factual history of the car, which started life as an AC car with a Ford engine in it, as well as completely discounting the huge contributions that replica guys have made to the car's continuing legacy since the 1970's. We have never denied Shelby's part in history, but he has enjoyed huge popularity, in-part, due to replicas.

Looking back, our little company has done more than anyone ever to secure this car for all. Factory Five Racing and our customers have made such a huge contribution to the industry over the years.

I am attaching the Court's opinion as a PDF document here so you can read it for yourself. Factory Five Racing does not use the word COBRA to describe our products."

Gallery: 1964 Shelby Cobra CSX2557

Shelby loses court battle to trademark Cobra shape originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Factory Five Racing Type 65 Coupe

Continue reading Double Jeopardy? Shelby loses lawsuit against Factory Five Racing

Double Jeopardy? Shelby loses lawsuit against Factory Five Racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Woodward 2009: The Cobra corral

Woodward 2009: A corral of Cobras and not a real one in sight originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Factory Five GTM looks good in copper

SEMA 2008: Factory Five GTM looks slick in copper originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Supercars

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Racecars

SEMA 2008: Supercar sightings from show floor originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Factory Five '33 Hot Rod

Factory Five modernizes the '33 Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, AC may be bringing a pre-built Cobra to the US, but say the $94K price tag is just too high... or, perhaps you want the full DIY experience. Hot Rod Magazine evidently felt the same way, so it obtained a Factory Five Racing Roadster kit and attacked its 256-page instruction manual, snapping plenty of pictures along the way so that its readers know what's involved in the build.

Being that this is Hot Rod, a stock 5.0L engine and T5 transmission weren't going to cut it. In went a 427-cube small-block Ford from Coast High Performance, and it's backed by a Tremec TKO trans. With 440 horseower at the rear wheels and only 2,200 lbs. of vehicle to motivate, acceleration is downright brisk, with the quarter-mile dispensed with in right around twelve seconds at a trap speed of 123 MPH.

We'd be lying if we said we didn't want one of our own, but we also know that a driver's license stands virtually no chance of surviving more than, oh, 30 seconds in something like this.  

[Source: Hot Rod Magazine]

A guide to building your own Cobra replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jun 2006 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, the fuse has been lit on the 2006 installment of the splendiforously-titled Tire Rack Cannonball One Lap of America presented by Car & Driver (better known as 'One Lap'), and as usual, your trusty Autoblog contact is on the scene. We had high hopes for 'live-blogging' the Cannonball Run offspring this year via daily updates, but circumstances have conspired against us.  At any rate, for those not terribly familiar with the event, here's the (kinda-sorta) quick and dirty:

Brock Yates, patron saint of modern American automotive journalism and founder of the original 'Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash,' created a weeklong national road rally in 1984 for gearheads and their hangers-on. In its original incarnation, the event was a bleary-eyed run around the perimeter of these United States. In more recent times (1992-present), One Lap has evolved into a more sophisticated setup that sees racers drive from racetrack to racetrack around the country (the route changes each year), with stops at major and minor tracks along the way. The race is essentially a 'rung whatcha brung' event in which cars of wildly varying description and capability duke it out in different racing venues for overall and in-class wins. The beauty of One Lap is its simplicity-- if you can find a state willing to slap a license plate on it, it's okay by Brock. Racers must attend a couple of track day schools and meet certain rudimentary safety standards (helmets, SFI-rated firesuits, etc.) and run on tires purchased from title sponsor The Tire Rack, but everything else is essentially fair game.

Entrants test the durability of their rides, their backsides, and their mental states not only with long transit stages, but also a good cross-section of events -- everything from road courses to ovals to drag strips. Transit stages on public roads are not timed or scored events, though generally there is at least one passage control along the way to keep things 'on the level.' By way of example, a few years ago, One Lappers were treated to a dirt oval, proving once and for all that auto afficianados haven't lived until they've seen a Lamborghini Diablo spraying muddy roostertails up over the catch fence.

Click through to the jump for more One Lap of America, including dozens of photographs!

Continue reading Autoblog Travelogue: 2006 One Lap Of America

Autoblog Travelogue: 2006 One Lap Of America originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 May 2006 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.