Factory Five GTM Supercar a New Twist on America’s Sports Car

You’ve heard it a million times – the Corvette is America’s favorite sports car. However, that’s only because more people haven’t discovered the GTM Supercar from Factory Five Racing, a potent “kit car” based on the C5 Corvette. And just because some of you may not have heard of it, doesn’t mean that there aren’t drivers already enjoying the Factory Five original. As we found out from CorvetteBlogger, one Andover, Massachusetts man is doing just that, having assembled the car himself and now using it as the company intended, to drive!

The GTM Supercar is the first of its kind designed by Factory Five Racing.

Since their start in 1995, Factory Five Racing has grown to be the largest component car kit manufacturer in the world. Known for their superior kit quality at reasonable prices, many people turn to Factory Five for all their kit building dreams.

As many of you know, the original Shelby Cobra is one of the most recognizable and most reproduced classics in the industry. If you’ve ever seen one of these reproductions, chances are the car is actually a Factory Five MK4 Roadster kit car, but the company offers more than just kits to create the notable classic.

They also offer kits in the ‘33 Hot Rod, Type 65 Coupe, and Challenger Car (a competition version of the company’s MK4 Roadster kit) varieties for those looking to recreate a notable industry design, or the Project 818 (assembled with Subaru Impreza components) and GTM Supercar kits for those looking for something a bit different. Based off of C5 Corvette running gear, the GTM Supercar is Factory Five’s first originally-designed supercar component car kit.

The GTM Supercar kit from Factory Five comes with the majority of the components you need to assemble the car yourself. In addition to the Solidworks CAD-designed frame, laminate composite body and aluminum chassis panels, Factory Five provides Koni front suspension components, a steering and shift linkage kit, fuel/brake/pedal box systems and cooling system components for the $19,990 kit price.

The full GTM kit also comes with a set of interior accessories and exterior/lighting accessories, as well as miscellaneous engine accessories, exhaust components, electrical assembly parts, and over 1,500 fasteners.

As for the remainder of the components needed to complete the car, most of those parts come from a C5 Corvette. First and foremost, the GTM Supercar is designed to receive GM’s LS series V8 from the American sports car, as well as its computer and exhaust manifolds. To add to the Koni suspension components provided in the kit, the GTM makes use of Corvette suspension components, minus the leaf springs and shocks, as well as front and rear brake assemblies. The fuel tank, radiator, wheels and tires, and wiring harness are also borrowed from the C5 Corvette to complete the major GTM design. Even things like seatbelts, oxygen sensors, mirrors and the vehicle speed sensor for the GTM are taken from a Corvette.

The only things that aren’t Factory Five or Corvette components needed for the build are a Porsche G50 or G50 variant transmission, thanks to the mid-engine layout, and the paint.

Morocco's GTM Supercar looks exquisite in black and red. Images: Angie Beaulieu- The Andover Townsman

So, with every bit of the GTM needing assembly, how long does it take to build this C5-based supercar? Well, for Massachusetts psychologist Dan Morocco, it only took him 18 months, but building the GTM Supercar was not his first rodeo. In 2004, Morocco actually completed another kit build, a plane that took seven years to assemble.

Now that Morocco’s GTM is complete, he intends to enjoy the car as Factory Five intended. According to the company website, all Factory Five cars are designed to be driven and enjoyed on a regular basis, rather than stuffed in a garage and barely touched.

Morocco has already put 130 miles on his car, driving it around town and to the beach. There’s no telling how fast that 130 miles has gone by, but we’re pretty sure it could have sped by at the speed of light if Morocco gave into the car’s tempting 0 to 60 times in the low 3-second range and 200+ MPH top speed.

Sure, you could buy an imported supercar and enjoy it, but something about building your own unique car that not every lawyer, celebrity, investor and CEO seem to own these days is more appealing. And with C5 running gear, what more could you want?

About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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