From Crate to Cobra: One Man’s Factory Five Roadster Journey

Forty boxes, a steel frame with a fiberglass body, and a two-inch-thick instruction manual—that’s all Chris Durbin received from Factory Five Racing for his MK4 Roadster. To the untrained eye, the mismatched boxes and unfinished gel-coated body might seem unimpressive. But to Durbin, they represented a lifelong dream: the chance to build his ideal car with his own hands, from the first suspension bolt to the final coat of paint.

"I was born into the hobby," said Durbin, a mechanical engineer and lifelong auto enthusiast, explaining what drew him to build a pristine replica of the 1965 Shelby Cobra. "I grew up with a dad who was a mechanic," he added, describing how restoring old cars and all things automotive had been a major part of his life since adolescence. Still, like many gearheads, building a kit car from scratch remained an unchecked box on his bucket list.

When it came time to handcraft his dream roadster, Durbin turned to Factory Five Racing, a leader in custom kit cars since the mid-1990s. "No two FFR builds are quite the same," he said. “For example, my roadster has a Gen. 2 Ford 5.0L Coyote engine, while other builders opt for the traditional pushrod V8,” he explained. Once the engine and chassis are selected, the kit includes the necessary motor mounts, making assembly easier regardless of the configuration. “The client decides everything about the design, since they’ll ultimately be the one doing the building,” he added, referring to choices ranging from engine and chassis to interior elements like carpeting, switches, and gauge arrays—all easily configured to suit the builder’s preferences.

Though the project might seem daunting, Durbin loved every step. "Even though this was my first kit car, it was relatively easy compared to the restorations I'm used to," he said, referencing his previous project: a 1966 shortbed truck restoration. "With an FFR build, you get brand-new parts, bagged and tagged, with detailed inventory lists," he noted, praising the company’s precision and craftsmanship. "It's a lot easier than dealing with 50- to 60-year-old parts, often seized with rust and corrosion, and more than a little guesswork."

Durbin handled everything himself—from suspension work and riveting the frame to wiring and carpeting the interior—and still considered it all good fun. "I'm very particular about my work and drawn to projects that require attention to detail," he said, adding that he enjoys the challenge and immerses himself in projects he’s passionate about. "Altogether, it took me about three and a half months from delivery to the final coat of paint," he remarked, crediting his background and the convenience of having his office at the shop. "Putting in extra time before and after work helped speed up the build."

For those without an engineering background, Durbin pointed out that Factory Five Racing also offers a three-day build school at Mott Community College’s Regional Technology Center in Flint, Michigan.

"I wanted the original race car," Durbin concluded. "The ideal little car with a big engine—but I wanted to build it my way, with my own hands. And for that, there's nothing like Factory Five Racing."