In a world of bench racers and big talkers, our cars, like our Company, consistently deliver. The facts are simple. Combine a rigid chassis, low vehicle weight, low centre of gravity, correct suspension geometry and components, and high horsepower/torque, and the result is simply mind-numbing acceleration, turning and braking. Let’s put the performance of the FFR Mk3 Roadster into real terms and compare it to other cars for real world reference.
First let’s pick a relatively routine build-schedule and a car that was put together properly but along the lines of an average customer project. We selected a car built by one of our engineers, Dave Riha. Dave built this car himself at night while he worked days at FFR. Dave is a mechanical engineer, but not a master mechanic.
Click here for a more complete description of the car and link to a photo gallery. Dave’s Roadster is an older Mk2 model with a 325 hp small-block Ford engine (302 cu in with aluminium heads and other common engine performance parts). His car uses an 8.8” Ford rear-end with 3.55 gears. Dave’s car was tested on the dyno and produced 298 hp at the rear wheels. The car runs a 3-link rear suspension with 3.55 rear gears and stock Mustang brakes (he has since upgraded his brakes after these test numbers were made). The car was tested on street tires (B.F. Goodrich G-Force T/A’s) by Car & Driver magazine in July 2004 issue.
In the real world of traffic lights and 70 mph speed limits, 0-60 mph is perhaps one of the most important performance criteria. In a contest of rear traction and horsepower to weight ratio, the Mk3 Roadster beats almost the entire exotic supercar field. You will simply own any traffic light. It’ll take the £425,000 Enzo Ferrari to better your FFR… by a mere three tenths of a second! You now have more than £100,000 per tenths of a second to make your car faster.
The 0-100 mph times and quarter mile times start to tell the horsepower story. The out-gunned Roadster amazingly hangs in for a strong third behind the Enzo and the Lamborghini or Viper, the latter two bettering the FFR by mere tenths.
With a power to weight ratio that can be as low as 3.5 lbs. per horsepower, FFR cars are capable of sub ten second ¼ mile passes. Fastest FFR ET’s to date have included a 10.380 sec effort by Greg “the wheelie man” LaPoint, at the 1998 Run and Gun Replica Nationals. The all-time champion so far has been Kansas City’s own Don Gibson who put his FFR Roadster through the traps at an amazing 9.96 seconds!
Road Holding/Lateral G’s.
This part of the story is rarely told and one of the most significant measurements of a cars handling and performance. FFR cars have routinely run in the 1.00 to 1.05 range on street tyres. Dave’s car was wearing fairly good street tyres and managed a clean 1.00G, putting it in second place at the skid pad! Read back through the last 25 years of Car & Driver and you won’t find but a handful of cars that can do this on street tyres.
What does this mean? It means that Dave’s car, and perhaps the one you build will turn as fast as it falls through the air! It means that on a track or a twisty section of road you will hold a line that others in lesser cars like a Porsche 911 (0.91G) will not be able to hold. These numbers are borne out in the real world by the staggering number of autocross wins FFR customers have racked up over the years.
At a vehicle weight of just over 2,000 lbs., we should have won this category or earned top honours. Dave’s car was using the stock Mustang brakes and the pedal feel takes some getting used to. We have had other cars test in the 150-160 range. Optional brake packages are readily available from the aftermarket.
Factory Five Racing 2008
