Type 65 Coupe by Factory Five

The 1965 Daytona Coupe was a design marvel that captured the World FIA Championship for America.  Yet it never made it into production, with only six original Coupes being built in ’65.  In an article by Dennis Begley published by TheCarSource.com, Peter Brock was quoted as saying, "The Daytona Cobra Coupes were the last of the specials, a watershed point in race car design …"

The first Factory Five Racing prototype of the Type 65 Coupe, designed to replicate the look and feel of the 1965 Daytona Coupe, was completed in the spring of 2000 and production of  the chassis kits began September 2000.  

Engineering

The Type 65 Coupe features an aluminum and steel chassis with a 95” wheelbase, central backbone and full roll cage, and has a composite body shell.  The body is a two-part assembly consisting of a forward hinged nose and a rear cockpit and tail section.

The Type 65 is designed to use Ford 289, 302, or 351 Windsor engines.

The front suspension features upper tubular A-arms with coil-over shocks.  The rear suspension utilizes Mustang four-link solid axle suspension, with optional three-link and FFR independent rear suspension also available.

Unlike the Mark III Roadster, this component car kit cannot use parts from 1994 to 2004 donor Mustangs.  If one chooses to utilize a donor car to build a Type 65 Coupe, it will require a 1987 to 1994 Mustang 5.0.

Impressions

While the base kit is designed to use running gear parts from a 1987 to 2004 Mustang, it can be built using practically any combination of Ford running gear parts.  Although the Type 65 was inspired by the Daytona Coupe racecar, the Type 65 component car kit from Factory Five Racing can also be suitable for street use.

What Will It Cost?

The Type 65 Coupe kit costs $14,990, and can be built using original parts, all new parts, or a combination of Mustang donor parts.

The story behind the creation of the Daytona Coupe is forever associated with Carroll Shelby.  As the story goes, at the end of the 1964 racing season, Peter Brock of Shelby American began developing a “super coupe” with a 427 engine, capable of producing an additional 100 HP.  Working under extreme secrecy, the code name “Type 65” was used to conceal the identity of this new supercar designed to reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour.

As fate would have it, the Daytona Coupe never made it into production.  Only six original 1965 Daytona Coupes were built, and today they are easily worth well into the millions of dollars.

Currently, Factory Five produces four component car kits:  The Type 65 Coupe inspired by the 1965 Daytona Coupe, the GTM Supercar based on the Ferrari, and the Mark III Roadster inspired by the Shelby Cobra.  And for true die-hard racing junkies, Factory Five offers the Challenge Model, which is a professional racing version of their Mark III Roadster.