Open House at FFR
This past weekend was Fathers’ Day. ?Coincidentally it was also Open House on Saturday at Factory Five. ?The briefest suggestion of attending was willingly accepted by?Best Wife Ever (TM) and so a family road trip was conceived.
Packed the kids and wife into the car at 5:30AM and headed east. ?We soon were caught by four FFR Cobras with CT plates on I-84. ?We tailed them for about 15 miles but they were going faster than I was comfortable with (not for the MKX we were in, but that we were over the designated speed limit more than I would like). ?Sure enough, a State Trooper was soon on our/their tail and pulled over the first one in the convoy. ?The other three pulled over a few miles ahead to wait; we slowed down to the speed limit and continued. ?They would finally arrive at FFR after us anyway.
[gmap addr=”5 tow road, wareham, ma”]Factory Five, Wareham, Ma.[/gmap]
The Open Day was fantastic. ?Many Cobras (although FFR calls them Roadsters, likely to avoid further legal battles with Shelby Inc), some GTMs, Coupes, and newer Hotrods.
We were excited to see the official unveiling of the new kit being offered, a faithful reproduction of the original FIA Cobra. ?A narrower body and smaller 289 engine.
We also took a tour of the factory – Bean and I were impressed with their new cutting machine, an XY plotter cutting with CO2, the technician told us they use it very everything – from leather and PVC, to aluminium panels and sheet steel up to 1/2″ thick.
Lex had fun, getting her face painted and playing on the bouncy house.
I also got to meet up with Patrick Wyman and some of the Upstate Cobra guys – great to meet and share some stories. ?Patrick has a wealth of info I’m going to have to soak up – a great deal around NYS registration requirements. ?Although I’m still a way off that point. ?I’m really hoping that I might be able to get the car on the road for next summer … ?
After the Open House, we drove out to Plymouth and took a tour of the town, some lobster and fresh fish for an early dinner, then the 3.5 hour drive home. ?All in all … a grand day out.