Factory Five 818. The Subaru that you have always wanted but didn't know it existed.

When Subaru and Toyota released the BRZ and the GT86 most of the gearheads hyped about this idea and felt excited for the fact of having the marvels of the subaru’s flat-four engine mixed with the charm of the rear wheel drive. Even if it did not have a turbo, or if it was not as powerful as some vehicles that could be found on the market, the idea of driving a car for fun rather than for being the first came back to the minds of many gearheads.

Nevertheless there were some who were more ambitious and said “power is never enough”. So we started to see crazy modifications on these vehicles. From installing big turbos, or also superchargers, or even mad engines swaps like installing the ones from a superbike or even better, putting a legendary 2JZ to make a tribute to the mighty Toyota Supra with a lighter body.

The thing is that some are not ambitious but crazy. Someone in United States decided it was a good idea to fit the engine of a Subaru Impreza in the middle of a tubular chassis that is a bit bigger than a Lotus Exige.

Factory Five seems to be that place where some mad people work to make this dream come true. The brand was created in 1995 and was settled in Pennsylvania. However their latest creation, the 818, was presented at SEMA in 2012. It receives its name due to the weight which is only 818 kg!

They offer three versions of their car: The 818 S which is the convertible model has a base cost $9900 USD, the 818 C which is a Coupe version and costs $12900 USD, and a 818 R which is a track spec model and costs $10900 USD.

“WOW! They’re very cheap! Give me three and I don’t buy that Impreza I had in my mind.”
Sure! Just don’t forget to buy a Subaru engine which doesn’t come with the kit they sell.

What Factory Five sells is a kit which includes tubular frame with aluminum chassis panels, all the body panels, rear and front suspension with the steering, part of the fuel system without including the fuel pump and lines, cooling system to adapt the Subaru’s radiator and exterior and interior trims.

So if you are looking for a project this might be a good choice. Just look at their webpage and check if there is any kit you like.