How to build your own supercar for $20,000 + an old C5 Corvette

by Marshall Brain

The Factory Five body: It turns out that anyone could buy this body/chassis and use it as a starting point for building a supercar. The cost for the kit is $19,990:

The GTM Supercar

The GTM is an all-new American V-8 powered, mid-engined, original design with a stunningly beautiful hand-crafted composite body shell and a computer designed steel tube frame chassis. It is a fantasy Supercar engineered to be affordable and bring the dream of owning such a car to people whose talents and craftsmanship outrun their bank accounts.

To complete the car that Factory Five intends, you need to canibalize parts from a C5 Corvette (1998-2004 vintage) – things like engine, brakes, wiring harness, steering wheel, etc. You also need the transmission and transaxle from a Porsche 911 (1990-1998 vintage).

But what the Capstone CMT-380 supercar demonstrates is that the Force Five body can be adpated in other ways to make, for example, a hybrid electric supercar.

This photo essay demonstrates how the GMT kit is turned into a car. See also this.

This video shows the GTM body/frame modified by Heatco to handle a 1,000 HP engine:

Car and Driver has reviewed the Force Five GTM and has this to say:

2007 Factory Five Racing GTM LS7

Although we were initially nervous when handed the keys, the GTM proved remarkably stable and user-friendly, a great relief. At the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Drivings racetrack in Chandler, Arizona, the GTM behaved opposite the Z06 in that it was almost impossible to slide the tail. We suspect this reluctance toward oversteer was the result of a cautious chassis setup applied by the Factory Five boys, but that could probably be changed with some tuning.

Then again, a little apprehension is not a bad thing to bring along in a car that rips to 60 mph in three seconds flat and clears the quarter-mile in 11.0 seconds at 132 mph. And that, amigos, is quicker than a Porsche Carrera GT, a Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano, and, yes, a Z06. The GTM sticks, too, pulling 1.05 g on its grippy DOT race tires. Its only in the braking department where the GTM isnt a giant killer. Without anti-lock brakes, it required 166 feet to stop from 70 mph, about 10 more than youd expect in a good sports car. Where else are you going to get that kind of smack for 60 grand?

If your dream is to build a supercar, the GTM may be your easiest starting point.

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