Factory Five, with their one-of-a-kind replicas, have resurrected some of American endurance racing’s most legendary names. Some of these include the 289 and 427-fitted versions of the Shelby A/C Cobra, and Ford’s GT40, along with the GTM Supercar, Factory Five’s own original creation.

The best thing about these high-end “replicars” is that they can be custom-fitted with any drivetrain imaginable, while maintaining the integrity of the original car. As the custom-builder’s website proclaims, this is not a car that you will see a lot of at your local Starbucks, and it’s definitely not a car that’s built for every person, but only what Factory Five considers the most “hard-core car guys.”

And not every “hard-core car guy” will be able to distinguish the Daytona Coupe as – specifically- a Factory Five creation; though staying true to the original Shelby Daytona platform, Factory Five uses chassis and suspension components that far outperform those of the original race cars used in the 1964-65, FIA racing series.

The lightweight racer that Factory Five’s Daytona Coupe is based on is the original Shelby Daytona Coupe, a car from Shelby American of which only 6 units were built from 1964-65. Before what Factory Five calls the “mega-money” took the American endurance race scene away from the private sector, Shelby built the Daytona Coupe as a hardtop car that was loosely-based on the A/C Cobra roadster chassis.

Designed to compete against Ferrari in the FIA GT category, the Daytona won races at such legendary circuits as Sebring and LeMans, and was pushed to the finish line by such legendary drivers as Dave McDonald and Bob Holbert. The Daytona would end its racing career by setting 25 USAC/FIA world records at the Bonneville salt flats, and Shelby would be re-assigned to the GT40 project, also designed to compete against Ferrari.

Factory Five’s Daytona Coupe replica does enhance the original in terms of platform and suspension, but it never alters the incredible sense of racing heritage that is implied by the original, Shelby Daytona Coupe’s design and construction.