“Jim pitched me on the idea of using the Factory Five product template on the Hot Rod.
In addition to performance that leaves something to be desired, most guys are forced to cobble together parts from a wide variety of companies and sources. Today, most hot rods are looks first and everything else a distant second. His excellent understanding of the Hot Rod market enabled him to see where there were opportunities for a “leap-frog” product. “Jim's ideas weren't limited to just designing a performance hot rod.
The idea of making a high-performance and comfortable daily driver '33 was exciting and that race rod sketch immediately came to mind. Dave Smith, president of Factory Five tells the long, but interesting story: “When Jim Schenck, our director of R&D, came to me with his ideas for a next generation hot rod, I was immediately impressed. Enter the people of Factory Five in Wareham, Massachusetts.
Where one person sees a challenge, another finds inspiration. If there was one challenge to all these projects, however, it was the unchangeable reality that, however beautiful the custom treatments made to the body were, beneath it all lay the “bones” of a now nearly 90 year-old automobile. It's no wonder then that so many hotrod builds began with a '33 Ford. The body proportions are perfect, the styling is simple yet beautiful (even better with a slight roof chop), and then there's that sloping curved grille many see as a true work of art. The special allure of the 1933 Ford coupe has long had a hold on hotrodders. “I really wanted to build a sports car that's about performance and driving fun as much as it is about looks.” - Jim Schenck, Director of R&D, Factory Five, in his book "The Hot Rod Evolved" To be sure you access all the more than 175 photographs, including a short walk-around-and-startup video, as well as a link to its clean, accident-free Carfax documentation, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.) (Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1933 Ford Factory Five Hotrod on a site other than, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations.