Factory Five Racing, the Wareham, Massachusetts-based car designer and manufacturer founded in 1995, is set to an unveil a 9.5 liter LS-derived V-12 supercar code-named Project Romulan. They've already teased some pictures and specs of the engine and chassis but we'll have to wait until the 2019 SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV running between November 5th-8th to see the big reveal of the body.
While the Factory Five name might be more familiar as a clearinghouse of kit cars, the Cobra in particular, they've been cranking out supercars with proprietary chassis', such as the GTM and Project 818, for years now. So what's with the Romulan name you might ask? If you're a Trekkie, you know that the war-like race of Romulans are a genetically similar cousin to the Vulcans - think Mr. Spock. And since Factory Five benchmarked the Romulan against the Aston Martin Vulcan - lofty ambitions indeed! - the name seems apropos.
The chassis itself is based on the Type 65 car, which is a Cobra Daytona Coupe clone originally designed by Peter Brock to go ball's out on the world's fastest racing circuits. It's a solid front-engine rear-wheel drive two-seater that has proven itself against the world's best including the Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Murcielago, and Porsche Carrera GT, to name a few.
But the Romulan has a bit more under the hood than a Ford small block. The Romulan is powered by a 9.5 liter V-12 based on the venerable Chevy LS motor courtesy of Australian manufacturer V12LS.
The performance of this thing is nothing short of incredible. As noted in the video, the motor has a flat and deep torque curve at every-rpm pulling like a freight train. The dyno shop thought the machine was broken because they never saw numbers like this before. And it's naturally aspirated to boot. As if you'd need forced induction with 9.5 liters of that mammoth V-12 on tap!
I do however anticipate a none too small problem. Yes, the Type 65 chassis is a proven performer that has been updated and improved over the years. All the components have been well-matched, sorted and dialed-in just so ... but ... the Type 65 had either a small-block Ford or all-aluminum Coyote motor.
The Romulan on the other hand sports an LS V-12 with a cast-iron block! How much does that thing weigh? I can picture the Romulan, as pretty as it might be, plowing in and through every tight corner due to excessive understeer. Even if the body is a lightweight carbon fiber unit I believe that will do little to mitigate the inherent penalty of a giant cast-iron boat anchor on the front end. I hope I'm proven wrong but the words of Lotus founder Colin Chapman keep ringing in my head: "Simplify, then add lightness."
Buckle up.
(via Factory Five Racing and Road & Track)