Differences between the Mk1 and the present

[Gregt909]

Hi all,

I am currently in the market for a built car but I'm curious what the notable differences are between the various versions of the Factory Five roadster? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thx!

[CraigS]

The chassis was slowly but surely upgraded w/ each new version. The rear fenders got wider w/ the MkIII or 3.1 (I forget which) so 315s are easier to fit. The MKIV got an entirely new, and much more original looking body, along w/ further chassis upgrades. The most important is the front spindles that come w/ the MKIVcomplete kit. My personal opinion is that I wouldn't want one older than a MkII w/ the backbone that was added under the center console aluminum.

[68GT500MAN]

There were numerous (hundreds) of little and big changes made to the frame/body over the years. I have a MKII and love it. I know of several MKI and their owners would not sell theirs either. If you are looking to buy a built roadster, find the one you want no matter the version. If you want to build, there are still some early models for sale, but it would be nice to have all of the latest improvements.
Doug

[mikiec]

Look arround your area, you should be able to find some of each generation. I love my MK1. Never a fan of the II because of the issue of getting the tranny out after the car was built. Not a fan of the wider rear fenders of the MKIII. Love the look of the MKIV. Everybodys opinion will be different. Again look arround at the cars.

Mike

[Jeff Kleiner]

...I'm curious what the notable differences are between the various versions of the Factory Five roadster...

What is now referred to as a Mk1 was simply "the roadster" back then. Some of the notable changes were incorporated without fanfare during the production run prior to the formal introduction of the Mk2 (cars with many of those updates are often referred to a "tweeners", as in between Mk1 and Mk2).

The major additions to the Mk2 are the tubular backbone structure through the trans tunnel and footbox protection, adjustable rather than welded door hinges, revised and more easily adjustable upper control arms and a revision to the trunk tubing.

The Mk3 brought a change to the front crossmember to allow relocation of the steering rack for improved geometry, a revision to the tubular structure behind the cockpit as well as a widening of the body's "hips" to better accomodate wider rear tires, a removable transmission mount, further revisions to the front control arm mounts and steering shaft, and revised engine bay aluminum to accomodate the 4.6 mod motors.

The 3.1 was basicly a continuation of the Mk3 that came about with the introduction of the Complete Kit package. Some hardware changes came along at the same time; another revision to the engine bay panels in the driver's footbox area and a different steering shaft.

The Mk4 brought further updates with the most visible being the reshaping of the body to make the rear more accurate. The side body mounts were hidden as were the trunk hinges and the method of attachment for the nose is different than earlier versions. Chassis wise the front X member was changed to round tubing rather than square and the tubular structure behind the cockpit was revised due to the new body shape. The early Mk4 had a dropped trunk but shortly after production began it was changed back to a configuration more like the previous generations. Another significant change was the bolt in rather than welded panhard bar mount for 3 link rear suspension.

Looking for a completed car? Unless there is a specific feature of a particular generation that you're looking for my advice is to simply go for the best built one you can find and don't get too caught up on whether it's a Mk1, 2, 3 or whatever :)

Cheers,
Jeff