Differences between F5 Roadster vs Unique's 427?

[sneasle]

Hey guys! I'm new to the board, but I've been drooling over the FF Roadster for many years now. I fully had my heart set on one, but someone recently pointed me in the direction of Unique's 427 and 289 kits. Unique is actually local to me, only being about an hour from home, which is no causing me all sorts of confusion on which way I should go. That said, I won't be able to start one of these for a few years as I am about to be fresh out of college and starting a life.

However, I would like some input if anyone here has any knowledge about differences between the two cars. There are some obvious design differences based on what I can see on both websites, but beyond that there isn't a whole lot of detail out there. From what I've been able to find it looks like the cars would end up being about the same price once built to my "dream" goal so then the factors that play into the decision are design (stiffness, suspension performance, engine compatibility, safety, ease of maintenance/use, etc) and customer service/support.

[mrmustang]

Hey guys! I'm new to the board, but I've been drooling over the FF Roadster for many years now. I fully had my heart set on one, but someone recently pointed me in the direction of Unique's 427 and 289 kits. Unique is actually local to me, only being about an hour from home, which is no causing me all sorts of confusion on which way I should go. That said, I won't be able to start one of these for a few years as I am about to be fresh out of college and starting a life.

However, I would like some input if anyone here has any knowledge about differences between the two cars. There are some obvious design differences based on what I can see on both websites, but beyond that there isn't a whole lot of detail out there. From what I've been able to find it looks like the cars would end up being about the same price once built to my "dream" goal so then the factors that play into the decision are design (stiffness, suspension performance, engine compatibility, safety, ease of maintenance/use, etc) and customer service/support.

Both FFR and Unique offer factory support and their own forums. Stiffness, suspension, performance, engine compatibility, safety and ease of maintenance depends on what options you choose for each build. Seems to me as if you are fishing for an "us" vs "them" type of response, sorry, but those days are long over for most users/builders. Hopefully nobody will "bite" on your thread past what I just posted.

Bill S.

[sneasle]

Both FFR and Unique offer factory support and their own forums. Stiffness, suspension, performance, engine compatibility, safety and ease of maintenance depends on what options you choose for each build. Seems to me as if you are fishing for an "us" vs "them" type of response, sorry, but those days are long over for most users/builders. Hopefully nobody will "bite" on your thread past what I just posted.

Bill S.


Hi Bill.

I guess I can kind of see where you are coming from, but I'm not really looking for an emotional answer, I was just hoping there was someone here older and wiser then me who might have put some significant time into solid comparisons between the two when they were planning their purchase. I'm looking for a very logical response on the strong vs weak points for each car.

Maybe if I gave some more details on my build thoughts? I was thinking about a donor free build, utilizing the Coyote 5.0. If that ends up not being feasible, then the choice becomes much more difficult, probably some sort of 302 crate motor. Suspension, the Unique uses a Jag IRS rear, and most likely I would go IRS on a F5 also as this would be a sunday driver.

[mrmustang]

Hi Bill.

I guess I can kind of see where you are coming from, but I'm not really looking for an emotional answer, I was just hoping there was someone here older and wiser then me who might have put some significant time into solid comparisons between the two when they were planning their purchase. I'm looking for a very logical response on the strong vs weak points for each car.

Maybe if I gave some more details on my build thoughts? I was thinking about a donor free build, utilizing the Coyote 5.0. If that ends up not being feasible, then the choice becomes much more difficult, probably some sort of 302 crate motor. Suspension, the Unique uses a Jag IRS rear, and most likely I would go IRS on a F5 also as this would be a sunday driver.

Again it's what you make of the build, both have a solid base, both have a well engineered frame, both are top quality kits. Where they will differ is in the dollars spent, what is your intended budget?

Bill S.

[OCCPete]

Go check out Unique. Even if you go with FFR, it'll be worth the trip. You'll enjoy visiting with the Weavers and you can see what goes into their kit.

Unique is much more "original" than FFR: body shape, Jaguar IRS, inboard rear brakes, and set up for six-pin drive wheels standard. FFR is lighter and has more suspension options (4-link, 3-link, T-Bird IRS) and drivetrain options(4.6L, Coyote).

Pete

[SStrong]

Looking at their website, the product does look very interesting and is obviously great quality. Building one with their kit would probably be about $15,000 more than mine will wind up costing, using a donor 94 Mustang. But, the build time would be cut by about 80% with the subsystems already assembled and installed. Me, I am happy with the way I went, because I love doing the work myself, and figuring out how to do things (I got the base kit with about $2,000 worth of FFR extras and the $2,500 special). I am enjoying the time on the build, getting back into my hot rod days from the 60's. Also, the support from the FF community is priceless. If you get the FFR roadster, go to the build school. It is a great time and you will meet some good guys, aside from what you learn about the kit.

[edwardb]

This is a Factory Five sponsored forum, so hopefully you realize most on here have chosen Factory Five and may not be the most impartial people to ask. I can only give my side of the story. I chose Factory Five because of many factors. Many replica companies have come and gone, and a bunch of guys are driving orphans these days because the company they chose isn't around any more, my brother being one of them. FFR is the largest and by all accounts in it for the long haul. Add to that a quality product, with enough volume that they can continue to invest in improvements, plus a large and very helpful owner community won me over. Plus I had a lot of options to build it my way, fitting my design goals and budget. Not many other brands give you this much latitude. There are others, including Unique, that are probably more authentic to the original, but this wasn't a decision maker for me. I would challenge your point that FFR and Unique would be the same price. I find it very difficult to believe that Jaguar parts and service can be purchased as easily or cheaply as the various (mostly) Ford and widely available aftermarket parts in the FFR. But the best advice I can give, as others have, is to get out there and look at what's available in person, talk to the owners, ride if you can, etc.

[skullandbones]

Just for kicks, I went to the "Unique forum" and saw a rather interesting poll. It was asking what size wheels you have. At this time it had 85% saying they had 15 inch wheels. If you did the same poll on this forum, it would be heavily toward non 15 inch wheels. I guess there is a "more go for original" mentality there ( just a guess). But with components like a jag IRS, I would expect the prices for builds to be somewhat more than with the much more available GT parts for the FFR roadster. Looks like your doing yoiur homework. If I was going to pick one (and was a little less bias), it would be a close call. Good luck and good thread. Get to learn a little every day. WEK.

[MPTech]

Personally, I think the FFR is a better value, can be very competitive, and has more readily available components.
With after-market parts (and some customization) the car can be very original looking, but maybe not as authentic as a Unique.

but then again, I'm extremely biased and more informed on FFR.

What is your goal? have you written a plan of what you want?

Food for thought:
MPTech Build Plan (http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/264052-mptech-build-plan-revision-9-counting.html)

[smithtlw]

I think the FFR is superior with respect to performance/performance potential with reasonable effort:
Unique Frame:
10378
FFR Frame:
10379

The whole FFR product may not be as refined "out of the box" and it is up to you to add the level of detail desired. However, there has been much forum community development with regards to the performance aspect. Clearly, the FFR frame is more rigid and there is good documentation (backed by FEA) on how to make it even more so if desired. Even though Unique proclaims otherwise:

"A) Our frame is made with rectangular tubing. The main rails 2"x4"/.120 wall thickness. This makes a very strong frame, with virtually NO chassis flexing encountered. This is definitely stronger than round tube."

I am pretty confident there is no real engineering behind the above statement nor is there any reference to what the diameter/wall thickness round tube was used for comparison (I am sure there is a round tube it is stronger than). However, a 4" X .125" wall tube is stronger than a 2" X 4" X .125" wall tube in every aspect; torsion, bending, compression and tensile! It is unlikely that anyone has ever calculated the torsional stiffness of a Unique frame (not that it would be that hard to model). I am also confident that Unique is not using cutting edge CAD/CAE software in the design/refinement of their products. West Coast Cobras actually has a pretty good discussion on frame stiffness: http://www.cobrakit.com/Chassis/ChassisBasics.htm

There are also plenty of performance suspension parts that have been race proven for the FFR. Also, consider the replacement wear item cost and availability.

As said above, what are your intentions/desires? I am sure either can be made to meet your expectations. Part of the question is how much do you enjoy the build portion and making the mods you desire? How much of the work do you want to do yourself?

Take a look at the two assembly manuals - the Unique manual is 10 steps over 20 pages. The FFR manual is over 400 pages!

Todd

[CraigS]

In the original look department, the MkIV FFR body is much more original looking than previous versions. So we have moved into a better position vs. Unique than before.

[Garry Bopp]

I've got to chime in on this one ... I've owned an FFR MK3 and presently own an FFR Type 65 coupe. The Mk3 that I sold had an '04 Mach One DOHC 4.6 motor ... sweet driving, beautiful car. But when you opened the hood, it just didn't look right (yes, I'm a little bit of a purist). I ended up going with Unique because their body was closer to an original in appearance. If the FFR Mk4 was available at the time I was looking, I would have stayed with FFR. Having owned and driven both, I feel the frame and suspension of the FFR is superior to the Unique. The fiberglass bodywork on the Unique is outstanding, though. The Unique will be considerably more expensive than a comparably equipped FFR ... I know this from personal experience. I'm guessing that resale value of the Unique might also be a little higher.

The Weaver brothers are great people and they have a great company ... they have been in business for around 30 years and that says a lot. I really enjoyed working with them and whenever I have a question, or need a part, they respond in a very timely manner. My Unique is Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White with 15" wheels and an FE motor (as I said, I am a bit of a purist).

Whichever company you go with, you will end up with a wonderful replica of an iconic sports car that will bring a smile to your face just looking at it. But an even bigger grin when you fire it up and go for a drive!

Garry