We attended the Factory Five Huntington Beach Cruise-In at the end of April, and though there were literally hundreds of cool cars we couldn’t help but to pick our favorite car from five different categories:

This Type 65 Coupe was our Honorable Mention because it was pretty amazing.

• Under Construction: cars that aren’t complete, but are in any stage of completion.
• The 33 Hot Rod: coupe or convertible, both were included in this entry.
• Type 65 Coupe: the Shelby Daytona kit car.
• Mk4/Challenge Car: this included any Shelby Cobra roadster kit car.
• GTM/818: included both of these exotic-looking kits

Picking our top five was difficult, but we managed to find one from each category that stood out and caught our attention. Were they the best? That’s a matter of opinion, because all of the cars we saw were pretty cool and some were over-the-top amazing. Below are our favorites from the 8th Annual Cruise-In at Huntington Beach.

Favorite Under Construction

There were a few cars that were under construction, some had progressed a bit further along than others, but we had to choose one and it wasn’t easy for this decision. On the surface, it may appear that we were a little biased, but promised ourselves that the decision was going to be unbiased and honest. Seeing a car without a body (or without a completed body) left a lot to the imagination and very little to go on.

Those stacks and ITBs created a bit of a crowd most of the day.

We saw a couple of cars that had just about the whole interior, with the engine, transmission, and suspension all bolted on waiting for a body, and that is what made the decision the hardest. How do you compare a car that is just a bare rolling chassis with a little bit of eye candy to another one that has been plumbed, wired, upholstered, and powered? Nonetheless, when it came to this favorite we looked not much further than the engine sitting between the rails.

With that said, the Challenge car that belongs to Mark Gearhart of Corona, California, was our choice. We knew a bit about the engine, and we got to see the renderings of the completed car, and it was enough to make just about everyone around it drool. The Coyote engine was adorned with eight throttle bodies with billet injector stacks, and a set of wide tires mounted to custom wheels that made us want to sit in it – even without the seats or interior.

If you haven’t guessed, this is our own Project FFR Cobra Jet Challenge car that has been undergoing the build process from a home garage, with a Bendpak lift to hold the chassis in place while the suspension and inner body panels are attached. We did have a second and third favorite, and they were so close that if Gearhart had made one sly comment he would have lost the decision – which had nothing to do with the fact that he’s my boss.

Favorite ’33 Hot Rod

We saw this car last year and this is where a little bit of the bias does come into play, and for good reason. The Upland, California, hot rod belonging to Bob Warren was a big stand out in the crowd last year, and it was the car that immediately drew our attention this year, too. It’s red, it’s big, it’s loud, and it’s blown.

We knew we weren’t the only ones drawn to the car, some may have been drawn in like we were because of the blown ZZ3 Chevrolet Performance crate engine, or they may have just been drooling over the polished metal that stacked up between the cylinder heads.

Warren told us, “We started with a ZZ3 crate engine, but with an 8-71 blower on top of that 383 stroker it just wasn’t handling it the way we wanted. So we went back and bored it out to 402 cubic inches and that worked just fine for us.” With just two years of ownership on this car, it didn’t take long to work out the bugs and find the combination that worked – and as usual that combination was “more power”.

Favorite Type 65 Coupe

This is the car that we usually see in silver, white, or blue, and most people stay true to the heritage of those six cars that were built specifically to compete with the Ferrari 250 GTO. With only six original Shelby Daytonas built, the price of those cars has always been pretty steep, only to skyrocket in the past decade to unbelievable prices.

Looking fast just standing still.

We drool at the mere sight of a Viking Blue or Guardsman Blue Daytona kit car, but going in a completely different direction all the way around was Don Vaught from Manteca, California, with his orange metallic Type 65 Coupe. When we say this car was different, that is an understatement because even the engine choice strayed far from the norm.

The original Shelby Daytonas were powered by a Ford 289 with four IDA Weber carburetors making about 390 horsepower. Most of the Type 65 Coupes that we see have a small block Ford powertrain, usually a 5.0L or a 4.6 mod motor, but Vaught decided to be different altogether and put something with some brawn under the hood.

The old school 351 Windsor Ford was punched out to 410 cubic inches, and since Vaught likes to put lots of miles on his Type 65 Coupe, he added a couple of creature comforts. During the long, hot drives through the desert regions, he sits comfortable with the air conditioning turned up, and to relax his right foot on the skinny pedal he installed cruise control. These cars, staying true to form, have just a small slider window on each door, and seeing cruise control and power steering made us realize that the only reason for creature comforts is because the car is driven regularly.

Favorite Mk4 Roadster/Challenge Car

Since both the Mk4 and Challenge car are based on the Shelby Cobra, we combined them into one choice and for us the choice was simple. We had a couple of friends there and when we mentioned our favorite Mk4 it was unanimous and the same answer came back from everyone we talked to: “that dark gray one with the black and red stripes.”

Powered by a Coyote 5.0L crate motor and driven hard with a Whipple screw-type supercharger, this color coordinated Mk4 Roadster just exuded details, uniqueness, and fun. Car owner Mike Dingman from Moorpark, California, says he’s only had it on the road for a couple of years. He painted the unique striping because he wanted to be different, and for that we say mission accomplished, and then some.

He hasn’t raced it at the track yet, and that had us curious how it would do with the obvious power-to-weight ratio, considering the supercharged Coyote. The wheels and tires were the way we like them: nice and fat, and the car looks every bit the performance car that it has the potential to be. All it takes is a trip to the local racetrack, a few right and left turns, and we’d say you have the makings of an awesome weekend warrior that can get you anywhere you want to go in a hurry.

Favorite GTM/818

We don’t always see as many GTMs as we’d like to, and even fewer 818s, but this year there was one that stood out and had just enough hair on its chest to make us take notice. With a bright yellow paint job, a wicked carbon fiber spoiler, and LS power under the rear bonnet, the GTM belonging to Michael Bivens of Rancho Cucamonga, California was at the top of our list.

When we first arrived we saw the full race version parked up front and although that would normally be our choice (because racecar) we wanted our favorites to be cars that can be driven regularly, not just every other Sunday.

Bivens’ GTM was powered by one of the more popular engines we’ve seen in the GTM – the LS – and had a FAST LSXR intake system with a Borla exhaust. The bright yellow paint and the APR Performance carbon fiber wing made it stand out, but the real attention was how the engine bay looked with the aluminum panels and the four square-ish Borla tips. Inside, the car was just clean with an uncluttered look that had that “open for business” feel to it.

If you still haven’t gotten enough after just these six cars (and who would?) be sure to check out our show coverage from Huntington Beach last weekend. There were lots more to make you drool, and it was more like a party in the streets than a car show.