By Dean Larson

Photos: Seller, Craigslist

I have to believe you’d be hard pressed to go faster for less money than with this Factory Five Type 65 Coupe build on Craigslist. Offered as a running and driving car with a 6.0-liter LS, boosted by a Garrett GT4294 turbocharger, this car represents a strong value for speed freaks at just $35,000.

So she’s coming up a little short in appearances, seeing as the body shows mold lines, there’s only one sidepipe and the wheels are missing their decorative spinners, but I think you’ll forget all those things with a prolonged stomp on the skinny pedal. These items suggest to me that the builder was a function over form individual, who didn’t see the need to focus time and energy on formalities just yet. So you’ve got a V8 with a single turbocharger? Well then why run a sidepipe on each side? The wheels are bolt-ons, so then why the decoration? With any amount of building experience, one can sure appreciate the approach.

And from a technical perspective, we’d say this guy’s killin’ it. Sure the Type 65 replicates a Shelby Ford, but ya just can’t beat the gritty horsepower achievable in a boosted LS. This one’s a LQ4 truck block, and the owner tossed out the original dished pistons for OE flat-top pistons, bumping the compression up from 9.4:1 to likely around 10:1.

But that’s a fairly conservative number, which is good, as the builder likely had forced induction in mind from the beginning, which necessitates a lower compression ratio than a hot N/A build. Coveted booooost comes in the form of a Garrett GT4294 with an air-to-water intercooler. The seller doesn’t give any horsepower or boost numbers for the current engine, but stated that his previous 5.3-liter mill in the car ran low 10s at 14 psi.

Gears are manually operated by a TREMEC T56 transmission with a twin-disc clutch, and an 8.8-inch axle houses 3.54 gears with a limited-slip diff out back. Suspension consists of a four-link rear with KONI coilovers on all four corners.

Other than that, I’d say this one is a “what you see is what you get” scenario. The next owner of the car will have some work ahead to make it more presentable, but it seems like you’d be starting with a really solid mechanical base.

So what do you think, are there ways to go much faster for $35,000? Of course there are. I know a couple guys with a Nissan S13 boosted to the moon that they clearly don’t have half that amount in. But are there easier ways to go fast for $35k? Probably not many on four wheels.

Check it out here on San Diego Craigslist.