Chris Leso has been into cars his whole life. When he was sixteen, he got a 1955 Chevy as a first car that he still owns to this day. He always had a dream of building an open-wheeled hot rod and it became a real possibility when he came across the Factory Five kit online.
It appealed to him instantly because of the low, stylized profile of the body and the mechanical engineering. It also had modern features like a tube chassis, coil over suspension, disc brakes, and power goodies, paired with the look of a traditional hot rod. He was also able to customize the car with a hardtop, open-wheel, and fenders for his own styling.
He spent three years building this car himself with help from his father on the paint. The interior was a custom job completed entirely by Chris. The paint work took about a year to complete. “It was a challenging build, but in the end, I really was happy with the result. It gets a ton of compliments at shows, and is a blast to drive” says Chris.
Chris Leso’s Factory Five 33 Hot Rod
- Small block Ford 302 at 325hp backed by a Ford T5 trans and performance clutch
- 8 Ford rear with 3.55 gears
- Custom Raceline wheels
- 18×8 and 20 x 10.5 wrapped with Hankook tires
- AutoMeter American Platinum Gauges (Discontinued, but Arctic White are similar)
Chris also does aftermarket automotive marketing through his company, Aggro Creative.
Photos by Mike Peters Photography.
