Replica cars are nice and all, but originals are, and will always be, the way to go.

Factory Five, one of the finest replica makers of Cobras->ke1356 and Daytonas in the business, is working on building their very own sports car, a new and original design that will be the basis for the very first "818 Sports Car" to be built.

To help in the brainstorming process, Factory Five and its co-sponsor Grassroots Motorsports, held a design-making contest for the future 818. The rules were pretty simple: each contestant was given a donor Subaru WRX, a space frame with a 95" wheelbase, and a target weight of just 1,800 lbs. Similarly, the design of the two-seater sports car had to give way for it to be built with a budget of just under $15,000.

After the contest, Factory Five and Grassroots Motorsports singled out Nouphone Bansasi as the winner of the competition with a design that offers a classic look on a modern two-seater sports car. For beating out over 700 entries, Bansasi pocketed a cool $5,000 for his efforts. In addition to Bansasi's winning work, Factory Five and Grassroots Motorsports also awarded Rodney Olmos second place, and Xabier Alibizu third place for their entries while a number of other awards, including several sponsor awards were given out.

Full specs and details of the future 818 Sports Car are still being kept under wraps, but at the very least, we have a pretty good idea on what to expect as far as the design language of the car is concerned.

Check out the video of Factory Five President Dave Smith presenting the winners of the Factory Five-Grassroots Motorsports Project 818 Body Design Contest after the jump.