I am going to add an aftermarket one, so l need to remove the original, with minimal damage.

it snaps into place, use a crow bar and pry it off from the front.

factory? you mean the center one? mine was not factory it was standard..they just popped it in...
for me it is too low tho..but it does add that rear cup holder.

Chainsaw...any colateral damage will be a vast improvement.