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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent outline on how to build a Seven replica, December 8, 2000
This review is from: Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It!, 2nd Ed. (Hardcover)
What a concept! Building your own car! With this book Ron Champion outlines a plan for building your own Lotus Seven/Westfield clone. Some sections may be not as detailed as some people would prefer but overall it is excellent and informative. There are lots of builders and discussion groups that readers could join and learn from. The most valuable part of this book, in my opinion, is how to build the frame. The frame is built from square section steel tubing and welding equipment is required. Parts like the nosecone, windscreen, etc. can be fabricated or bought. There are quite a few Seven clone manufacturers around the world. The 'for as little as..' part may be a slightly incorrect but its much cheaper than most kit cars. In the course of building this car the reader will have to learn a lot about suspensions, drivetrain and engine rebuilding, fibreglass work, etc. It's almost like an outline for a course in Motor Vehicle Technology! I must say that this is one of the best car books I have ever read and if you've ever had schoolboy dreams of building your own roadster type car then you've definitely got to get this book!
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Build your own sports car?....Sure can!, July 22, 2000
This review is from: Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It!, 2nd Ed. (Hardcover)
And you won't have to do it alone. This is not another 'how to' book,...This is a phenomenon! Like the orginal Lotus 'Seven' by Colin Chapman, on which it's based, interest in Ron Champions Locost 'Seven' has vastly exceeded it's creator's expectations and attracted a world-wide following of builders, planners, drivers and dreamers. So what does the book tell us? Everything we need to know to build a very desirable ('very', in this context, is supreme understatement) road-registered sports/racing car in the UK. Since the first edition of BYOSC, clubs, race teams, 'E'groups and individual websites have formed, all sharing experiences, helping source parts, find answers to builders' questions, and, for builders elsewhere, advise on variations or plan modifications required to comply with design regulations wherever you decide you've gotta have one. This co-operative system is well supported by the second edition book, which list's organisations, books, and specialists who can provide project support. It has been particularly helpful where different market conditions, environmental or legal requirements make sourcing of donor vehicles and parts as specified in 'the book' somewhat difficult. For instance, as a frustrated Aussie builder, I was referred to "E-groups-Locost" where fellow enthusiasts told me how to re-spec'with GM Holden and Toyota bits, so I'm now powering my first chassis with a Toyota 4A-GE 1600cc,DOHC,16valve,fuel injected 'V8killer'. There will be other performance enhancing modifications too, all made possible by the research and development of the support network, and the fact that Mr. Champions masterly design is capable of absorbing considerable 'tweaking'. (wait till the $40000+ Lotus/Caterham bunch see this one! )..... Probably the most glaring omission from this book is a warning of the addictive effect of reading it! Go on, read it anyway,...your build-project will add to the statistics that will help me justify my project to 'herself' when she realises that the steel tubing delivered last month is not going to be the new pergola she expected.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Primer, but lacking a little for some builders, August 20, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It!, 2nd Ed. (Hardcover)
The book (a second edition with some additions) details the build of the Locost (Low Cost) replica of the Lotus Super 7. It's a solid primer on the subject, complete with plans for building the chassis, panels, suspension, etc. However, the book was written based on stripping parts primarily from a Euro Ford Mk2 Escort (RWD). While the car was sold in the UK, and other parts of the world, this car was never sold in America. Americans wishing to build a Locost will have to get a little more creative in sourcing parts!Its an exciting read and I look forward to attempting my own Locost build (albeit with American-sourced components) at some point in the future.
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