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carbon
carbon Reader
10/11/13 2:11 a.m.

This guy is hilariously bad at driving! Car would be a weapon in skilled hands. rotrex hyabusa 7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0TQzBQ5EgY

Terrifying lack of ability to be driving that car on the road. Got to be the same guy, no mechanical sympathy, no concept, sooo un-smooth, horrifying lane discipline, car rocks though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44thTw9Pszs

carbon
carbon Reader
10/11/13 2:33 a.m.

This is what I'm talking about. So Good, So right. Turbo Busa powered dax-rush(7)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzLMBMbCYUk

carbon
carbon Reader
10/11/13 2:37 a.m.

Even better footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWE07IKJU98

carbon
carbon Reader
10/11/13 2:49 a.m.

And it'll sound like this at idle, and taching up for your very jealous friends: (beware, bike content)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRpy5gKLLDA

Cool turn around at the end too

JoeyM
JoeyM Mod Squad
10/11/13 5:19 a.m.
Moving_Target wrote: Gotcha. I've been also wanting to do a turbocharged project but I suppose it'll have to wait for a different project. Picture(s) of your '7' ?

Keith's locost, from the Car and Driver article

from the cover of his book

From the website

Sultan
Sultan HalfDork
10/11/13 7:53 a.m.
bgkast wrote: Not mine, but I will be starting a build soon:

I love the way this car turned out! Best looking Locost ever. I check the website regularly and the book looks close to being done.

Enyar
Enyar HalfDork
10/11/13 8:45 a.m.

If I ever wreck my Mustang this is what it would turn into...keep the pictures coming.

kreb
kreb SuperDork
10/11/13 9:09 a.m.

I sold her several years ago, and miss her constantly (Wow, Don't take that out of context!) I'm happy to say that the guys who have owned it since have driven the snot out of it, which is a testament to the basic goodness of the Brunton Stalker and hopefully my workmanship.

bgkast
bgkast HalfDork
10/11/13 9:26 a.m.

In reply to Sultan:

Im also waiting patiently. I have a power train, wheels and a build table in my garage waiting for plans.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
10/11/13 9:51 a.m.

There are a few pictures of my Seven at http://www.cheapsportscar.net. Like 1400 or so Looks like Joey beat me to a few of them.

...and the crowd favorite.

A coworker has a bike engined Seven. It's the black one from the Car and Driver article, only with a lot more mechanical work. It's proving to be more, umm, "maintenance intensive" than mine in a lot of ways, but it sounds amazing on track and is about a second quicker per lap. PITA on the street, though. No reverse and the trans really prefers hard charging over cruising.

I might take this guy to a Corvette club autocross tomorrow and kick some fiberglass butt. Always a good time

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
10/11/13 10:01 a.m.
Sultan wrote:
bgkast wrote: Not mine, but I will be starting a build soon:
I love the way this car turned out! Best looking Locost ever. I check the website regularly and the book looks close to being done.

I believe with the lack of cheap RWD donors, this will be the future of the Locost crowd. Bike engines are fun but have their drawbacks.

I will say this. Just think about the midlana with a Focus ST drive train.

kreb
kreb SuperDork
10/11/13 10:04 a.m.

I love the way the wheels look like they're leaning into the turn on that last shot. The Sevenesque popularity curve appears to be past it's peak in this country, but its progeny (Exocet, Catfish, Midlana, 818, et cetera) are looking pretty damn good.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
10/11/13 10:20 a.m.

I don't think Sevens ever did peak in this country, they've always been weird little cars in a sea of fake snakes.

Adrian_Thompson
Adrian_Thompson UberDork
10/11/13 10:24 a.m.
Keith Tanner wrote: I don't think Sevens ever did peak in this country, they've always been weird little cars in a sea of fake snakes.

IT"s funny, they seem to have gained popularity with time back in the UK. You always used to see a few around, but on my last few visits back you can see several in a week. There's even one I see from the next village over from my parents that is an only car, driven year round, even in the snow. Now that's dedication, or a serious lack of common sense, I'm not sure which.

Driven5
Driven5 Reader
10/11/13 11:06 a.m.
JoeyM wrote: Thanks. I still feel like it is a bit of a stretch to include me, but I'm happy to belong among the locosts.

Don't sell yourself short. Yours is simply a 'non-traditional' Locost build, but otherwise is actually more 'Locost' than most Locosts. In fact, your build and experience would be a great resource if shared over on the Locost forum as well.

JoeyM
JoeyM Mod Squad
10/11/13 2:21 p.m.

I have an account over there. Once the body is complete, I toss up a build thread as I get it runing.

FWIW, I looked a locosts a lot when planning.(I actually started the process by printing out the McSorely +442 plans.) Before starting the datsun, I actually photoshopped a mashup of a 7 and a model A

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
10/11/13 3:20 p.m.
JoeyM wrote:
Moving_Target wrote: Gotcha. I've been also wanting to do a turbocharged project but I suppose it'll have to wait for a different project. Picture(s) of your '7' ?
Keith's locost, from the Car and Driver article from the cover of his book From the website

70-0 in 141 ft? That seems llloooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggg

Autolex
Autolex Dork
10/11/13 3:36 p.m.

Even for a 2014 'Vette (146ft 70-0) this is REALLY short! (most people are familiar with 60-0, but this is a LOT less Kinetic Energy than 70-0!)

JoeyM
JoeyM Mod Squad
10/11/13 3:42 p.m.
Flight Service wrote: I believe with the lack of cheap RWD donors, this will be the future of the Locost crowd.

Pickups and SUVs are an untapped goldmine. If front engine-RWD locosts continue to be made, that seems to be the most readily available market segment for donors. (Just MHO)

turboswede
turboswede PowerDork
10/11/13 4:03 p.m.
JoeyM wrote:
Flight Service wrote: I believe with the lack of cheap RWD donors, this will be the future of the Locost crowd.
Pickups and SUVs are an untapped goldmine. If front engine-RWD locosts continue to be made, that seems to be the most readily available market segment for donors. (Just MHO)

I've been eye-ing the Ford Escape and other mini-SUV's with neat looking rear suspensions. Many of the truck front end parts are just too damned heavy, but you can still find parts from small sports cars if you look around hard enough.

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
10/11/13 4:18 p.m.

Uh what trucks (remember I am talking about near future)

Ranger, S10, Toyota, Nissan, Dodge? All the little trucks are gone or got the size of a 1/2 ton from 20 years ago. You might as well start with a Mustang or Camaro.

Let's name Ranger/S10 size rwd vehicles available for purchase today.

BMW 1/3 series, MB C/SLK, Miata, Mustang, Camaro, Challenger (being generous), Z car, Genesis Coupe, BRZ/FRS. Did I miss one?

So in order, why (too expensive), why (expensive and all autos), why (because Miata), why, why, WTF?, why, why, why/why?

I have never understood the "let's cut up a sports car to make an old looking sports car!" A Miata donor for a Locost (other than a specific class build) seems idiotic to me. You have a sports car, but you want a sports car?

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
10/11/13 4:37 p.m.
Autolex wrote: Even for a 2014 'Vette (146ft 70-0) this is REALLY short! (most people are familiar with 60-0, but this is a LOT less Kinetic Energy than 70-0!)

I was thinking 60-0 distances. The Caterham does it in 140 flat.

turboswede
turboswede PowerDork
10/11/13 4:38 p.m.

How about a Porsche 928 front suspension? They practically give the older cars away (hell, Javelin scrapped 2 or 3 of them not too long ago).

I still like the Circle track tubular arm and GM Metric front spindle solution as they are a well-known and well-established solution that you can get replacement parts for at the local swap meets and online. Perhaps not the lightest, but it can work.

A small solid rear axle is becoming hard to find though.

I think the Excocet is the way forward though as it allows you to use a single donor and get the car up and running fairly quickly. You can still customize it and even build a body for it, if you'd like.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
10/11/13 5:28 p.m.
Flight Service wrote:
Autolex wrote: Even for a 2014 'Vette (146ft 70-0) this is REALLY short! (most people are familiar with 60-0, but this is a LOT less Kinetic Energy than 70-0!)
I was thinking 60-0 distances. The Caterham does it in 140 flat.

At the time of the test, I think it was the shortest braking distance they'd ever tested for a road-going car. So no, not so looooooong The braking on that car is the strongest part of its performance. I'll put it up against anything with a license plate.

You wanna see long, check out the numbers for the other cars in that article. 213' for one of them

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
10/11/13 5:31 p.m.
Flight Service wrote: I have never understood the "let's cut up a sports car to make an old looking sports car!" A Miata donor for a Locost (other than a specific class build) seems idiotic to me. You have a sports car, but you want a sports car?

You're right, I should have restored it. After all, it had only been sitting outside in this condition for five years.

Seriously, older Miatas are getting rusty. It's the same reason so many AE86 Corollas got cut up before the drifters discovered them, they were mechanically tough, cheap and rusty. Nobody takes apart a good car to build one of these. The end result performs much better than the donor car too - my Locost and my Targa Miata lap our local track at very different speeds, but they have very different ways of going about it. And the Locost was a lot cheaper to build.

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