Introduction and Summary of Build

A Locost is a Lotus-7 replica built based on plans and ideas from the book Build Your Own Sports Car For As Little As 250lbs by Ron Champion.

The premise of a Locost is this- take a ‘donor’ car and build a new chassis and suspension for it’s engine and internals.By not including luxury items like doors, a roof, heating or AC, a radio, trunk space, you end up with a very light sports car. A Locost is the bare minimal. But by being so light, the Locost can accelerate quickly, turn easily, and stop on a dime. It is the ultimate driving machine for those who just want to drive.

Why build one?

«To keep me busy and out of trouble while at Georgia Tech
«To test my fabrication skill
«To be able to own a fun sports car on a minimal budget
«To learn to weld and work [better] with metals
«To have a goal and sense of purpose in my day to day life
«To spend more time outside and not killing my braincells watching tv or partying
«To meet new people and have an icebreaker
«To be able to drive something unique that isn’t an import with a 4″ muffler
«To teach myself budgeting skills
«Because I can

Who am I?

I am a student a Georgia Institute of Technology. I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. My true home is in Connecticut, near New Haven (think Yale). Since I was very young I’ve loved to work with my hands. I took everything I could apart and spend my early years building with legos, wood, and anything I could find. Now, I am a member of Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity at GaTech, where I live and have access to a metal working lot, and many tools and opportunities.

What else do I drive?

Currently, I have a 1985 Saab 900. It is a wonderful car, especially for being 22 years old. I’ve swapped the nicer “S” leather interior into the car, and replaced some worn parts with better junkyard parts. It has an 8-valve I4 engine that doesnt move the heavy car very fast, but it handles like a dream. It is truely a European touring car.

My first car was a 84(?) Nissan-Datsun Maxima but I didnt have it for long.

Next came a 1996 Subaru Impreza Wagon. With a 1.8 (EJ18) engine, and a stick shift, this car could hold anything with its fold down seats, and I never managed to get it stuck in new england snow (and I tried, with a shovel and ice). Peppy car, would have made a nice platform for a EJ25 (2.5 litre engine) swap. Many fun times in this car.

Contact Me

I can be reached via email: evolutionx@gmail.com

on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM): evox0ne (note the zero in 0ne)

or on the locostusa.com forums: username- eVox