Building an R1 Powered Seven: On the ground

Building an R1 Powered Seven

A few years ago I got it in my head to build a kit car. After months of searching I came across the Locost concept. In short, quite a few amateur hobbiests around the world have built their own Lotus 7 inspired cars from scratch, following plans available on a variety of Internet sites and published in a book by Ron Champion.

I started gathering parts and finally began building the chassis in July '05. In August '10 the car was titled, licensed and is now street legal. The following blog captures the progress of the build and driving experiences after completion.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

On the ground

I cleaned up most of the wiring yesterday and decided to lower the car onto the ground. Just pushing it around in the garage felt good. One more day to reinstall the dash, check the fuel and coolant lines, fill up with fluids, and I should be able to start the engine.

I still need to figure out what to do with the rear axles (Miata ones are too long). I sent a Miata axle to http://www.dutchmanms.com/ for them to take a look at. It will be $495/pr and a couple of weeks if they can match the splines. Assuming that works out there's a good chance I'll be able to take it for a spin in September...

Future racers: