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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: December 23, 2020, 10:28 am 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

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Single-seater Miata based 1930's single seater kit:
https://tipo184.com/

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Even comes with an exhaust header with 8 ports in case you want to swap in a straight-8, hah...

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PostPosted: December 23, 2020, 11:00 am 
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I love it. Not 7500 pounds love, but still...

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OOPS I did it again
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PostPosted: December 23, 2020, 12:02 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

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Part of me asked, "why didn't I think of this?" Well as a business venture, it has promise, but I wouldn't want one because the driver is (IMO) vulnerable, and because it's a single-seater. I'd want to be able to share whatever I build.

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PostPosted: December 23, 2020, 2:39 pm 
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I watched Ant build the prototype "?" on his TV show. He already had the molds in his shop in the UK. His proto was built on an MG TD chassis. I would bet that his 'guys" back in the UK just built a chassis based on the Miata. IMO, the Miata version looks a lot more like a kit car than the prototype did, due to the exposed suspension and lack of the oversized (fake) rear drums.

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 8:13 am 
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I like how it's divided into packages that you purchase along the way. I've loaded up a Factory Five kit a few times and gotten sticker shock. Spreading the build out a grand or two at a time over a couple years is more palatable to a lot of people than saving up a grand or two at a time over a couple of years and then plunking down the whole chunk at once.

I've watched the first few episodes of his show but didn't realize there was a kit coming at the end of this. Now all of his waxing poetic about what an amazing, life-changing experience it is to build your own car, and how it's a blank slate and you can make anything you want and anyone can build their own car makes more sense. I mean, it is a little bit ironic that what he talks about is building your own car from scratch, and what he's selling is a kit where you assemble your own car from prefabbed parts. :P

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 10:18 am 
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Laminar wrote:
I like how it's divided into packages that you purchase along the way. I've loaded up a Factory Five kit a few times and gotten sticker shock. Spreading the build out a grand or two at a time over a couple years is more palatable to a lot of people than saving up a grand or two at a time over a couple of years and then plunking down the whole chunk at once.

I've watched the first few episodes of his show but didn't realize there was a kit coming at the end of this. Now all of his waxing poetic about what an amazing, life-changing experience it is to build your own car, and how it's a blank slate and you can make anything you want and anyone can build their own car makes more sense. I mean, it is a little bit ironic that what he talks about is building your own car from scratch, and what he's selling is a kit where you assemble your own car from prefabbed parts. :P


Not everyone has our skill set.

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OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 11:46 am 
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KB58 wrote:
Part of me asked, "why didn't I think of this?" Well as a business venture, it has promise, but I wouldn't want one because the driver is (IMO) vulnerable, and because it's a single-seater. I'd want to be able to share whatever I build.


Yes. Also, making it street legal will make it less pretty, and most track-day organizers won't accept open-wheeled cars. So I'm honestly kind of surprised at all the excitement over such a limited market.


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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 11:50 am 
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Laminar wrote:
I like how it's divided into packages that you purchase along the way. I've loaded up a Factory Five kit a few times and gotten sticker shock. Spreading the build out a grand or two at a time over a couple years is more palatable to a lot of people than saving up a grand or two at a time over a couple of years and then plunking down the whole chunk at once.

I've watched the first few episodes of his show but didn't realize there was a kit coming at the end of this. Now all of his waxing poetic about what an amazing, life-changing experience it is to build your own car, and how it's a blank slate and you can make anything you want and anyone can build their own car makes more sense. I mean, it is a little bit ironic that what he talks about is building your own car from scratch, and what he's selling is a kit where you assemble your own car from prefabbed parts. :P


While this may not pertain to Ant's kit car venture, there have been many startup kit car companies that have either gone belly up overnight, or the proprietor has passed on with no "business plan" for continuing to business. If a person were to spread out the orders over time, they may find themselves with only half a kit and no source for the rest of the parts. It may be prudent to just wait and purchase all the kit at once. Larger, well-established companies like Factory Five are less likely to disappear overnight. At least that is how I would approach it.

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Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 11:52 am 
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Laminar wrote:
it is a little bit ironic that what he talks about is building your own car from scratch, and what he's selling is a kit where you assemble your own car from prefabbed parts. :P


I don't have a problem with that. My first build was a Stalker V6 (#24). The manuals were laughable (At the time. No reflection on the current product). And as a guy with limited mechanical experience, I found it to be very stimulating. Also, I thrashed it for three years and sold it for what I had into it, whereas scratch-builds usually have to sell for an unfortunately low price. So a kit fills a very important niche.


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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 12:36 pm 
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Mid-Engined Maniac

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Laminar wrote:
... it is a little bit ironic that what he talks about is building your own car from scratch, and what he's selling is a kit where you assemble your own car from prefabbed parts. :P

Agree, but his comments were directed only at himself I think, for what he experienced. What he provides to others later on doesn't detract from that experience.

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 12:39 pm 
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kreb wrote:
... making it street legal will make it less pretty, and most track-day organizers won't accept open-wheeled cars. So I'm honestly kind of surprised at all the excitement over such a limited market.

Fortunately, trackday organizers haven't given me a hard time (yet) about running my "Seven" without fenders. My comment was more about the complete lack of rollover protection. I saw an old photo of a car much like that one, sitting upside down on a dirt track, flattened down to the main chassis. You could just barely see the driver's fingers sticking out the bottom, which just about made me ill. That said, there's an argument to be made against roll bars and cages for a car driven on the street. I get it, but still want a cage.

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Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


Last edited by KB58 on December 29, 2020, 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 1:36 pm 
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TooBusy wrote:
Not everyone has our skill set.


Tell that to Ant! They talk about it in the show. "Ant, there's no way my mom could build a car." "Give me a morning or a day with anyone and I'd have them MIG welding pretty well, yeah?"

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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 3:23 pm 
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Laminar wrote:
TooBusy wrote:
Not everyone has our skill set.


Tell that to Ant! They talk about it in the show. "Ant, there's no way my mom could build a car." "Give me a morning or a day with anyone and I'd have them MIG welding pretty well, yeah?"


As if MIG welding were the only skill necessary.


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PostPosted: December 29, 2020, 3:28 pm 
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nevermind, I was getting sanctimonious.


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PostPosted: December 30, 2020, 9:40 am 
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Laminar wrote:
TooBusy wrote:
Not everyone has our skill set.


Tell that to Ant! They talk about it in the show. "Ant, there's no way my mom could build a car." "Give me a morning or a day with anyone and I'd have them MIG welding pretty well, yeah?"


In a morning I could have someone sticking stuff together pretty well with MIG as well. What you can't teach in a morning is how to set up the machine and then change to a different material gauge and dial it in.

I watched all of Ant's show and Wifey Dearest got irritated with me constantly correcting him. Lots of made for TV drama in all the car shows that pizzez me off.

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OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


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