LocostUSA.com

I hope that the reason Phil's not posting is that he's too busy driving his lovely little monster. Anything less would be just sad......

Hello All

Yes I'm driving mine . Had to wait a bit for the insurance to be affordable again . When I first got the ins. last year it was 1800$ for the whole year. Not bad considering I'm only insuring it from middle of may until end of september(4.5 months). Then I got a nice letter from the insurance . They wanted another 4000$ because I had 2 speeding tickets and a seatbelt offence(2 years previous) . I cancelled the ins except for fire and theft shortly after and had to wait until august this year , so that the 3 year period on the tickets had passed and they were removed.

I'm currently working on panelling in the trunk area, so I can stow some stuff back there. I've got one side panel done. Sides will be permanently riveted in place .I really hate to cover it all up as Its so easy to work on the way it is(and cool to look at), but the center section needs to be removable to remove the diff. So I'll make the center section removable with some Dzus fasteners . Maybe also a smaller removable panel to fill the gas so I can gain the area over the fuel cell . Or, I was also thinking of possibly extending the filler neck to exit on the decklid so the trunk didn't need to be opened to fill the gas. Haven't decided yet.

Phil

Having a nice storage area is great. Need some milk? No need to take the full sized vehicle...there is the perfect spot for it in the Locost.



If you don't mind me asking what kind of insurance are you using (standard vehicle or classic car) and is this pricing typical for Canada?

I've read about several of us in the lower 48 paying a fraction of that for 12 months of classic car insurance.

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-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

In Ontario, the only way I know of to insure a locost is through an insurance plan that insures "high risk" drivers or vehicles called Facility Association. It is a product of our "No Fault" insurance enviroment and is where you get insurance if no one else will insure you. Since the only way to title the vehicle here states its year as the year it was completed and issued a vin (2010 in my case), I won't qualify for "classic" car insurance for at least 19 years ,if ever. But thats OK because my insurance really only costs about 900$ a year due to the short "Locost" season here. I really have to be careful to avoid tickets (in any vehicle) though , as I have found out !

Phil

Have you tried http://www.Hagerty.ca? I have Hagerty in the US at ~ $160 per year for a $7k vehicle value. Albeit, I am licensed as a 1960 vehicle. They specialize in the old car hobby. I went to their Hagerty.ca site and tried to enter a 2010 car and it immediately triggered a "call this number" pop up. They may understand the nuances of the Ontario laws for self built cars. Worth a try.....

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

I was at 'Brits on the lake' a few weeks ago and was talking to a guy there from Echelon. He said that so long as it's a homebuilt and not a kit, they should be happy insuring (and at good rates too). I haven't actually phoned up to discuss it with them yet. They seem to specialise in classics & hobby cars, much like the place Chuck mentioned. I'll be adding Hagerty to my list too

My regular insurance company (Co-Operators) says that i'd need Facility Insurance and are looking into it for me.

For some reason the insurance companies here HATE kits. It's odd though, surely a kit is nicer to insure than a homebuild, right?

Tom...

I just called Echelon and was told that they do not deal with the public. I need to go through a broker.

I also just noticed on the hagerty.ca site...

"Hagerty does not offer insurance on inexpensive, home-built kit cars. Replica cars should duplicate vehicles that are no longer in production."

I wonder if "inexpensive, home-built" means the same as "inexpensive, home-built kit" to them.

Hagerty insures my Locost 7 and fake At-om in the US. They agreed to $15k and $25k, resp., based on photos.

The US and Canadian divisions seem to have different policies. Very strange- I guess the laws differ enough that is the way it has to be.

_________________
-Andrew
Build Log
Youtube

Hello man, love the locost, your build has really got me ready to build my own. I wanted to ask since im gonna use a similar output motor and staggered tires, how well does your 315s hookup, or do they at all

Hey Everyone

Sorry I missed that last question. My Vredstein 315's hook up real well with 330HP at the wheels. It's not 100% traction , you can feel some minor side to side squirming (even occasinally in 3rd gear at 120kph),but the car accelerates real well and doesn't leave any black stripes on the road or even squeal the tires. To be honest, I've never side stepped the clutch in the car , so in terms of drag racing , I don't know how well it hooks. But the independent rear seems to just squat and go. It was really noticable when the car was strapped down to the dyno last year how much it squats in the rear and lifts the front. I'm running really low tire pressures (16 lbs) and really need to go to a track to find the cars limits. I hope to get Corner weighting done this year and at least do some shoepolish type camber tests and play with tire pressures and shock settings . Steering effort is a bit too high with my fast rack ,12" steering wheel and the big 275s on front but it's manageable and will get either a larger wheel or reduce the caster a bit more . I was also planning on getting some lighter track rims and super sticky tires but until I start to explore the limits in the corners , what I have works great for the street and I have been pleasantly suprised by how well my cheap ebay tires have worked. When I eventually get around to it ,I'm thinking a sticky (r888) 225/50/15 or a 245/40/17 might be enough for the front of a 2000 lb car. Reducing unsprung weight is one of my goals for the fronts , but I'll probably stick with the 315/35/17 for the rears for peace of mind and try to get some lighter rims . Think I might spend the money on a cam upgrade instead for now(shooting for 400HP at the wheels) and that may change how I feel about the level of traction.

Normally this time of year , I'm preparing to thaw out by going to Florida for a couple weeks. This winter has been unusually mild here so no trips planned and the temps have been locost-able for a couple weeks, so after a couple of illegal short up and down the street rides , it was finally time to put the full insurance back on. Had a great 2 hour ride on Thursday in 26 C weather. Finally finished getting my tach wired up and it works flawlessly finally .


Phil

...am also in Ontario and have three cars insured with 'Lant' ... 'Silver Wheels'.... the '53 MG and '57 Wolseley are under their vintage package ($297 a year for both) and the Lotus/Centaur is insured under their 'Custom' coverage (different/replaced engine) .... and it is $200 a year....
Pretty open usage policy...can't use it for shopping, but Sunday drives....car shows....club runs, etc (I use the MG just about every day each summer).....

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gblawson (Gordon)
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http://gblandco.com/gb/cent/cent.html

Does the Lotus/Centaur have an assigned vin and a modern date of manufacture, or did you use the vin of another older vehicle ? It really matters in terms of insurance.

Phil

it is registered as a 1991 homebuilt....

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gblawson (Gordon)
......................................................
http://gblandco.com/gb/cent/cent.html

that explains it (1991 vin)
from the lant website
■Plan is available for collector vehicles used for hobby and/or collector car activities, occasional pleasure use and not used for regular transportation, in three Categories: Antique & Classic for automobiles 25 years and older, Special Interest for automobiles 15 to 24 years old and Modified/Street Rod automobiles 15 years and older.

Phil