From all the lurking I've been doing, here's what I've picked up...
1) IRS is more comfortable on the street, and more tunable, with the drawback that it takes a lot more planning and math. However, the new Book, due out next week, uses an IRS design that may either suit your needs just as well as the McSorley plans, or be easily adaptable to them. A compromise is a De Dion rear - the lower unsprung weight of IRS, but uses the same mounting points as the live axle.
2) Decide what your goal is for the car, and look for *anything* that fits. Regardless of whether your goal is 300+hp, or under $200, keeping your options as open as possible will help a ton. There are so many cars that work well as Locost donors, and no matter which one you choose, you'll end up sourcing plenty from other cars anyway. Miata seems to be the most "complete" single-car donor for the US market, with S-10 close behind. But I'm also keeping my eye out for pretty much anything with a Zetec, 4AGE, 60-degree V6, and so on - a compact, decently popular, easily RWD-able engine.
3) Forced Induction can be: Cheap, Reliable, Fast - Pick 2. There's no point if it's not fast, and cheap is a false economy if it breaks all the time, so really you're looking at a big chunk of change unless your donor is already turbo'd. You may very likely end up with more power for cheaper just by picking up a small-block chevy donor and building the car to fit it.
4) See 3. Imported motors cost a premium, have shipping costs added on, may have problems with your state's emissions laws, and finding parts to maintain, repair, or upgrade them could be a problem. If budget is at all a concern, stick to something common. It'll make the car go forwards just as well, but you'll be able to walk into Autozone and get anything you need for it, and throw keggers for the rest of your time in college with the money you saved.
Allow me to take this moment to caution you against street-racing. It's stupid and dangerous and a waste of a Locost. In any case, I personally feel that these cars are at their best on their own sliding through the twisties, or scything through the field on a track day at the local circuit. There's a lot more enjoyment to be had just taking them anywhere there's a corner than racing the kids in the car next to you from stoplight to stoplight on the local strip.
That said, if you have a good local legal racing scene, whether drag, autocross, or circuit, a well-sorted Locost will embarrass almost anything just by virtue of being about half the weight. An '07 Civic SI weighs ~2800lbs and has 200hp (and like, 3 ft-lbs of torque), a 4th-gen Camaro Z28 weighs 3400lbs with 300hp. Your little 1400lb Locost would only have to have 140hp to have a very healthy 1.3 pound per horsepower advantage over the Z28. Of course, other factors such as gearing and traction come into play, but you'll have a very solid base to start from no matter how you build your car.
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