Locost USA may be down for the count

The site is down again, which has happened before but never this long, which doesn't bode well for its return. It's a shame, as it was a thriving place for builders of "Lotus Seven" - Locost - type cars. There were a few people on there that kept things moving along and kept enthusiasm high for such projects. Gradually though, times seem to have changed, with fewer and fewer new builds appearing. A few reasons why might include: gradually tightening emission regulations; the ability to buy something faster off the showroom floor; the thinking that it's too much work; people being less handy that we once were; not having a proper garage to build in. Additionally, the founder of Locost USA passed away a number of years ago, and that let some of the steam out of the site. Another member who posted almost daily for 13(!) years about his 5.0-powered Locost build was just short of completing it when he suddenly passed away - RIP Lonny. Someone took over the project but without the site up, who knows if it'll get completed. I had Kimini and Midlana threads on there as well, but - fatalistically perhaps - also have my own site because, well, sites come and go.

It's not just a regional thing. A buddy in the UK said that he's seeing a similar shift there as well. Kit car shows, once highly attended events, are a shadow of what they once were. Given that the UK is pretty much the home of self-built sports cars, we may be seeing the end of a once-quirky but interesting corner of the automotive world. (Somewhat related, the thread here of kit car shells for sale cheap provides some additional insight of how few large projects like these actually get finished.)

Some states (at least TX) no longer allow you to title a kit car...

I know for me personally, especially being in Oklahoma where the vast majority drive huge trucks/SUVs, or jalopies that I'm not sure have functional brakes, I'd be concerned with safety in one of those everywhere except a track. 

We had a handyman come by last week to take care of a few things I hadn't gotten around to yet that needed to be taken care of. The roof of my BRZ was BELOW the door handle on his Dodge Ram. When I had my NA track car, I took it to brunch one time. Pulled up next to a lifted truck, my eyeline was BELOW the bottom of the door. 

I'd still love to build an Exocet as a track rat though. 

It all started going downhill when that Kurt guy sold off his cars . But seriously, one could find a bunch of reasons. For builders, a 7esque is often a gateway build.  Once you've done one, you're likely to want to move on to something more complex. Personally I can handle the noise and buffeting, but the consequences of having the (incredibly light) longeron pressed right up against my hip is scary to consider if a significant crash occurred. Another thing is that the sort of performance that a seven offers isn't so unique anymore. 20 years ago, when I was actively in the Sevens world, There was very little on the road which could run with it, performance-wise.  Now speed is everywhere - even in sedate sedans. 

z31maniac said:

I know for me personally, especially being in Oklahoma where the vast majority drive huge trucks/SUVs, or jalopies that I'm not sure have functional brakes, I'd be concerned with safety in one of those everywhere except a track. 

I bought a mostly-completed locost from the builder at one point and drove it a few times.  Yeah, not driving it on the street due to trucks/etc, but I'm not taking it out on a big track either.  Perhaps I'd feel different in a Caterham race car, but I was not comfortable with the lack of structure between me and the tire walls.

My intention was to autocross it, but by the time I had fixed some of the glaring problems with it my preferred autox club had imploded so I sold the car.

Noooooo!

I think the Exocet really took a lot of the potential Locost builders. It's not pretty or quite as light but it's significantly easier to build with a lot of off-the-shelf performance parts available.

I miss my Locost. It was a great little machine and I learned a lot from it. It was never a good street car but that wasn't what it was for. It was replaced by a caged Miata that wasn't as pure but which made more sense for me. My car was sold to a friend and has been sleeping for a few years, I want to go resurrect it someday. 

There are plenty of lifted and giant trucks here in KC, but I drive my classic Mini everywhere......they don't bother me.

Plus I feel like the extra lightweight maneuverability of the Mini should let me get out of the way if needed. Probably a fool's mentality, but at least I'm having fun with my car.

Life is too short to drive boring cars!

More to the point, I'm still building my rear mid-engined Mini, and when it's done I intend to drive it too!

The current owner posted earlier on the Locost USA FB page that he was working with tech support to get it back online. That in the first week, so obviously hasn't been going well. But one comment he made was also about having gotten access to, and being in the process of, downloading the entire site. So hopefully that means it should be able to be brought back one way or another.

But yes, barring some new driving force coming along, I think you're right that the kit car niche seems to be receding and will probably continue to do so as the automotive world continues to evolve.

In reply to Driven5 :

It isn't receding so much as shifting. This is Factory-fives new cash cow:

And these suckers have gotten real big as well:

budget_bandit said:

Some states (at least TX) no longer allow you to title a kit car...

You can title a kit car in NJ, but it has to pass emissions and safety regulations for the current year. No way I could make a Lotus 7 clone pass 2024 safety regs.

I purposely left out kit cars. That industry has had a real tough time, but some - Cobras specifically - seem like they'll stick around forever. I was speaking mainly about how the number of builders taking on from-scratch builds seem to be fading away. I count myself fortunate that I got to experience it, twice.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

It all started going downhill when that Kurt guy sold off his cars ...

Yeah I know that guy, kinda sketchy and always off onto something new. One reason - the main reason for me - is how traffic became so heavy that it sucked all the fun out of driving any hardcore sports car. That was the breaking point when i realized "this isn't fun any more." I left it off the list because it tends to be a city issue and doesn't affect most driving areas. All the other points... yeah, they aren't going away.

I am a lurker, here and on other car websites. LocostUSA is the least active, but most varied in the scope of the projects pursued. The gamut of cars being built is amazing. I have not found another site with such knowledgeable frame designers of front or mid engined cars. Even a monocoque! I do hope the site returns to working.

Personally, these forums go a long ways in reducing the isolation that many builders experience. I think if folks had more contact it would help in keeping the momentum going.

Keith Tanner said:

I think the Exocet really took a lot of the potential Locost builders. It's not pretty or quite as light but it's significantly easier to build with a lot of off-the-shelf performance parts available.

I think that the DF Goblin may have had even more people forego the scratch-built route.

https://www.dfkitcar.com/

kb58 said:

I purposely left out kit cars. That industry has had a real tough time, but some - Cobras specifically - seem like they'll stick around forever. I was speaking mainly about how the number of builders taking on from-scratch builds seem to be fading away. I count myself fortunate that I got to experience it, twice.

I've enjoyed being a part of the Locost USA community for years and I'm also glad that I experienced the scratch building process twice. I've been planning out my 3rd, which may likely be my last:

https://midixsportscar.wordpress.com/

I don't think I would have finished (or started) my seven if the locost forum hadn't been there as a resource and constant stream of ideas. Hopefully it's not gone. Picture included as per unofficial rules. 

I hope it comes back. I know there would be no way I would have been able to build my Locost without the group there and I still go back to look up ideas on ways to improve my 7.  I thought it might be a good idea for the guy that bought KineticVehicles to take control of the forum as a way to promote the company. 

I didn't do a scratch-build, but the Stalker V6 "manual" was a complete joke. If it hadn't been for the online Locost and Stalker communities I would have been kinda berkeleyed. Some people don't need much community, but many of us benefit big time.

mad_machine said:

budget_bandit said:

Some states (at least TX) no longer allow you to title a kit car...

You can title a kit car in NJ, but it has to pass emissions and safety regulations for the current year. No way I could make a Lotus 7 clone pass 2024 safety regs.

I've seen a lot of kit replicas titled to the year of the original, i.e. a 1965 Cobra. 

triumph7 said:

I've seen a lot of kit replicas titled to the year of the original, i.e. a 1965 Cobra. 

My state allows this as long as its a replica. You'd have a harder time with a goblin or something, but I don't think there is much in the way of safety checks, just basic does it have seat belts and lights.

mad_machine said:

You can title a kit car in NJ, but it has to pass emissions and safety regulations for the current year. No way I could make a Lotus 7 clone pass 2024 safety regs.

Ouch.  When did that happen?  When I built my FFR in '03, I went through the process for  a "specially constructed vehicle" (IIRC).  Emissions were tied to the year of the engine so I installed cats.  I actually had it inspected several times back when they still had sniffer tests.  The rest of it was basically "must have bumpers (quick jacks sufficed!), seat belts, and a windshield wiper".  Oh, and the inspector decided it needed the rollbar which was off at the chromer the day I brought it for inspection so I failed the first time. 

I brought it still in gelcoat, which was pretty raw back in the day with seams proud of the body.  He was not particularly impressed but agreed that if knocked down the seams, put some paint on them (rustoleum!) and declared it as 'gray' on the application, that would be OK.

I was just on the site and they say it's coming back! There's a detailed blog on the discussion forum link. Seems like good news. 

Yes I read that as well, so fingers crossed... though it does mean that we'll be back to 1-2 posts per day like before. Hopefully some new builds will start up to infuse some much needed energy there!

"United you stand, divided you fall"

Way back when I started the Molvo project I immersed myself into the Locost forum because of the broad coverage of automotive systems. I needed to learn a bunch of stuff and they has a specific sub-forum for a lot of what I needed.

I left because once I got the information I needed, there was no reason to stay. There was a suspension forum, there was a drivetrain forum, there was a chassis forum, there were front/rear drive forums. So no lack of diversity. But once you had solved your issue, there was no reason to hang around. 

Either intentionally or by luck, GRM has avoided this by having (relatively) few sub forums and plenty of cross-traffic between the ones they do have. The result is an overarching community that goes beyond the technical needs of members.