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.