Hi All,
I am new here and looking for a Locost style car,i have just moved away from superbikes so appreciate the accelaration rush etc.
I have £3500 to spend on a car preferably with a powered decent engine maybe a 2.1 pinto etc,i would ideally love a bike engined car R1 or the likes but dont have the cash.
Please mail me with any pictures or cars you know are in the market.
Cheers
Mark

I think you'll struggle to get a decent car for 3,500 on the road (especially a super bike replacement). I started with a build budget of about that. Spent 4k so far and could easily spend another 1.5k without SVA (2.o pinto).
You will however get one of the traditionally cheaper type of kits or an older locost if you look hard enough but you are at the rougher end of the market so be careful that they have been built well.

I hear what your sayin,i have looked at a couple of Robin Hoods and they were dog rough,i also hear that the robin hoods arent a particularly good car,any thoughts ???

Save up - it's the future!

There are companies that offer money in return for MORE of your's - that's also an option!

If you go Car Engined Car then have a ride in a Bike Engined Car... you'll be sad! WAIT!!!

Research and choose wisely - get to the various manufacturers and check them out. Maybe even blag a ride out with a few regulars... visit the various meetings around the country. We're a friendly lot really!!!

The market (in general) is tough at the moment, so good prices could be the order of the day. If you buy second hand - be careful and best take an experienced bloke along with you. It's not like buying a standard car!

Would be interesting to know where you are from - maybe take you out for a ride when our's is completed.

ATB

PS - Bedford is a long way though

[Edited on 16-5-05 by Hellfire]

I did see a Melos R1 engined car in Kit car mag for £3500 but it wasnt a nice looking car and it was very very basic and a bit rough around the edges !!!!

I take it your building a ZX12r engined car,that must go like f***,would love a blast in that but i live in the south a place called Ampthill in Bedfordshire.

What about this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29750&item=4549117777&rd=1

Yes Mark - we're anticipating it's going to go "a bit"...

Have a look at our website... there is a video of our previous Car - with Blade engine... within the video is a ZX12R engined MK Indy (4:30minutes in) ... the Indy which in my opinion is the best pick of the crop. (There are other very good one's too )

Robin Hoods were traditionaly the cheapest way into 'sevens' end of the market and they sell 800 a year. Kit cars will always reflect on the skill of the builder and there are Hoods with excellent build quality, variety of engines from pinto through XE, zetec and V8 and with handling sorted to make a very competent track and road car. Realisticaly, if you start with a kit costing £3-4000 to build it will be of an overall lower quality than one costing £10000, will be harder to build and there will be a greater proportion of dogs, unfinished kits and moaning owners. The same principles apply for medium priced cars but obviously with fewer disasters. If you ask cateringvan owners many will sneer at any other seven as being a cheap and underdeveloped fake.
I think it's a mistake to write off all of one particular 'brand' as all bad or assume all more expensive kits are well built. Assess any possible buy on its own merits and 'bang per buck', remembering price bands second hand reflect kit purchase price and a well built Robin Hood will be cheaper than a badly built Dax.

Yeah,

BECs are cool - a friend converted a fiat twin cam westie to blade last year (In kempston funnily enough - over the road!) and it was amazing!

Enough to convince me that a BEC was what I wanted anyway!

Buy a half-finished project or something?

Geoff

This may be extremely obvious and i am being a bit stupid but what is a BEC ??

Bike Engined Car

Ahhhh
Just clocked is it a BIKE ENGINED CAR ??

If it's just pure acceleration you're after, a BEC takes some beating.
I've been a passenger in quite a few BECs and driven two, but I actually prefer my crossflow engined Locost. It's still bloody fast compared to even the fastest hot hatch, and is one of only two things which make my missus squeal

Marcus

I am really after any engined car,i would prefer a BEC but cant afford one,therefore am lookin for 106 xflow or 1.8 or even 2.1 pinto would be good,the more i look around my best option is a better condition robin hood than a tattier westfield or tiger etc.
There is a robin hood on ebay at the moment with a cosworth turbo lump in it but he wants 8k

There's a Fiat twin cam engined Vindicator Sprint for sale in Cornwall at £2 1/2 k It could do with a tidy but it's not dear at that price.
Before you all tell me it's ugly,I am fully aware that it is aesthetically challenging but I'm told they handle well and you can't see what they look like from the drivers seat (unless you look at yourself in shop windows)
It's not mine,but if anyone is interested I can get pics and details.
Ian

Similar to this one?

Ouch!
Yes - they're always red aren't they? This one needs a polish for starters...

If you want to build your own then a Sylva R1ot kit is not expensive. The first car had an R1 rngine hence the name but there are people putting other things in them (eg ZX9 - which works out a lot cheaper than an R1)

http://www.sylva.co.uk/r1ot.html

I have looked at their website and that is definitely the type of toy i want,i have spoken with the Guy at Sylva who tells me its not quite ready yet for market,he did mention he has already sold a few though to people who werent bothered about manuals etc etc does anyone who someone who has built one ??

i am now thinkin of building one but need to know a bit more about the the SVA test etc,
is it just like a more stringent MOT ??
What is the cost of it ??
Where do they do them ??
Is the car registered as a Q or can you register it through the Donor bike details ???
Thanks in advance for any advice

SVA - it's a bit like an MOT but more stringent. Basically testing not only it's roadworthyness but it's capablilities and adherance to laws laid down regarding pedestrian safety too. The 7 Type is never going to be pedestrian friendly but at the moment our laws are 'friendly' towards them. Don't be daunted by the SVA, buy the manual and work to it - you should pass, it is that simple('ish)

Have a look at the various manufacturer's - best to visit if you can!

Regarding Q plate's - it's a bit of a grey area. If your pieces all came from one donor (ah-hem) then you should qualify for an 'age related' plate ie the same 'year' (not the same reg) as the donor vehicle. If not then you could end up with a Q. If all your bits are new/reconditioned (bar one) then you may qualify for a new plate 05 for instance.

All from what i can remember....

HTH

[Edited on 17-5-05 by Hellfire]

I know someone who put a deposit on a R1ot yesterday.