Build Your Own Sports Car For As Little As £250 - Ron Champion

Author's product rating:   

Degree of Information	High
How interesting was the book?	Captivating
How useful was it?	Indispensable
Would you read it again?	Absolutely
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	Inexpensive Caterham 7 alternative
Disadvantages:	Unlikely you will build for £250

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This book details how to build a Locost sportscar and is now in it's 2nd edition. I bought the first one about 4 years ago as I had always wanted a Lotus 7. I now have the second edition as well. If you want to build a car, this book contains comprehensive plans to enable you to do it. It is very unlikely that you will do it for £250, most builders are reckoning between £1500 and £2000 depending on the specification although someone has reputedly buit one for less than £50. The book is written is plain English and assumes no previous knowledge. There is a strong emphasis on safety when using tools with many tips on what and what not to do. One extra bonus is if you decide to go for it, you can talk to the author, Ron Champion for advice. He has his own website at www.ronchampion.com so you can look to find out more about the Locost. There is also a race series, so if you fancy getting involved in budget motor racing this is for you.

There is a thriving club with over 500 members with builders from around the world. There is also a Locost mailing list on the web and many Locost related websites. If you are dubious about welding, many of the components can be purchased from several suppliers. You can decide how much you want to do yourself.

There are some errors in the book, but these have been documented by other builders and are available on the net.

Apparently this is Haynes Publishing's best selling title in 40 years. If you want to build your own car then buy this book, but unless you are very lucky, don't expect to do it for £250.