Locost

The Locost pattern originated in the mid 90s, and then with the publishing by Haynes Manuals of the book Build your own sports car for as little as £250 by Ron Champion (ISBN 1-85960-636-9).

Ron Champion's original book was followed up with Build Your Own Sports Car: On a Budget (ISBN 1-84425-391-0) by Chris Gibbs.

Other additions to the original Locost design include information for fabricating a rollbar and advice on using engines with fuel injection.

The Champion Locost and the Haynes Roadster share similar chassis dimensions to the original Lotus Seven.

Locost Builder Jim McSorley revised the Ron Champion design in order to accommodate wider engines, rear axles, and seats.

This has led to a series of improvements to the Champion design, including increased reinforcement at the nose of the chassis and around the occupants.

While the title of Ron Champion's book claims to offer a means to build a car for £250, most Locosts are usually as much as ten times that cost or more.

Rear wheel drive Escorts are now hard to find due to their becoming a classic car in their own right, continued use in Rallying and increased interest from collectors.

Organised by the 750 Motor Club the championship regularly sees around 35 competitors racing at circuits such as Brands Hatch, Donington, Oulton Park and Silverstone, to name but a few.

Running with very tight regulations and deliberately limiting costs, the 750 Motor Club have ensured affordable and close competitive racing for the enthusiastic amateur.