A Lotus 7-Inspired Home-Built Car
My CLL One-7 is based on the design in Ron Champion's book "How to Build Yourself a Sportscar for £250". In turn, the book relies on Colin Chapman's Lotus 7 design. While I tried to keep to the general appearance of the Lotus 7, structurally, my version departs fairly radically from it. This was almost wholly to allow the use of a Ford Sierra donor (rather than the suggested Ford Escort Mk II of which there we relatively few left when I started to build in 1997).
If you are thinking about building a Sierra-based Lotus 7 clone, I hope you find some helpful information on this site. The best advice is to buy "the book" for the general principles, then branch out on your own when the book no longer meets your needs - like when you need to widen the chassis by 100mm to fit in the Sierra's rear subframe (if that is what you want to do). (It's also worth buying the Haynes manual for the Ford Sierra.)
You should be aware that going it on your own design will tax all your skills in the areas: lateral thinking, innovation and resourcefulness. (But you can forget about project management and time management.) So don't expect a quick build. And if you really want to build your car for £250, you will have to be extremely resourceful. Expect to spend a minimum of £2,000 at 2001 rates.
Disclaimer: Please read and enjoy the information on this website, but, if you choose to use any of this information please be aware that you do so at your own risk. I am not responsible for any injury, damage, loss or other costs resulting from the use or misuse of any information from this website. :)
You may contact me at: colinlourie@btinternet.com