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Locust (car)
Encyclopedia
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
inspired by the Lotus 7.
The Locust Seven differs from most other Lotus / kit cars in that it does not use a space frame
Space frame
A space frame or space structure is a truss-like, lightweight rigid structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with few interior supports...
chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
, but a ladder frame
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame is an automobile construction method. Mounting a separate body to a rigid frame that supports the drivetrain was the original method of building automobiles, and its use continues to this day. The original frames were made of wood , but steel ladder frames became common in the 1930s...
and a body constructed from three 8ft by 4ft sheets of 3/4" thick exterior grade or marine plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
alternatively MDF
Medium-density fibreboard
Medium-density fiberboard is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure...
sheets. Once complete, the body tub is skinned with aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
sheet.
The original design was by John Cowperthwaite
John Cowperthwaite
John Cowperthwaite was a man from Sheffield, England who designed many kit cars. They were often not finished kits but "plan and pattern" cars where the builders were expected to manufacture many of the parts themselves. Among his creations are the JC Midge, Locust, the Husky and the Mayfair.He...
(who also designed the JC Midge
JC Midge
JC Midge is a kit car designed by John Cowperthwaite. Like the Locust the body is made of aluminum skinned plywood or MDF and using a grille from a Wolseley 1500 . The design is clearly inspired of British 1930s cars like the MG J2 Midget and similar to the Burlington in both design and construction...
) and it was sold as the JC Locust by J.C. Auto Patterns. A copy of the original brochure can be viewed here. Later the production rights was taken over by T&J Sportscars who also introduced a Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
based version called the Hornet
Hornet (car)
The Hornet is a Lotus Seven copy built by T&J Sportscars. The Hornet was created by T&J Sportscars and was designed to take the majority of components from the Ford Cortina mk 3, 4 or 5. This means there is a choice of 1300/ 1600 OHV Kent or OHC 1600/2000 OHC Pinto Ford engines...
. A copy of the T&J brochure featuring the Locust and Midge can be viewed here.It was then taken over by White Rose Vehicles (WRV) who developed the Locust into Locust ES and also introduced the Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
based Locust SIII. In April 2000 the Locust ES was taken over by BWE Sportcars who also makes the Hornet
Hornet (car)
The Hornet is a Lotus Seven copy built by T&J Sportscars. The Hornet was created by T&J Sportscars and was designed to take the majority of components from the Ford Cortina mk 3, 4 or 5. This means there is a choice of 1300/ 1600 OHV Kent or OHC 1600/2000 OHC Pinto Ford engines...
http://www.locust.org.uk/about/brochures/bwe/Hornet.htm and the Grasshopper
Grasshopper (car)
The Grasshopper is a children's Lotus Seven type car. It is a smaller version of the Locust Seven kit car. It is built using the same methods as the full size version with the body tub built from plywood or MDF ....
http://www.locust.org.uk/about/brochures/bwe/grasshopper.htm (electric car for children). The Sierra based Series III was taken over by Road Tech Engineering.
The chassis can be either Ford or Triumph
Triumph Motor Company
The Triumph Motor Company was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque is owned currently by BMW. The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann of Nuremberg initiated S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them with his own...
based. The most popular chassis is for Ford components and most are fitted with a combination of Ford Escort MkII and Ford Cortina Mk IV running gear. The original car used either Triumph or Ford Cortina Front Suspension but over the years many variations and subtle changes in chassis design have taken place. There is an option from the manufacturer for double front wishbones and coil over shocks. Any engine that fits between the chassis rails can be mounted. Depending on which engine and carburettor are fitted, various holes and bulges will have to be fitted to the bonnet.
The story of the Locust Seven can be found in the book Lotus Seven & The Independents by Dennis Ortenburger (ISBN 1-902351-12-6)
See also
- Lotus SevenLotus SevenThe Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by Lotus Cars between 1957 and 1972....
- LocostLocostA Locost is a home-built clone of the Lotus Seven. The car features a space frame chassis usually welded together from mild steel square tubing. Front suspension is usually double wishbone with coil overs. The rear is traditionally live axle, but has many variants including independent rear...
- a similar concept to the Locust, but with a welded space frame chassis