Editing Locost (section)

==Cost of Construction==
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.

The £250 figure does not include the cost of tools, which can equal or exceed the cost of the car. The book also is based on purchasing a Mk1 or Mk2 [[Ford Escort (Europe)|Ford Escort]] that has been rejected for road use by the [[Department for Transport|British MOT]]. At the time of printing, Champion claimed said cars could be purchased for £50. 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.

The book gives some hints and tips on how to cut the costs for the build:
*Build the chassis from scrap metal instead of buying new
*Make your own fibreglass nose cone and wheel arches instead of buying them
*Use the rear seat from the donor or one from the junkyard instead of buying new race seats
*Use the donor gauges, steering wheel and rims instead of buying new
*Buy wrongly mixed paint at a discount and paint the car yourself
*Find some aluminium sheet metal at the scrapper (for instance from the side of a van) to use for the bonnet

Some builders have come up with additional cost saving tips:
*Use the sheet metal roof of the donor for the bottom of the chassis instead of buying new sheet metal
*Use the fuel tank from a [[Saab 96]] or [[Triumph Spitfire]]
*Use the headlights and chrome rims from an older [[Volvo 240]] (or 8" round [[sealed beam]]s) and an 8-inch stainless steel salad bowl from [[IKEA]] to make the headlights
*Make your own coilovers.

Even at ten times the £250, Locosts frequently cost far less than a car of similar performance.