Description

1978 Locust Sports

No Reserve

Lotus 7 lookalike; 1.6 Ford crossflow engine; rebuilt gearbox; new MOT; lots of fun for little outlay! 

Inspired by Colin Chapman’s famous Lotus Seven of the 1960s, the Locust Seven kit car was designed and manufactured by John Cowperthwaite and was sold as the JC Locust by JC Auto Patterns. The production rights were later taken over by T&J Sportscars, this particular car being based on one of their kits.
Unlike most kits, the Locust used a body tub constructed from marine plywood skinned in aluminium sheet. The nose cone and wings were in GRP and the steel ladder frame chassis typically had a combination of Ford Escort MkII and Ford Cortina MkIV running gear. However, some also used Triumph components and many permutations were possible, so no two Locust cars are ever exactly the same.
First registered in April 1978, this Locust Sports features a 1,600cc Ford crossflow engine with a twin choke downdraft carburettor that sounds great and goes like stink. Invoices show that the car had new suspension bushes in April 2012 and a gearbox rebuild in October 2012 at which point it had c.7,000 miles on the clock, a total which has since risen by less than 300 miles so it has clearly had very little use in recent years.
An online MOT history check shows that it only covered some 3,300 miles between 2005 and 2013 when it appears to have been put into storage. In January this year it had various minor jobs carried out to prepare it for the MOT test which it passed at the end of that month.
Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, it rides on a set of Wolfrace alloy wheels and comes with a full set of weather gear (hood and sidescreens), all in good condition. Documentation includes a V5C; two old MOTs; sundry invoices; wiring diagrams; Haynes Kit Car Manual and a book on rebuilding and tuning the Ford Kent crossflow engine.
As you can see in the photos, the car is no show queen but is eminently usable as it is and could be improved over time as desired. Parts are easy to come by and there is an active enthusiasts club at locust.org.uk. It is being offered here at no reserve so the best bid takes it home. 
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]