- Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Motorbooks International (1 Dec 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0760322872
- ISBN-13: 978-0760322871
- Product Dimensions: 27.4 x 20.8 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 522,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
An absolutley brilliant read for anyone even remotely interested in cars, engineering, high-performance track machinery, engine suspension tuning or garage projects in general. Turns out Keith's a fine, often funny writer with a wonderful, practicle, nuts and bolts grasp of things...Better yet, he puts it inot words and phrases that an average joe can undrstand. And enjoy. ..Buy yourself a copy now --Grassroots Motorsports
This book is in sections rather than the more usual chapters. This makes it a bit difficult to find information quickly. You need to look at the index first. It starts with finding a donor car and moves almost immediatly into putting the car together. This book is much more of an overview compared with some of the books I have reviewed. Most of the information is there if you look for it. The car itself appears comparable to the similar English version you see so often being driven around on sunny summer days. --Model Engineers' Workshop
I bought this book after looking over Keith's website. If you approach the book more as a miata-based build diary, rather than a how-to book, it is a great book. The pictures and information are well put together. I am in the process of my own build, using a pre-made chassis from coveland7.com, and reading Keith's book gave me a realistic idea of what to expect during the build process and provided the information that I needed for my own planning process. I also have the Ron Champion book, which goes over how to build the actual chassis. Since I am planning on buying a pre-welded chassis, this book is less of a use to me than Keith's book. Thanks to Keith for putting together a well written book. If you are going to build you own locost project, I would recommend buying this and the Champion book. --American Motors
This book is in sections rather than the more usual chapters. This makes it a bit difficult to find information quickly. You need to look at the index first. It starts with finding a donor car and moves almost immediatly into putting the car together. This book is much more of an overview compared with some of the books I have reviewed. Most of the information is there if you look for it. The car itself appears comparable to the similar English version you see so often being driven around on sunny summer days. --Model Engineers' Workshop
I bought this book after looking over Keith's website. If you approach the book more as a miata-based build diary, rather than a how-to book, it is a great book. The pictures and information are well put together. I am in the process of my own build, using a pre-made chassis from coveland7.com, and reading Keith's book gave me a realistic idea of what to expect during the build process and provided the information that I needed for my own planning process. I also have the Ron Champion book, which goes over how to build the actual chassis. Since I am planning on buying a pre-welded chassis, this book is less of a use to me than Keith's book. Thanks to Keith for putting together a well written book. If you are going to build you own locost project, I would recommend buying this and the Champion book. --American Motors
Product Description
The dream of building a sports car with one's own hands is nearly universal among automotive enthusiasts. This book tells the story of one man who actually did it - and did it for cheap! For roughly 20 percent of the cost of a Caterham Lotus Seven replica (think about $7,000), Keith Tanner built his own Seven-like sports car that is faster than just about anything else on the road. "How To Build a Cheap Sports Car" entertains the reader as they watch a car being built. The reader shares in the trials and tribulations of turning a bare frame and wrecked Miata into a little racetrack demon. Tanner's direct writing style and commonsense approach to the challenges of the build make for an enjoyable and informative read.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read the book during a long flight from cover to cover. It is no way a replacement for Ron Champion's book "Build a sports car for £250" but it does go in to much greater depth on key issues in developingsolutions for various issues like the question of bump steer, brake system design from hyraulic basics and many more. It is a valuable source to learn more about what you are actually doing rather than just following the "recipie" in Ron's book that is becomeing more challenging due to the decreasing availability of the Escort parts that his design is based on. I would highly recommend reading this and the "How to build a Tiger Avon Sportscar" to anyone contemplating a locost build now, the more reading and knowledge you gain before you start the easier the selection of parts and construction will be.
Format:Paperback
Where the "Haynes Build a Roadster" book is about making a frame and wishbones and then goes a bit flat, this picks up the baton and is about adding all the niggling bits onto that frame. Built in the U.S.A. from a scrap Mazda MX5, it goes some way to showing how you could do the same here, now Sierra's are getting rare and MX5's are getting rusty! As always, the 'cheap' in the title should read 'cheap-ish'.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
28 reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Well Written Build Diary
16 May 2006
Format:Paperback
A more accurate title of this book should be "Keith Tanner's Lotus 7 Replica Build Diary"
As another reviewer has mentioned, this is more of a companion book to Ron Champion's book. That statement shouldn't discourage anyone from purchasing this book though.
Champion's book was more of a how-to cookbook, whereas Tanner's is a variation of the recipe. It is quite interesting to see another build, especially a US-based build (Champion's being basically a UK build).
This Miata-based build diary is a great way of seeing a different kind of variation. I, for instance, am building one around a Toyota 4AGE powerplant, and it is good to see how Tanner was deviating (and working around) the cookbook approach that Champion did. With a little ingenuity, one could use the "problem-solving techniques" that Tanner did.
That is not to say that Tanner outlined any techniques; rather, his diary was exactly that: a build diary. He shows what problems he encounters, and how he goes about solving it. The reader then has to infer what thought processes Tanner used, and the reader should be able to come up with his own.
I would have given this book 4-stars for the content, but it earns an extra star because of the way Keith Tanner writes. He manages to inject a lot of humour and wit in his writing. So when the time for your build comes and when the frustrations start pouring in (and believe me, they will start pouring in), go re-read this book and enjoy.
You will also notice that the author has this stupid grin [hey! His words, not mine... I think...] plastered on every picture that he appears in. You can even see that silly grin through one of those pictures where he's wearing a full-face helmet. Can't blame him though, as that Seven sure looks like it will plaster an idiotic grin on anyone. Heck, as I read the book, his infectious "stupid grin" has migrated to my face as well.
There is a child-like enthusiasm that Keith Tanner has, and it shows on practically every page. And it is contagious -- after all, I think boys will be boys, and this is one helluva toy. I wonder how many times the author has written VROOM-VROOM in this book? I could remember quite a few. :)
If you are building a Seven, and especially if you are building a Seven in the US, this makes a great read. It is a worthwile companion (not a replacement) to Ron Champion's book, and any builder should have this in his library.
As another reviewer has mentioned, this is more of a companion book to Ron Champion's book. That statement shouldn't discourage anyone from purchasing this book though.
Champion's book was more of a how-to cookbook, whereas Tanner's is a variation of the recipe. It is quite interesting to see another build, especially a US-based build (Champion's being basically a UK build).
This Miata-based build diary is a great way of seeing a different kind of variation. I, for instance, am building one around a Toyota 4AGE powerplant, and it is good to see how Tanner was deviating (and working around) the cookbook approach that Champion did. With a little ingenuity, one could use the "problem-solving techniques" that Tanner did.
That is not to say that Tanner outlined any techniques; rather, his diary was exactly that: a build diary. He shows what problems he encounters, and how he goes about solving it. The reader then has to infer what thought processes Tanner used, and the reader should be able to come up with his own.
I would have given this book 4-stars for the content, but it earns an extra star because of the way Keith Tanner writes. He manages to inject a lot of humour and wit in his writing. So when the time for your build comes and when the frustrations start pouring in (and believe me, they will start pouring in), go re-read this book and enjoy.
You will also notice that the author has this stupid grin [hey! His words, not mine... I think...] plastered on every picture that he appears in. You can even see that silly grin through one of those pictures where he's wearing a full-face helmet. Can't blame him though, as that Seven sure looks like it will plaster an idiotic grin on anyone. Heck, as I read the book, his infectious "stupid grin" has migrated to my face as well.
There is a child-like enthusiasm that Keith Tanner has, and it shows on practically every page. And it is contagious -- after all, I think boys will be boys, and this is one helluva toy. I wonder how many times the author has written VROOM-VROOM in this book? I could remember quite a few. :)
If you are building a Seven, and especially if you are building a Seven in the US, this makes a great read. It is a worthwile companion (not a replacement) to Ron Champion's book, and any builder should have this in his library.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Interesting book, well written
24 April 2006
Format:Paperback
I bought this book after looking over Keith's website. If you approach the book more as a miata-based build diary, rather than a how-to book, it is a great book. The pictures and information are well put together. I am in the process of my own build, using a pre-made chassis from coveland7.com, and reading Keith's book gave me a realistic idea of what to expect during the build process and provided the information that I needed for my own planning process.
I also have the Ron Champion book, which goes over how to build the actual chassis. Since I am planning on buying a pre-welded chassis, this book is less of a use to me than Keith's book.
Thanks to Keith for putting together a well written book. If you are going to build you own locost project, I would recommend buying this and the Champion book.
-Brian
I also have the Ron Champion book, which goes over how to build the actual chassis. Since I am planning on buying a pre-welded chassis, this book is less of a use to me than Keith's book.
Thanks to Keith for putting together a well written book. If you are going to build you own locost project, I would recommend buying this and the Champion book.
-Brian
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but not particularly useful
22 Mar 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book was an interesting read. I nice overview of a start-to-finish build of a lo-cost. The author does a good job and the results are entertaining. The book itself, too, is genearlly well written and of high quality. The publisher puts out a nice product, with high-res color photos and high quality materials.
The biggest problem I had with the book was simply that I wanted more. I wanted to read much more detail and get more information than what was presented. With a title like "How to Build..." I expected (and wanted) more "how-to." Instead, the book is primarily a description of what was done, not why.
All in all, the book is interesting but not particularly useful
The biggest problem I had with the book was simply that I wanted more. I wanted to read much more detail and get more information than what was presented. With a title like "How to Build..." I expected (and wanted) more "how-to." Instead, the book is primarily a description of what was done, not why.
All in all, the book is interesting but not particularly useful
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
