Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Etc.
A Legends racecar for the street
Give Lincoln Brier credit for doing something out of the ordinary when he came upon the idea to convert his used Legends racecar into a single-seat street machine. The task was relatively simple, with the addition of turn signals, lights, a full exhaust system with muffler, and a horn pretty much being the extent of the modifications required to register the pint-sized '34 Ford replica as a homebuilt vehicle. The laws on this vary dramatically by state, so as they say, check with your local authorities before proceeding. To make life a bit more tolerable, Brier also added rear windows and a radio, and swapped out the rear gearing for something a bit taller. Even with the ratio swap, the top speed is a meager 90 MPH, but I'm sure that it's an entertaining experience topping out the miniature car. Oh, and there's no Reverse gear. Would that stop us from having more fun than should (or would) be legal with this thing? Hell no. We'd just choose our parking carefully.
For those not familiar with the Legend circle-track cars, they're pocket-sized tube-framed racers, draped with fiberglass bodies resembling a variety of American classics from the '30s, that are typically powered by Yamaha 1200cc air-cooled motorcycle engines. The majority of the parts are tightly controlled by the rules in an effort to create a level playing field and keep costs relatively low. More info is available from 600 Racing, Legendsforce, and Legends Cars.
[Source: Kneeslider]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David 4:46PM (8/10/2006)
A cute waste of time and money. And I like small cars.
Those dwarf cars are not made to encounter another vehicle from the opposite direction of motion. They are made to protect a nomex suited and helemted occupant who is restrained by a five belt system from encounters with other competitors going the same direction and brushes against a guardrail on a race track. I would hate to be involved in anything other than a single car accident in that thing as protection in a multiple car crash would be minimal.
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Corey W. 5:14PM (8/10/2006)
David,
Is this the similar setup for all the kit cars Lambo, Cobras...etc. I see on the net?
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RacetrackOwner 5:48PM (8/10/2006)
Corey, The photo doesn't adequately convey how small a Legends car is in real life. When the article says it's a single seater -- it really is that. Here is a random photo I found on Google that demonstrates this:
http://www.projectadvocates.com/images/charly_and_car_02.jpg
So no, it isn't really the same case as other kit cars that are truly full-sized cars. While many of those are also probably questionable in terms of collision safety, a Legends car probably closer to a giant go-kart than the size of a real car.
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All World Automotive 10:23AM (8/11/2006)
I wonder if these legends sound like giant popcorn poppers like they do at the track. If yes, I'll take 3
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Corey W. 6:36AM (8/12/2006)
Thanks RacetrackOwner,
I was considering buying a kit car, never really understood why some of them go for the prices I see them being sold at.
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Mike 2:45PM (8/16/2006)
That's awesome. I've always thought something like this would be fun on the street.
BTW check out the link to the article above and look on the right side. They've got a link to an article about a V8 version of the Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine that would be perfect for this car.
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