For some people, owning or building a kit car based on a famous vehicle from history is probably good enough. There certainly is something to be said for having all the fun and enjoyment of the original, without having to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

But for other people, if you’re going to go the kit car route, why not just build the whole thing yourself? So it is the case with today’s eBay Find of the Day, a custom Lotus 7 replica powered by a 383 cubic-inch twin-turbo V8.

For the uninitiated, the Lotus 7 was a limited production sports car that was as simple as it was fun. The open-top sports car was lightweight and nimble, and its simple design has made it popular with kit car companies. It is, for lack of a better comparison, the British Shelby Cobra, as over 160 companies have at one time or another offered a replica Lotus 7 kit car.

However, the owner of this particular Lotus 7 replica went a different route, opting for a custom tubular space frame and the independent front and rear suspension from a Jaguar. The Jag front is about one-foot longer than the original Lotus 7 to help accommodate the 383 cubic-inch V8.

With twin turbochargers and a list of modifications a mile long, the seller claims this engine makes between 750 and 1,000 horsepower, depending on how much boost you use. This car looks like a lot of fun, but potential buyers should heed the seller’s warning about having at least some track driving experience. This isn’t a car for the lighthearted or newbie drivers.