Lot 1014: c1959 Elva Courier MkI Roadster

Brainchild of garage owner Frank Nichols, the first Elva sports car (from the French elle va, she goes) was built in the mid-1950s. The Elva MkI was based on Nichols’ first effort, the CSM, which had been designed by Mike Chapman, and used a spaceframe chassis showing Lotus Mk6 influence. Like many ‘specials’ of the time, its power unit was the popular Ford 1,172cc sidevalve, in the Elva’s case fitted with an overhead-valve conversion. A low-volume competition car, the Elva MkI achieved a fair degree of success in amateur racing in the UK, paving the way for further models, many of which were exported to the USA where they proved immensely popular, and successful, in SCCA racing. The company branched out into the manufacture of single seaters in 1959 with the introduction of its first Formula Junior design, the Elva 100, having introduced its first road car the previous year. This was the Courier, a conventional spaceframe-chassied sports car graced by a particularly attractive glassfibre body. Suspension was independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs, with a well-located coil-sprung live axle at the rear. The Courier came with disc front brakes as standard and (usually) a BMC B-Series engine as fitted to the MGA and MGB. The Courier design progressed through Mks I to IV, with a closed coupé available on later models, finally ceasing production in 1968. The MkI and closely related MkII were by far the most successful, some 700-or-so being manufactured between 1958 and 1961.

As one might, given its antecedents, the Courier proved highly successful on the racetrack in production sports car events, and this left-hand drive, MGA-engined example was originally raced competitively by Ali Lugo for several years. Subsequently, European Racing & Restorations undertook a full ‘body off’ restoration in 1985 that included overhauling the suspension, extensively refurbishing the bodywork and re-manufacturing the drive-train. Very light and equally fast, this car has raced the entire East Coast, placing 1st at Briar, Lime Rock and Bridgehampton. It is offered with a set of body moulds.