Engine: FWA Coventry Climax, All Aluminum, Valve gear: Single Overhead Cam, 4 cylinder
Engine Displacement: 1097 cc
Horsepower: 85 bhp @65000rpm
Induction: Dual Weber DOCE 40 carburetors
Gearbox: 4 speed
Chassis: Welded Steel Tube Frame
Live Rear Axle
Brakes: Alfin Drum brakes
Normal tyres: Dunlop Racing 15 inch
Normal race class: 1947-1955 sports racing cars
Based: California, USA
Entrant: Dennis Adair & Kevin Adair
Manufacturer: ELVA Motors, founded by Frank Nichols. Frank built ten Mk 1 cars (although of course at the time the cars were not called Mk 1s!). This particular Mk 1 was custom fabricated to take a 1.5 L Maserati motor. The chassis number: REB338ECC was due to the fact that the car was delivered as a rolling chassis with no engine. It was first registered as a “Maserati Special”. On the maiden race the Maserati Motor failed and the car was sent back to Frank Nichols and a Coventry Climax motor was placed. The car was raced in England, being used for local races and hill climbs through the early 70s. The car was sold and relocated to the USA in the early 1980s and prepared for Vintage Racing and then campaigned in west coast vintage racing the early 2000s to present.
Photo below by the highly-estemeed Tam MacPartland whom we thank: Kevin Adair in his #188 1955 Elva Mk1 leads a gaggle of cars into the Corkscrew at the 2018 Rolex Monterey Historic Reunion at Laguna Seca.
Written by Kevin S. Adair, DDS, MSD in July 2023
ksadairdds@yahoo.com
Some more about Elva cars from www.classicdriver.com, with thanks
Designed by Frank Nichols, Elva sports-racers enjoyed considerable success during the 1950s and ’60s on both sides of the Atlantic. A Kentish garage owner, Nichols had commissioned a Ford-engined special with which to go racing and the result – the CSM, first seen in 1954 – was a near copy of the Lotus VI. Nichols put his next creation into production under the name Elva (from the French, elle va – she goes). The Elva featured a simple, light and rigid tubular chassis while major departures from the CSM were the Standard Ten-based front suspension of wishbones and coil springs, and the engine, which was fitted with an overhead-valve conversion. A live axle was retained at the rear, located by a Panhard rod and trailing links.
Photo below; a vintage photo of Kevin Adair’s Elva Mk.1
The success of this first Elva led to a demand for chassis kits (customers had to supply their own engine, gearbox, and body). Driven by the likes of Les Leston, Peter Gammon, and Robbie Mackenzie Low, the Elvas proved to be very competitive in UK club racing.
After six Mk1 cars had been built, the Elva became available for 1956 in Mk1/B form with a streamlined two-seater glassfibre body and the 1,098cc Coventry Climax FWA racing engine. Although glassfibre would become almost universal for this kind of low-volume production, its use by Elva at this time was nothing less than pioneering. The other major change made on the Mk1/B was the adoption of Elva’s own independent wishbone/coil spring front suspension.
Elva always had a stronger reputation in the USA than in Europe. In Europe it was a case of private Elvas against works cars from the likes of Lotus, whereas SCCA racing gave Elva a level playing field and its sports cars were immensely successful in the States.
This particular Elva Mk1/B was purchased by the vendor 15 years ago having belonged previously to Mike Kirkman and Anthony and Carolyn Taylor. Anthony had bought the car in the late 1970s in ‘basket case’ condition from “a great old house in the Cheltenham area”. The Elva was restored in 2010 but unfortunately there are no invoices available. We are advised by the vendor that the car runs very well, although the brakes need to be serviced (they are too fierce in operation) and the gearbox checked (reverse gear does not engage). A Ford engine is currently installed but a correct-specification Coventry Climax engine is included in the sale. Sold with French Carte Grise de Collection, this is an ideal purchase with which to celebrate Elva’s 65th anniversary in 2020.
Posted by Marcus Bicknell 26 July 2023.