Elva Chassis

C Sports Race

Introduction

Elva (a name derived from the French "Elle va" = "She goes") was a successful car constructor in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was certainly a force Lotus drivers had to reckon with as the well built and efficient sports racers proved more than a threat to Colin Chapman's production.

Mk7

Elva produced 69 Mk7s between 1963 and 1965. The car shown on the right is the 13th. It was built in 1963 and delivered to Swiss racer Sidney Charpilloz. The photos and information below are from an ad seen on Race-Cars.com on July 26, 2004.

Engine

This car has had various engines; originally fitted with a 1216cc Coventry Climax, later a Lotus- Ford 1600cc, Alfa Romeo 1600cc, Ford Cosworth 1100cc.

• Type: Lotus Twin Cam engine
• Displacement: 1598 cc
• Heads: Cylinder head rebuilt one race ago
• Crankshaft: Steel crankshaft
• Connecting Rods: steel con rods
• Pistons: Forged pistons

Oil/Water System

• Dry sumped engine
• Radiator: 2 water radiators
• Water Rad Location: front
• Oil Cooler: Oil cooler

Electrical System

• Ignition: Lucas electronic ignition, 12V system, master switch, alternator

Transmission

• Manfacturer: Hewland
• Type: Mk9 5-speed gearbox

Rear End

• Manufacturer: Hewland
• Type: in unit with gearbox
• Differential: Limited slip differential

Body

• Construction: Fiberglass bodywork
• Front lights, stop lights, and windscreen were fitted to the car

Chassis

• Type: Spaceframe chassis with riveted aluminum panels
• Front Suspension: double wishbones, coil over shocks, cast uprights, tubular anti-roll bar
• Rear Suspension: lower wishbones, top links, upper radius rods, coil over shocks, fabricated uprights, tubular anti-roll ba
• Shocks: new adjustable Leda dampers front and rear
• Brakes: non ventilated front and rear discs, aluminum calipers
• Steering: proprietary rack
• Wheels: Minilite magnesium wheels with 450 M 13 tires at the front a
• Tires: treaded tires, 204 compound

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[ Quin Colhoun's
Elva Mk VII ]

1968 ARRC

Joe Moore of Costa Mesa, California, raced in CSR at the 1968 American Road Race of Champions (the SCCA's national championship at the time) in a Elva Mk 6. Joe completed 6 laps and it was noted that he did not finish.

The November 19-24 race was held at Riverside Raceway, CA. The 18 lap race covered 46.8 miles in 30 minutes, 35.5 seconds for an average speed of 92.2 MPH.

MK II

See Elva Chassis Page 2

Elva Mk 7 at
Thompson Raceway¹