Elfin Sports Cars

Last updated

Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd
Company typePrivate
Industry Automotive
Founded1959 [1]
Founder Garrie Cooper
HeadquartersKeysborough, Melbourne, Australia
Key people
Don Elliott
Tom Walkinshaw

Shaun Baker Steven Baker

Phani Bhogavalli
ProductsElfin T5 Clubman
Elfin MS8 Clubman
Elfin MS8 Streamliner
ServicesAutomobile manufacturing
Parent Young Timers Garage (YTG)
Website www.elfin.com.au

Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd (formerly known as Elfin Sports Cars [1] ) is an Australian car manufacturer company that was founded by Garrie Cooper. [2] It has been an Australian manufacturer of sports cars and motor racing cars since 1959.

Contents

Elfin Sports Cars is currently owned by Young Timers Garage (YTG) after being purchased by the company in May 2023 from the Walkinshaw Group. [3] It was previously owned by businessmen and historic racing enthusiasts Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch (who remains as technical director) who purchased it in 1998.

Elfin is the oldest continuous sports car maker in Australia and one of the most successful with 29 championships and major Grand Prix titles. [4] The original factory was located at Conmurra Avenue, Edwardstown in suburban Adelaide, South Australia. The company is currently located in Keysborough, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

Plaque at Conmurra Avenue in remembrance of Elfin Plaque at Conmurra Avenue in remembrance of Elfin.jpg
Plaque at Conmurra Avenue in remembrance of Elfin

History

The company was founded in South Australia as Elfin Sports Cars in October 1959 [1] by Garrie Cooper, who would go on to be a champion race driver as well as a successful designer and builder of Elfin racing and sports-racing cars. In 1983, following the death of its founder the previous year, the firm was bought by Tasmanian Don Elliott, racing driver Tony Edmondson and mechanic John Porter who re-established the provision of parts and service to existing owners.[ citation needed ]

Cooper died suddenly on ANZAC Day (25 April) in 1982, at the age of 46, from a burst aorta, due to the vessel's weakness from medication he took to thin his blood after a mid-1970s heart valve operation. Cliff Cooper, Garrie's father, completed outstanding orders, including six new generation Formula Vees, before offering the business for sale as well as designing a new Formula Vee, the Crusader, and a Formula Brabham car. [5]

In 1993, Victorian Murray Richards acquired Elfin and set out to build a new generation Elfin Clubman called the Type 3. In failing health, he sold Elfin to Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch in 1998 [5] who relocated the business to Melbourne, Victoria.[ citation needed ]

Elfin subsequently began a collaboration with GM Holden, revealing a concept MS8 Streamliner at the Melbourne International Motor Show in 2004. Limited production of two versions of the MS8 began in March 2006 and after the business was sold to Tom Walkinshaw (of HSV / Walkinshaw Performance) in December 2006, future limited production units were retailed Australia-wide via select HSV dealerships in each state.[ citation needed ]

Following his death in December 2010, ownership of Elfin remained vested in the estate of Tom Walkinshaw ... but, there has been no further production of any Elfin cars since March 2012.[ citation needed ]

In May, 2023, Elfin was sold to Shaun Baker, Steven Baker and Phani Bhogavalli of luxury car dealer, Young Timers Garage (YTG), located in Keysborough, Victoria. YTG have announced plans to revitalise the brand after it sat dormant for 10 years under the Walkinshaw ownership.[ citation needed ]

The Elfin Heritage Centre dedicated to Elfin Sports Cars including Garrie Cooper’s first (Cooper Austin) and last (MR9 F5000) race cars, plus the prototype of his planned Formula Vee based road sports car. Opened in Melbourne on 16 August 2007, the centre features 24 current and historic vehicles and is open to the public.[ citation needed ]

Racing

Elfin drivers have won 29 championships and major races including:

Championships

Races

Famous drivers of Elfin cars included 1976 Formula One World Drivers' Champion James Hunt, and French F1 driver, Didier Pironi. Others included Australian F1 drivers Vern Schuppan and Larry Perkins, as well as John Bowe, Johnnie Walker, Frank Matich, John McCormack, Max Stewart, Kevin Bartlett, Bob Jane, Allan Grice, Peter Manton, Niel Allen and Mark Mclaughlin.

Models

Recent vehicles

In 2006, Elfin began producing two related V8-powered sports cars : the MS8 Streamliner and the MS8 Clubman. Thereafter, in 2008, Elfin introduced what might be termed an entry-level model, the turbocharged four cylinder T5 Clubman.

Engines for the MS8 cars were essentially standard production 5.7 litre Gen III V8s as supplied to GM Holden for their VZ-series Commodore vehicles. For the T5 Clubman, Pontiac-derived engines were supplied by GM Powertrain (USA).

The MS8 cars have significant power (circa 255kW) for their size and weight, but are infamous for "spirited" handling. Some media regarded the MS8 vehicles as somewhat disappointing, considering Elfin's motorsport history. [6]

Elfin vehicle production was officially in hiatus by March 2012, with ongoing enquiries at that time to be directed to the related Walkinshaw Performance business.

Historic vehicles – Garrie Cooper era

The original company produced 248 racing and sports racing cars in 27 different models over a 25-year period.

ModelTotal [7] ProductionDescriptionImage
Streamliner231959–1963Sports racing car (front engined) Elfin Streamliner of Ian Brock.jpg
Formula Junior & Catalina201961–1964 Formula Junior racing car & small capacity racing car. The two models differed only in minor specifications and the majority built were Formula Juniors. [7] 1962 elfin fj.jpg
Clubman141961–1965 Clubman sports car Elfin Clubman of Pete Ffrench.jpg
Mallala 51962–1964Sports racing car Elfinmallala.jpg
Type 100 Mono 191964–1969 Australian 1½ Litre Formula racing car Elfin Mono Type 100.jpg
Type 500211965–1969 Formula Vee racing car Elfin Formula Vee of Shane Lee.JPG
Type 40041966–1967 Group A sports racing car (V8 powered) [8] Elfin 400 Repco of Bill Hemming.jpg
Type 30061967–1969Sports racing car Elfin 300 Coventry Climax.jpg
600/B/C/D/E 271968–1971Racing car (various formulae) Elfin 600E Graham Ruckert.jpg
600 FF 171969–1972 Formula Ford racing car 1971 elfin 600.jpg
Type 35011969 onlySports racing car
ME511969 only Group A sports racing car (V8 powered) Elfin ME5 of Trevor Lambert.JPG
Type 36031971 onlySports racing car Elfin 360 of Ian Ross.jpg
MR5 41971–1972 Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000). The first F5000 car designed and built by Elfin. Cooper-1972-Graham-Ruckert.jpg
620FF / 620B [9] 201972–1975Formula Ford racing car
622 61972–1974 Australian Formula 2 racing car Elfin 622 of Mark Goldsmith.JPG
623 81973–1974 Australian Formula 3 racing car Elfin623.jpg
MR611974 onlyAustralian Formula 1 racing car (F5000)
MS711974 onlySports racing car (V8 powered)
63021974–1975Australian Formula 2 racing car Elfin 630B 01.jpg
70071975–1977Australian Formula 2 racing car Elfin 700 of Keith Morling.jpg
MR831976–1978Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000) Elfin mr8c.jpg
New Generation "NG"291976–1983Formula Vee racing car
79231979 onlyAustralian Formula 2 racing car
Aero FF11979 onlyFormula Ford racing car
GE Two-2511980 onlyAustralian Formula 2 racing car
MR911980 onlyAustralian Formula 1 racing car (F5000). The first open-wheel race car to be designed and built in Australia using ground effect aerodynamics. This remains the only F5000 car designed and constructed from the ground up with full ground effect aerodynamics. [10]
Total248

Historic vehicles – The post–Garrie-Cooper era

ModelTotalProductionDescriptionImage
FF8411984 Formula Ford racing car.
NG "EP"81984–1986Edmondson-Porter run one of the NG Series Formula Vee racing cars.
Crusader20 [11] Circa 1990 [12] Formula Vee racing car. Elfin Crusader.JPG
85211985 Australian Formula 2 racing car driven by Mark Mclaughlin.
FA89111989 Formula Holden racing car fielded in the 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship by Elfin Sports Cars driven by Mark Mclaughlin. Follow up orders from competitors were not forthcoming, largely preferring to import the latest British designs from Lola, Ralt and Reynard. The FA in FA891 was for the category's original working name, Formula Australia.
Type 3 Clubman 70 [11] 1998–2007Clubman sports car. [13] Powered by a supercharged Toyota 4AG ZE engine. [13] Elfin Type 3 Clubman.jpg

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 South Australia - Certificate of Registration of a Business Name, Elfin Sports Cars, 19 October 1959
  2. Dowsey, David. "Elfin: The Spirit of Speed". Elfin Heritage Centre, 2020.
  3. Aaron Noonan, Elfin Sold by Walkinshaw Group, 26 May 2023, www.v8sleuth.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
  4. Round, Jason. "Going for gold". HOT4s. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Elfin Sports Cars – The Perfect Classic? – Australian Classic Car". Elfin.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  6. "Elfin MS8 review, specs, stats, comparison, rivals, data, details, photos and information on SupercarWorld.com". www.supercarworld.com. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. 1 2 John Blanden & Barry Catford, Australia's Elfin Sports and Racing Cars, 1997
  8. Bissett, Mark (28 May 2015). "Elfin 400/Traco Olds: Frank Matich, Neil Allan and Garrie Cooper". primotipo.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. ELFIN SPORTS CARS, www.shannons.com.au Retrieved 25 June 2016
  10. Old Racing Cars – Elfin
  11. 1 2 "Celebrate with Elfin". Shannons.com.au. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  12. The Formula Vee Story, www.terrywalkersplace.com Retrieved 29 September 2015
  13. 1 2 Elfin Clubman Type 3 advertisement, CAMS Magazine, Autumn 2003, page 21