Elfin 50 years anniversary

Harvey Simon lived in Sarawak flying a helicopter for a UK medical mission but his Elfin was kept in Kuala Lumpur

The bloke in the cap is Bryan Thompson and I reckon the lady with the blue bag behind is Tania [Tania34]

Dunno if this is the best place to ask, but I've come across recently tales told of some Elfin constructed Formula Vee that aren't allowed to be called Elfins. Story goes there were about three cars built not long after Cooper's death and before Elliott took formal control and these cars because Elliott did not want to recognise them as Elfins now are simply called HFVs. Nameless race cars for when Clint Eastwood needs to trade up his horse with no name.

They have vaguely Crusader bodywork but don't look like NGs at all.

Any of this familiar to anyone?

The Elfin book mentions some orders finished by Cliff, maybe those? I thought there were a number of Ng's built by Elliott before the Crusader which first ran in 1987. They had the 'mk2' body with a different nose and a 45deg lip along the bottom of the sides and nose and the chassis numbers started in EP.

My curiosity was related to why the official view might be that these few Vees cannot be called Elfins for historic certficate purposes? What is the mentality behind that and what other name should then be used if not Elfin?

QUestion I've raised in the Elfin 50 year thread - heard tell of a story recently that there were a small handful of Vees built, or finished by Elfin not long after Garrie Cooper's death, but well before his successors started producing the Crusader, and that those Vees are now not allowed to be called Elfins. Is there anyone who can clarify what seems to be a silly issue for me?

As a matter of interest the premises were originally Cooper Body works. what did Cliff build. One off bodies for Sports Cars etc or did they do truck and van bodies? There was some good and large sheetmetal equipment there, realy to big for race car stuff.

Yes, they were a Coach Body Building Works - including Bus bodies before racing and sports cars took hold.

Edited by SJ Lambert, 07 July 2010 - 09:04.

G'day all,

Looking at some of the photos it looks like a few 622 or 623 cars were present. Does anyone have any better pictures? Also out of interest I note no Elfin 600 cars.

Regards James

Elfin Formula Junior. Very pretty cars.

Edited by SJ Lambert, 21 July 2010 - 13:23.

Edited by SJ Lambert, 24 July 2010 - 01:43.

Here's a Bus Body by Messrs Cooper - both Garrie and Cliff are in the shot - I'd be interested to have all the gentlemen in the frame identified. Jack Hilton may be one of them, but I'd be guessing as to most of them!!

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 18 July 2010 - 22:27.

Great to see the ME5 looking so immaculate Spencer - interesting choice to use the John Walker Tassy livery. Was very smart in period so its a good choice.
Obviously another relative of yours - your family must have Elfins coming out their ears!

Great to see the ME5 looking so immaculate Spencer - interesting choice to use the John Walker Tassy livery. Was very smart in period so its a good choice.
Obviously another relative of yours - your family must have Elfins coming out their ears!

Elfin Sports Cars "Works" 50^th Anniversary Celebrations

- Adelaide August 15 & 16, 2009 –

Edited by SJ Lambert, 24 July 2010 - 03:34.

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Edited by SJ Lambert, 23 July 2010 - 22:04.

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Edited by SJ Lambert, 25 July 2010 - 07:59.

There was a couple of 600s there. One in formula Ford guise and one i think with a twincam in it. F2?

Spencer, yes those wheels do look similar to an Elfin wheel. Check 6463, which is a colour shot from 1964 (will also come up when you type in Matich).
Shame Lyn Archer was'nt there with his Catalina - must be the longest single ownership of an Elfin maybe, or one of them (Spanos might be longer).

Edited by Terry Walker, 04 November 2010 - 03:29.

Don Hall's great book, "Both Sides of the Fence", is out. He knew Garrie Cooper very well for many years, from when they were both mad keen model aeroplane builders - racing control line aircraft with those tiny 5 cc and 10 cc engines. Garrie's favoutie plane was an "English Elfin" - hence the name of his cars.

The guy is the brown corduroys by the Sports Car way back is definitely Stuart Kostera - he drove both Sports Car and an F5000 for Ansett Team Elfin for several years, based in the Elfin factory. The team was disbanded when Garrie died. One of the great perks of the Ansett sponsorship was free first-class air travel to and from meetings, very important if you live in WA and race on the east coast. Stuart says the F5000 was twitchier than the sports, no doubt due to the sports cars better aero.

Edited by eldougo, 20 March 2012 - 09:45.

Where is the Peter Scott car?

I guess Tania would be interested in that one too...

Good on him!

Hope he's still running when he gets to the familiar Matich number...

Both cars looking absolutely ticketyboo these days.