Elva MK VIIS, 1964 MK VIIS | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

With the advent of the U.S.R.R.C. in 1963 and the fact that under 2 liter sports racing cars could compete for overall honors in the 1964 championship season against their larger-engine counterparts on a points basis, the Elva-Porsche was conceived by Midwest Porsche distributor, Oliver Schmidt, Elva importer Carl Haas, and Elva designer, Frank Nicholls. Light, nimble and powered by a reliable, yet powerful Porsche Carrera engine of 1700 cc, the Elva-Porsche stunned the racing world by winning its inaugural race in the U.S., the prestigious Road America 500 in August of 1964.

Resulting from that success, a production run of 19 cars was committed to over the next year and one-half.

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Designer: Frank Nicholls
Chassis Num: 70/060

This 1964 Elva Mark 7S was purchased by Robert Amey in late 1964. It was intended to be powered by a Corvair motor. After breaking two crankshafts and not making the field for the Daytona 24-Hour, the car was fitted with a 2-liter BMW motor. Following this, Chuck Dietrich drove the car until the late 1960's. In 1966, he won the SCCA Central Division Championship. From 1965-1967, he won fifteen SCCA National and Regional races. At Mid-Ohio he was 'king' with nine wins over a three-year period, including a stretch of seven wins in a row.

The name 'Elva' means 'She Goes' in French. They soon became strong contendors on both sides of the Atlantic and is considered one of the more competitive contendors in sports car racing. They provided strong competition for Lotus drivers and to Colin Chapman's production. There were a total of around 69-72 examples of the MK7 produced between 1963 through 1965. Engine options varied, some were fitted with Lotus/Ford 1600cc, Ford Cosworth 1100cc, (Porsche, Climax, Lotus Twin Cam, and BMW) and various other units.

The European based company, Elva, was formed by Frank Nichols. The cars became very popular, especially overseas, since Nichols was more interested in selling cars rather than racing. This meant that on European soil, the Elva's driven by privateers often battled against the factory Lotus 23/23B entrants. In the US, the Elva's did not have this level of competition; rather, they were often pitted against other privateers in SCCA competition.

The MK7 was designed to house a number of engines; many were given a Porsche powerplant or a BMW 2-liter engine. Aside from Abarth, Elva was the only other company to be allowed to use Porsche engines from the factory. The chassis was based on a tubular spaceframe configuration coupled with an all-independent coil-over suspension. There were anti-roll bars and disc brakes in the front and rear, and a rack-and-pinion steering setup.

The Elva MK7 made its debut race in 1963 at Road Atlanta and emerged victorious. This was a true testament to the cars abilities, the potent Porsche powerplant, and a sign of things to come for the small and nimble racer. It would become the best Under 2-Liter Sports Racer of its era.

Porsche purchase two Elva MK7s and fitted one with a 2-liter, flat-eight engine. In the capable hands of Herbert Miller, it won the European Hill Climb Championship. A few design details from the Elva MK7 would later make their way into Porsche products.

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Zippo U.S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen	Monterey Historic Automobile Races

1964 Elva MK VIIS
Year	1964
Make	Elva
Model	MK VIIS
Engine Location	Mid
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series	1964 - 1965
Body Designer	Frank Nicholls
Combined MPG	0.00

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis Number	70/060

Engine
Engine Builder	BMW
Engine Configuration	I
Cylinders	4
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	2.00 L \| 122 cu in. \| 1999.6 cc.
Valvetrain	OHV
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol

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1964 Elva MK VIIS