1955 Elva MKI

After leaving the Army following World War II, Frank G. Nichols acquired a small garage business at Westham in 1947. It was soon very successful and larger facilities were needed. He moved to a larger garage in London Road, Bexhill. He gained a love and appreciation for motorsports after racing a Lotus IV, which led to the commission of a racing special called the CSM. One of Frank's mechanical engineers was 'Mac' Witts, who had created an 'inlet over exhaust' conversion for the Ford 100E engine. In regular guise, the Ford engine offered 36 horsepower. With the conversion in place, which greatly improved engine breathing, horsepower increased. Frank may have had some racing experience, but his true talents were as a businessman. He recognized an opportunity to promote the 'inlet over exhaust' conversion and had it installed in the custom-made CSM.

His business sense told him there was a market and demand for sports racing cars, and soon the 'ELVA' was born. The name 'ELVA', for 'ell va', means 'she goes.' Frank chose to use the name after a friend watching the CSM perform commented: 'Elle va!' in French.

The Mark 1 was the first ELVA built for sale to private owners. They were given a simple ladder frame arrangement from round tubing, with the drivetrain sourced from the Ford Prefect. The steering was from a Standard Ten sedan, the front suspension was comprised of wishbones and coil springs, and a live axle in the back was located by a Panhard rod and trailing links. A three-speed gearbox was attached to the Ford engine. The early examples were given aluminum bodywork, but costs and delivery time had Frank consider alternatives. A solution was found with Ashley Laminates (later renamed to Falcon), who created a fiberglass shell of the alloy body. It was quick and inexpensive, and the entire body could be bolted and unbolted to the chassis very easily.

The Elva's were not sophisticated or complex, but they were inexpensive. They offered buyers with limited resources the opportunity to buy a race car and compete against the much more expensive Cooper and Lotus cars.

After delivering a few cars, receiving feedback, and proving there was a market for these cars, Frank and his team worked to improve the product even further. Soon the MK 1/B emerged, with the most distinguishable difference from the earlier cars being an ELVA custom-fabricated front suspension, employing tubular A-arms and coil-over shocks. Buyers could now select either the Ford or Climax FW racing engine, the three-speed gearbox, or a BMC 4-speed transmission.

Impressed by the MK1, Chuck Dietrich of the United States became the U.S. distributor for Elva, expanding the market and potential even further. All of the MK/1B racecars that Dietrich received were powered by Climax engines.

Roughly 23 examples of the MK1 were built, including 6 MK1s.

The Elva MK1 provided the team with the opportunity to learn and grow. The Elva's that followed were much more sophisticated and competitive.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer
Chassis number: REB-338-ECC

Frank G. Nichols left school at 14 and after spending some time supporting the war effort, started in the second-hand car business in East Sussex. He soon became interested in motorsports and started racing with a Lotus IV and then a CSM. His business sense soon turned into the need to respond to the growing demand for sports racing cars and 'ELVA' was born. Prior to the construction of the Elva MK1, Frank constructed and raced prototypes. The factory only constructed 23 chassis for the MK1.

The Mark 1 was the first ELVA intended for sale to private owners. The ELVA factory raced previous prototypes up to 1955. The Mark 1 has a complete Triumph front end and is differentiated from the later model, Mark 1B, which has an ELVA custom-fabricated front suspension.

This car, chassis number RBE-338-EEC, is estimated by the ELVA registry to be one of the first 10 chassis built. It was originally built and delivered as a rolling chassis and fitted with a 1.5-liter Maserati engine. It was registered in the United Kingdom in 1956 as a 'Maserati Special,' but the engine was lost during the first race and was returned to the ELVA factory in 1956. They decided to use the cheaper, but lighter FWA Coventry Climax engine, which remains in the car to this day.

The car was raced and hill-climbed in the United Kingdom from 1956 through the late 1980s, when it then came to the United States. The car was restored in the early 1990s and then vintage raced with SCVRA and VARA events on the east coast. The car was parked from 1998 to 2008. The car was purchased by its current owners in June of 2008 and have raced it in various West Coast vintage events since that time. It is seen here at the 2009 Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway.

In the year 1955, Frank G. Nichols founded the Elva sports car manufacturing company. Based in Hastings, United Kingdom, the name Elva comes from the French phrase 'ella va' which means 'she goes'. Unfortunately, financial problems that were caused by the failure of the U.S. distributor the Elva Company was sold to Trojan in 1961. Production was relocated to Rye, Sussex, and again in 1966 to the main Trojan factory in Croydon. In 1965 Ken Sheppard from Customized Sports Cars of Shenley, Hertfordshire purchased Elva from Trojan, but production ended in 1968.

In 1954, Frank Nichols built his first sports racers. They were designed by Mick Chapman and created specifically for competition. Upon completion, they were taken to the track and competed with similar small displacement Lotus sports races from Colin Chapman. With the car showing tremendous promise, Nicholes decided to emulate its design with the first few Elva live rear axle sports racers.

MK II featured a de Dion rear axle. The MK IV had a fully independent suspension and was the first Elva with a tubular space frame.

The ultimate front-engined, drum-brake Elva sports racer was the small displacement sports racer MK V. Only thirteen examples were produced. Power was from the Coventry-Climax FWB single overhead camshaft engine, and they were competitive (perhaps better) than Chapman's Lotus 11 in England, Europe, and the United States.

Twenty-eight Elva MKVI models were produced with production beginning in December of 1961 and lasting until October 1962. Most were powered by the Coventry Climax FWA 1100cc engine, although a few were given Ford push-rod power and other engines. Drum brakes were standard as their low weight and small displacement engines did not necessitate a need for discs.

The MK VI was the first of the modern ultra-low 'lay down' sports racers. They made their debut at the Brands Hatch Boxing day race in England in December of 1961. They were popular in the US as a club racer in the G-Modified class. They enjoyed much success through the 1962 season but were soon eclipsed by the Lotus 23 and its successor, the Elva MK VII.

There were a total of around 69-72 examples of the MKVII 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 last Elva Sports Racers were the Mark VIII. They were based on the highly successful MK VII and VIIS, and fitted with the most state-of-the-art technology of the era. They were sold without engines and never officially used as factory competition cars; they were raced with much success by privateers, such as Carl Haas. The MKVIII had rocker arm front suspension, a rigid chassis design, an aerodynamic body, and a number of other innovations making them formidable competition against the Lotus 23s and other '2-liter and Under' competitors.

by Dan Vaughan