Elfin Sports Cars

Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd
Founded	1957
Founder	Garrie Cooper
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key people	Don Elliott Tom Walkinshaw
Parent	Walkinshaw Performance
Website	www.elfin.com.au

Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd is the current name of the car company which was founded by Garrie Cooper. It has been an Australian manufacturer of sports cars and motor racing cars since 1957.

Elfin Sports Cars is owned by the estate of former British racing driver Tom Walkinshaw, through his company Walkinshaw Performance which also owns Holden Special Vehicles. 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. The original factory was located at Conmurra Avenue, Edwardstown in suburban Adelaide, South Australia. The company is currently located is at Braeside, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

History

The company was founded by Garrie Cooper, a successful championship driver and designer and builder of racing and sports/racing cars as Elfin Sports Car Company. In 1983, following the death of its founder, 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.

Garrie Cooper died suddenly from a burst aorta due to the vessels weakness due to medication he was taking to keep his blood thin after a heart valve operation in the mid 1970's's on ANZAC Day (25 April) in 1982, at the age of 46. 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.

In 1993, Victorian Murray Richards acquired Elfin and set out to build new generation Elfin Clubman called the Type 3. In failing health, he sold Elfin to Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch in 1998.

Currently, Elfin is owned by the estate of British racing driver Tom Walkinshaw.

There is a heritage centre dedicated to Elfin Sports Cars in Melbourne, Australia. The centre features around 12 current and historic vehicles on display.

Racing

Elfin won 29 championships and major titles including two Australian Drivers' Championships (1973, 1975), four Australian Sports Car Championships (1970, 1973, 1974, 1975), three Australian Tourist Trophies (1966, 1976, 1978), and four Australian Formula Ford Championships (1970, 1971, 1974, 1982). In addition Elfin cars also won the Singapore Grand Prix (1968), the Malaysian Grand Prix (1968, 1969, 1972), and the New Zealand Grand Prix (1973, 1974).

Drivers of Elfin cars included 1976 Formula One World Champion James Hunt, and French F1 driver, Didier Pironi. Others included Australian F1 drivers Vern Schuppan and Larry Perkins, as well asJohn Bowe, Frank Matich, John McCormack, Bob Jane, John Harvey, Allan Grice and Peter Manton.

Models

Current vehicles

Elfin is currently producing two V8 powered sports cars: the MS8 Streamliner and the MS8 Clubman and has recently introduced an entry-level model, the turbocharged four cylinder powered T5 Clubman. The engines are supplied by GM Powertrain.

Elfin MS8 Clubman

Elfin MS8 Streamliner

Elfin T5 Clubman

Historic vehicles - The Garrie Cooper era

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

Model	Total	Production	Description	Image
Streamliner	23	1959–1963	Sports racing car (front engined)
Formula Junior & Catalina	20	1961–1964	Formula Junior racing car & racing car. The two models differed only in minor specifications and the majority built were Formula Juniors.
Clubman	14	1961–1965	Clubman sports car
Mallala	5	1962–1964	Sports racing car
Type 100 Mono	19	1964–1969	Australian 1½ Litre Formula racing car
Type 500	21	1965–1969	Formula Vee racing car
Type 400	4	1966–1967	Group A Sports racing car (V8 powered)
Type 300	6	1967–1969	Sports racing car
600/B/C/D/E	27	1968–1971	Racing car (various formulae)
600 FF	17	1969–1972	Formula Ford racing car
Type 350	1	1969 only	Sports racing car
ME5	1	1969 only	Group A Sports racing car (V8 powered)
Type 360	3	1971 only	Sports racing car
MR5	4	1971–1972	Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000). The first F5000 car designed and built by Elfin.
620 FF	20	1972–1975	Formula Ford racing car
622	6	1972–1974	Australian Formula 2 racing car
623	8	1973–1974	Australian Formula 3 racing car
MR6	1	1974 only	Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000)
MS7	1	1974 only	Sports racing car (V8 powered)
630	2	1974–1975	Australian Formula 2 racing car
700	7	1975–1977	Australian Formula 2 racing car
MR8	3	1976–1978	Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000)
New Generation "NG"	29	1976–1983	Formula Vee racing car
792	3	1979 only	Australian Formula 2 racing car
Aero FF	1	1979 only	Formula Ford racing car
GE Two-25	1	1980 only	Australian Formula 2 racing car
MR9	1	1980 only	Australian Formula 1 racing car (F5000). The first open wheel race car to be designed and built in Australia using Ground effect aerodynamics.
Total	248

Historic vehicles - The post Garrie Cooper era

Model	Total	Production	Description	Image
FF84		1984	Formula Ford racing car.
NG "EP"	8	1984-1986	Edmondson-Porter run on of the NG Series Formula Vee racing cars.
Crusader	20		Formula Vee racing car.
852		1985	Australian Formula 2 racing car.
FA891	1	1989	Formula Holden racing car fielded in the 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship by Elfin Sports Cars. 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 the category's original working name, Formula Australia.
Type 3 Clubman	70	1998–2007	Clubman sports car. Powered by a supercharged Toyota 4AG ZE engine.

Last updated on 10 June 2014 at 12:41.