Elfin Sports Cars

History

The company was founded in South Australia as Elfin Sports Cars in October 1959 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.

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.

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 who relocated the business to Melbourne, Victoria.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Racing

Elfin drivers have won 29 championships and major races including:

Championships

Australian Sports Car Championship

• 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975 Australian Formula Ford Series
• 1970, 1971, 1974, 1982 Australian Drivers' Championship
• 1973, 1975 Rothmans International Series
• 1979

Races

Australian Tourist Trophy

• 1966, 1976, 1978 Singapore Grand Prix
• 1968 Malaysian Grand Prix
• 1968, 1969, 1972 New Zealand Grand Prix
  • 1973, 1974 Rose City 10000
• 1978

Famous drivers of Elfin cars included 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.

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.

|File:Yellow elfin ms8 streamliner.jpg|Elfin MS8 Streamliner |File:Elfin MS8 Clubman 2007.JPG|Elfin MS8 Clubman |File:Elfin t5.jpg|Elfin T5 Clubman ||title=}}

Historic vehicles – Garrie Cooper era

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

Historic vehicles – The post–Garrie-Cooper era

References

References

1. 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. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230608032259/https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/exclusive-elfin-sold-by-walkinshaw-group/ Aaron Noonan, Elfin Sold by Walkinshaw Group, 26 May 2023, www.v8sleuth.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org]
4. "Elfin Sports Cars – The Perfect Classic? – Australian Classic Car". Elfin.com.au.
5. "Elfin MS8 review, specs, stats, comparison, rivals, data, details, photos and information on SupercarWorld.com".
6. John Blanden & Barry Catford, Australia's Elfin Sports and Racing Cars, 1997
7. (28 May 2015). "Elfin 400/Traco Olds: Frank Matich, Neil Allan and Garrie Cooper".
8. [http://www.shannons.com.au/library/events/ELFIN.PDF ELFIN SPORTS CARS, www.shannons.com.au] {{Webarchive. link. (11 January 2022 Retrieved 25 June 2016)
9. [http://www.oldracingcars.com/f5000/elfin/ Old Racing Cars – Elfin]
10. [http://www.terrywalkersplace.com/Articles/FVeeStory.htm ''The Formula Vee Story'', www.terrywalkersplace.com] Retrieved 29 September 2015
11. Elfin Clubman Type 3 advertisement, CAMS Magazine, Autumn 2003, page 21