A kit car moniker gives an impression of a pile of parts waiting in the garage to be completed . It has definite wrong side of the junkyard association in most peoples minds .
In a traditional "Kit Car" the one we think about - First you locate a donor car (VW, Fiero, Sprite et al) and strip off all the mechanical parts. You then scrap the old body and bolt the hopefully cleaned up mechanical parts to a new body or a new body and modified chassis.
The Elva is not a kit car - it was sold as a complete car in every market - except Britain
and in Britain - you got all the parts for the car - no sourcing involved - More like a complete knockdown car - A CKD car for the domestic market would be a better term for the Elva and other cars.
In a traditional "Kit Car" the one we think about - First you locate a donor car (VW, Fiero, Sprite et al) and strip off all the mechanical parts. You then scrap the old body and bolt the hopefully cleaned up mechanical parts to a new body or a new body and modified chassis.
The Elva is not a kit car - it was sold as a complete car in every market - except Britain
and in Britain - you got all the parts for the car - no sourcing involved - More like a complete knockdown car - A CKD car for the domestic market would be a better term for the Elva and other cars.
Elva and Lotus among others went this "Kit Car" route domestically to avoid a tax of 8% on a completed car. It made sense – you were supposed to know how a car goes together if you went racing at that time. You might as well have a heads up on how all these pieces worked together from the get go.
In England the Elva was complete car delivered - doors on, upholstery in, suspension on, painted - you had to put the engine and transmission in the car and put the rear axle in - bleed the hydraulics and you were done it was an easy job on a simple car
In England the Elva was complete car delivered - doors on, upholstery in, suspension on, painted - you had to put the engine and transmission in the car and put the rear axle in - bleed the hydraulics and you were done it was an easy job on a simple car
In racing you were going to inevitably break something. - this was just going to be the first time you accomplished the task - it was not a hurdle or a hindrance to the average race car guy -
If you were going to race any other production car (Porsche, Alfa, MG) - the engine was going to come out and be changed for to suit a racing lifestyle and so were a lot of other parts
In the Courier case, in England - you started out that way
If you were going to race any other production car (Porsche, Alfa, MG) - the engine was going to come out and be changed for to suit a racing lifestyle and so were a lot of other parts
In the Courier case, in England - you started out that way
The Elva Courier is a member of the tax evasion club, a car built for an owner with mechanical skills.
It is a car built up with a variety of parts sourced from several manufacturers to meet a specific requirement. They raided the british parts bin and made some interesting combinations and but these parts were assembled in a factory and delivered complete on the Elva Courier
Who knew that the Morris Minor Stub Axle fits in the Triumph Herald front Suspension Upright or that Hillman Minx brakes would bolt to the same setup, Elva did and that is what you got .
Who knew that the Morris Minor Stub Axle fits in the Triumph Herald front Suspension Upright or that Hillman Minx brakes would bolt to the same setup, Elva did and that is what you got .
It was not a unique vision – Lotus used a similar setup on the Elite and the Lotus 7.
The same would be true of all the british sports racing marques of the late 50’s and early 60’s.
The same would be true of all the british sports racing marques of the late 50’s and early 60’s.
