Elva Mk 3, 4 and 5

[Racer 35]

Looking at the threads, there seems to me to be a rather large hole in the Elva chassis archive. Maybe I'm just sensitive as I own a Mk4, but it would be nice to know where these cars are, and what condition they're in.
So, to start the thread, here's the details of my car:

Elva Mk 4
Chassis No 100/67
Works car in '59 (Continental Motors), won class at Sebring 12 hours driven by Baptista/Tweedale/Wallace. Continued to be raced by Frank Baptista in '59.
Sold late'59 to Ed Costly. Raced Sebring again in '60, finished 2nd in class.
'61, sold to Dutch Orstand. Cov Climax engine swapped for Ford 1500cc (still fitted)
Mid 60's: Ferrari 750 Monza engine fitted (I kid you not )
1970 Bought by Greg Miller, of FAF Ferrari in Atlanta, for the MOnza engine, and left outside in a woodpile!
Bought by Ralph Whaley in 1980, to restore. Sadly he never quite got around to starting the project.
Bought by Mike Cammarata in 1986, and restoration started, albeit slowly. During the restoration Ed Costly came to view the car.
Bought by me in '03, and raced infrequently in Gentlemen Drivers, Cloth Cap... etc

[PeterMorley]

This is what I have from Stan Mason, I've indicated whether they are restored or being restored, not listed those that are in storage/unknown:

Mark 3

100/46 (restored)
Ernst Walla Dortmund, Germany CC1221 ForSale, RGB Rundstreckenrennen October 2001? (Switzerland99) K. Shearer Adelaide Australia,Bill Custer GlenLake Racing,R. Kison MN, AJ Stahl St. Paul midwest raced at 60 RA 200mi, 58 SebringMartin/Baptista/Warren(owner), imported 10/7/57 B Martin Vogue Motors Chicago

100/47 (restored)
(Felix Chiu98)(Bill Harmon96)(Mid 60s to 90Don Poskin Continental Motors Chicago?converted to Alfa Eng)

100/48
(Richard Gaines) Lolita?,58 Baptista Car?

100/49 was a Mark 2 (restored)
(Richard Scott02) white headrest (Ned McDaniels90) Sid Horman Cal Club, Bill Hinshaw Salt Lake City62, Dan Abbot (Chassis plate MkII body is MkII with set back engine & brake air intake)

100/51 (restored)
(Alex Quanttlebaum Jr.)yellow 30th reunion Mid-Ohio Dark Blue driven as street car sometime in it’s life with full height windscreen brackets earlier white with stripe

100/52
Ray Baptista

100/53 probably a Mark 2 (restored)
Wolfgang Mathai German car Raced at 04 AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix, White with alloy wheels Nurburg Ring and Rome Race, identified as MkIII looks like a MkII, built July 22, 1957, Raced at Connellsville, PA 8/9/65

100/56
John Ratting UK

100/60
(Wayne Carter90s?)(Gordon Keller) Headlamps high in fender (Bentley Sebring Car?)

100/65 (being restored)
(Stan Mason87)(Walter Donicki NY85)(Cap ChenowethVT83?)(Stewart BoneNJ76)(Lenny Wilson NJ?) East Coast Car Converted to Larger Engine FM 62 SCCA Vineland NJ, >62 Baby Blue white racing stripe through grill, originally white

100/66 (being restored)
(Jim Wickiser 68 Pueblo West Colorado), 65 Bruce Monroe Indianapolis, IN, 7/29/67 Road America USSRC, 11/64 Eugene Johnson Memphis, TN, 2/64James Diamond Rochester, NY, 60 Bishop Hines Lockport NY, <60 Kenmore Sports Cars, Riplety Motors Ithaca NY?

Unidentified:

Possibly 100/61 (restored)
(Jack Leiss) 59 Sebring

Possibly 100/63L (restored)
(David Keenleyside) MkV Suspension Prototype

(Jon Clifton86) Washington State chassis modified to straight side bdy mag wheel hubs

Piazzo Car Pa?

Gary Roberts 93 1500cc Ford (raced in California 1964), 59 Henry Schmidt?

Mark 4

100/67 (restored)
01Mike Cammarata 86Ralph Whaley, 70 Greg Miller w/Ferrari 750 Monza Engine 62 Wilkins Ferrari?,63 1500 Ford Dutch,

100/69 (restored)
(Bill Davis) BRG “Puddle Jumper” Current Firberglass, Originally Aluminium Body first MkIV

100/70
(Jon Clifton) Aluminum Bodied Car Chuck Dietrich original Car Raced in England

100/71
100/72
100/73
All 3 were 1959 Sebring cars, unknown today

100/74L (restored)
(Franklin Rudolf) Yellow,Charles Crail

100/75
(Unknown Today) (Autosport Advertised) Alfa 1300cc Engine

100/76 (restored)
04 Dotti, 90sWill Foster, 80sCap Chenoweth

100/77L (being restored)
01 Jon Clifton, 90s Franklin Rudolf

100/79
(Unknown Today) Harold Pace sold in 05on ebay

100/82
Ed Costly #60 1961 Sebring Entry

100/84 was a Mark 5

100/85L
Ed Costly 2nd GM 1500cc Alfa Engine

100/86
04Tom Grunovich, Bob Russel for sale 04 $43K, Tom Ellsworth

100/87
Vern Harvey (50th Elva Reunion), 70s Eric Caple

Mark 5

100/84
(Ken Baurle)

100/91
(?) Chuck Dietrich original car

100/93
Andrew Stein

100/94
(Ian Carpenter), Ellis Jim, Pete Cocoran

100/96
(Jon Clifton)

100/99
Whit Ball

100/101
(George Clark)

100/103
Tim McCann

100/104 (restored)
(Dave Berger)

[chrisks]

I owned 100/63L,in the late 70s.This was certainly a Mk 4.

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by chrisks

I owned 100/63L,in the late 70s.This was certainly a Mk 4.

Can you add anything to its ownership history, names/dates??
Thank you
Peter

[chrisks]

Bought from M Cameron in Southend inSept 1980.

Sold to Alan Miles in Bournemoth soon after.

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

Mark 4

100/67 (restored)
01Mike Cammarata 86Ralph Whaley, 70 Greg Miller w/Ferrari 750 Monza Engine 62 Wilkins Ferrari?,63 1500 Ford Dutch,

100/69 (restored)
(Bill Davis) BRG “Puddle Jumper” Current Firberglass, Originally Aluminium Body first MkIV

100/70
(Jon Clifton) Aluminum Bodied Car Chuck Dietrich original Car Raced in England

100/71
100/72
100/73
All 3 were 1959 Sebring cars, unknown today

100/74L (restored)
(Franklin Rudolf) Yellow,Charles Crail

100/75
(Unknown Today) (Autosport Advertised) Alfa 1300cc Engine

100/76 (restored)
04 Dotti, 90sWill Foster, 80sCap Chenoweth

100/77L (being restored)
01 Jon Clifton, 90s Franklin Rudolf

100/79
(Unknown Today) Harold Pace sold in 05on ebay

100/82
Ed Costly #60 1961 Sebring Entry

100/84 was a Mark 5

100/85L
Ed Costly 2nd GM 1500cc Alfa Engine

100/86
04Tom Grunovich, Bob Russel for sale 04 $43K, Tom Ellsworth

100/87
Vern Harvey (50th Elva Reunion), 70s Eric Caple

I've heard from Alessandro Poggianti in Italy who bought 100/79L from Harold Pace.
He gave me the following information:
I am the owner of this car from 2005, I bought the car from Harold Pace on ebay.
I restored the car, I put in an Alfa Romeo SV engine of the 1958 (the first serie) because I found on the literature that the L-type chassis were predisposed for this particular engine. Indeed I found in the car an AlfaRomeo gearshift.
I restored the car body in english green I found in the car originally.

I will add some of the photos Alessandro sent me asap.

[PeterMorley]

Here are some photos of Alessandro Poggianti's Mark IV 100/79 with Alfa Romeo SZ engine.

[ElvaMKII]

Elva MK III Chassis 100/54 is is San Diego, CA> It was purchased by current owner in court auction in mid-1990’s from Gary Clark.

The car was raced by Tom Greatorex, who was Shelby's mechanic at Venice, CA, and who helped to build the Cobra Coupe.

The car is for sale. Contact bobengberg@aim.com if interested.

[Alan Brown]

Originally Posted by ElvaMKII

Elva MK III Chassis 100/54 is is San Diego, CA> It was purchased by current owner in court auction in mid-1990’s from Gary Clark.

The car was raced by Tom Greatorex, who was Shelby's mechanic at Venice, CA, and who helped to build the Cobra Coupe.

The car is for sale. Contact bobengberg@aim.com if interested.

This car appears to be the one that was for sale at the Coys Auction at Brands Hatch on Sunday (24 May).

http://www.coys.co.uk/auctions/lot.p...on=89&id=56529

[John Turner]

Copied over from the Goodwood 2007 thread:-

Originally Posted by John Turner

Simon Peach took the rare Elva Mk4 to 19th:-

Which chassis no. is it?

[henk4]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Copied over from the Goodwood 2007 thread:-



Which chassis no. is it?

I saw one at Silverstone in 2005 in exactly the same colours, which was 100/67

[henk4]

Originally Posted by henk4

I saw one at Silverstone in 2005 in exactly the same colours, which was 100/67

and the owner of that car is the one who started this thread, so we could get confirmation

[Racer 35]

Originally Posted by henk4

and the owner of that car is the one who started this thread, so we could get confirmation

Yep, my car carries chassis number 100/67, however this is almost certainly incorrect.

The car had no chassis plate when it was discovered, but it was certainly Ed Costley's car which he took to 2nd in class, and 37th overall in the '61 Sebring 12 hours. He viewed the car during restoration, and wrote a letter detailing the modifications he made to the body for the 12 hour race. I also have a video taken from his home-movie of the event which stars my car, and the bottom of every pretty woman he saw through the lens

Ed says he bought it direct from Continental Motors in '59, and that it was a works car in that year, having run at Sebring. He also said that there were 2 for sale at the time, a blue one and a green one. He took the green one, which was in maintained better, and in better condition. Ed seemed to think that it was therefore the Frank Baptista car that took the class win at Sebring in '59, but that's not 100% sure. Frank's son and widow were guests of honour at it's first race after restoration, at Atlanta.

Unfortunately, during restoration,Mike Cammarata (the fine Georgia gentlemean that restored the car to it's former beauty) was advised by the experts of the time (mid-late '80s) that the car was chassis no 100/67, though it now seems that 100/67 may not have been a mk4 at all. The car is in fact certainly in truth either 100/71, /72, or /73. But which one? I'd be grateful of any help in this matter!

One day I'll put a Cov Climax back in it, repaint it in Continental Motors colours, and sort the chassis number out. Or maybe not.

[johnarnold]

I have Elva Coupe No E1130E: Lotus Twin Cam, independant rear, would anyone have any information on this car, anything would be of interest.
John.

[D-Type]

In addition to the self-coloured, aluminium bodied, 1172 Ford and later Climax-powered Mk1 or Mk 2 raced by Colin McNaughton in Kenya that I described on the Mk1/Mk2 thread there was a second Elva in Kenya in the fifties. This was a fibreglass-bodied Mk3 or Mk 4. This had an 1100 Climax, was initially dark blue (self colour of the GRP) and was later resprayed in BRG. The body did not have a driver's headrest. I'm not sure of the owner but the name J W Hickman comes to mind, but after fifty years my memory may be at fault here.

[fwb35]

Hey Racer 35, my name is Frank Baptista Jr, I drove the car you now have when Mike Camarata had it at Road Atlanta, how is the car doing?

[bobwoodman]

Just discovered you site.

I read with great interest about 100/67.

I worked briefly for Ed Costley at his small import repair shop in Tucker, Ga in 1983 before he went out of business and I went into business for myself.

I knew Ralph Whaley well, as he was an automotive machinist and did work for my shop, also in Tucker. He was also responsible for getting me involved in vintage sportscar racing in 1985.

I also knew Mike Cammarata, as he was a regular customer at my shop, with his Triumph GT6.

I went with Ralph to pick up the Elva4 he had bought, which was, as the lore correctly cites, literally stored behind a woodpile. What the lore leaves out is that the woodpile in question was in Ed Costley's back yard!

The car had indeed been modified to accept power other than a Climax, and was purported at that time to have been most recently powered by a 750 Monza engine. We moved the car to Ralph's house, and ultimately into his basement.

Ralph located and purchased an Alfa (1300?) engine which he planned to install, but the project really never got off the ground until Mike Cammarata bought it.

I saw the car a couple of times after Mike restored it at vintage races.

I was never privy to (nor interested in) the chassis number, so I can't shed any light on that issue.

Is Ed Costley still around? I was thinking about him tonight, that's what brought me to your thread.

I'm also the owner of a Mk6, #60/13.

[hisbn1]

Hi all--

I posted--or at least thought I posted--a note to this list yesterday but since it doesn't appear to be showing up for me I will do so again.

I purchased Mk IV #100/86 from Tom Grudovitch last year. Tom had been racing it very successfully with an FWB engine for several years, then acquired a Lola Mk I project with which he is almost finished and pulled the B out of the MK IV to put into the Lola. I bought the car from him with an FWE with all fresh internals, etc. which was in need of assembly and fitting, etc. This process is almost complete and I may be running the car for the first time in the next couple of weeks. I am pretty excited to say the least. I have attached a photo of the car as it now sits.

As to the Ed Costley cars I have some information to throw into the mix.
In March 2008 Elva was the Marque of the Year at the SVRA races and a number of Elvi were present--I was racing my Courier #100/15.

I met a fellow named Denton Smith from the Atlanta GA area who had a Mk IV loaded onto the back of an open trailer. Denton didn't know too much about the car, had recently spoken with Ed Costley, and I think he was trying to get some line on the car's bona fides and whether or not it would be worth selling or restoring.

The car was pretty much a mess--there was no engine or transmission and the rear axle was a big solid thing with cast AL inboard brakes. There was a good amount of rust in the tubing and it looked like someone had done a fair amount of cobbling to the car over its lifetime.

I can't remember all the details, whether or not Denton said that Costley had actually seen the car, but said that Costley believed the car was definitely real and was probably one of his cars that had run at Sebring with an Alfa engine. He had a bunch of pictures of one of those cars taken back in the day and some of the repairs to the nose matched some of the damage shown in the pictures.

There were several other Elva afficianados present and their opinions varied on whether the car was really a MK IV versus simply a body draped over some made-up chassis, but most thought the car was real.

I last spoke with Denton a few months ago and I get the feeling he is not interested in restoring it--he is a car collector versus a racer and his interests are pretty diverse. I don't think he would mind my giving out his email address: Bonnevilleflats@aol.com and if someone seeking further details and info on the car (NOT bottom-feeding) were to contact him I think Denton would be responsive.

Best--Michael Oritt, MD

[ElvaMKII]

Elva Reunion is planned for next September, 2010, at Road America. Rog Dunbar will be giving details at www.elva.com/

See you all there. Bob Engberg

[hisbn1]

Here's a shot of the newly arrived MK IV next to my Courier. Interesting how the lines were transplanted to the Courier and yet they look so different.

[hisbn1]

Another angle.

[begbier]

After a life in the US, latterly in California following a complete nut-and-bolt restoration in 1990, chassis 100/74 is back racing in the UK. Recent pics from a 'shake down' at Goodwood in Feb 2011.

[begbier]

Further to posts #25, #29 and #31, some new information recently came to light suggesting that the finder and restorer of my Elva-Climax MkIV may have got themselves a bit confused.

To explain, sometime in the late 1980s Charles Crail discovered my car, chassis 100/74, as a classic barn find in rural California. He already owned the remains of a second Elva MkIV (100/77L) and in 1990 did a deal with another Californian car restorer - Franklin “Rudy” Rudolph - trading both cars in exchange for an Elva Formula Junior. Rudy then went on to restore the more complete of the two cars - chassis 100/74 - and sold the scant remains of 100/77L to a well-known Elva collector.

Crail told Rudy that the previous owner said that chassis 100/74, had been raced by William T. “Bunny” Ribbs in the 1962 race season and, indeed, period photos exist showing Ribbs driving a MkIV at various tracks in California during that time. However, some new information obtained recently indicates that Bunny’s car was almost certainly chassis number 100/77L and not 100/74.

This begs the question as to the period race history of 100/74, a very early chassis number in the run of Mark IVs, and requires a bit more detective work. That work is ongoing but, with a maximum of around 30 Elva Mk IVs having been built, by eliminating known cars, closely examining period race results and taking account of geography, the prime candidates are the cars raced in 1958/1959 by:

John D. Peters (North Hollywood, CA)
- raced initially in UK (1958/59) and then California (1959)
- covered in the János Wimpffen book

A.S ‘Curley’ Brayer (Phoenix, AZ)
- Arizona Elva dealer
- 1959 Jerome hillclimb and SCCA El Paso, Del Mar, Santa Barbara

William A. Parham Jr. (Fort Worth, TX)
- ran at December 1959 Nassau races and SCCA Galveston (1960)
- also raced a Courier

Any information, additive or corrective, would be warmly appreciated.

[John Turner]

Very nice, Rod. Is it yours?

[begbier]

Yes John, got it just before Xmas. Hoping to be out in the Stirling Moss Trophy this year.