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3 Oct 2009, 21:00 (Ref:2556023) | #1 | ||
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 30
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Elfin Type 300
I think that for the first time there will shortly be six type 300 Elfins in Australia. With the return of the prototype, frame no. SS 67-4 after many years in New York and a couple in the UK, that means every type 300 from first to last will be domiciled down under! From the little 1150cc Holbay powered one through the 2.0 litre Climax powered one that spent many years in Africa to all the Twin Cam powered ones. If one includes the one off type 350 as an honourary seventh car in the "300 Series" then we can look forward to their appearance in numbers at historic meets!!
So congratulations to all you gents currently campaigning them, I reckon that the "300 Club" ought be formed to allow you fellows to exercise (or should that be exorcise?) your obsessions!! Half a dozen of the prettiest sports racers ever produced in Australia on the same grid at Albert Park, Mallala, Winton or even Eastern Creek would look pretty impressive! James Lambert |
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4 Oct 2009, 07:29 (Ref:2556024) | #2 | ||
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Welcome SJL. Any pics, anyone? Also if anyone has a history of these 6 or 7 cars they would be prepared to knock together for the Chassis Archive, please do so.
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5 Oct 2009, 08:43 (Ref:2556026) | #4 | ||
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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Prototype Elfin 300
The initial Sports racing 300 was originally ordered by Carl Haas in 1965 for SCCA Sports Modified Racing in the States. Single seaters took priority at the Elfin factory, so, by the time the car was completed, testedat Mallala and shipped to the New York, the contract had been passed to Chuck Kreuger, his home track was Watkins Glen -it was raced sparingly there and at Cumberland in SCCA National events before an extended period of storage in Upstate New York.
The prototype passed into the hands of Graham Allen in the UK in 2007, receiving a thorough restoration, all the while, in Graham's words "retaining the remarkable originality of the car" - with only modifications being concessions to FIA safety requirements such as the rather demure original roll bar making way for a more substantion hoop. Even the original aluminium hand beaten body courtesy of John Webb that was used to create the mold for the following cars has been returned to it's brilliant best. Graham ran the car at Brands Hatch and is now in the process of shipping it back to Australia, where Ron Lambert, a member of the Elfin Build Team in 66/7 is looking forward to reacquanting himself with SS67-4. Photo attached of car looking as fresh as a daisy a few months ago. |
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7 Oct 2009, 02:35 (Ref:2556027) | #5 | ||
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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G'day John
I could knock together something for the chassis archive - it would be sourced from old RCNs, Barry Catford's materials and the Elfin Register. Dad (Ron) and a couple of other ex Elfin employees would, no doubt, be willing to test their memories too! Cheers James |
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7 Oct 2009, 11:02 (Ref:2556029) | #6 | ||
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Join Date: Oct 2009
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Elfin Type 300 Frame History (including type 350)
No.1
Prototype frame SS67-4 - Holbay Ford 1150cc downdraft engine, Mk iv Hewland Box, 13" wheels, 8s front, 10s rear. Lapped Mallala 1.20.2 coutesy Garrie Cooper shipped to New York around July 67 Owners Charles Kreuger Aug 67 - Graham Allen 2007 Ron Lambert 2009 No. 2 Frame SS67-5 (Sept 1967) Climax FPF 2.0 litre engine Owners 1967 Garth McGillewie -finished 4th overall in Capetown 3 hour race -won 1968 South African Sports Car Championship early in its life it was raced by both Garth McGillewie, Tony Jeffries and Jos Viljoen. It apparently held many records in it's class (Any South African out there are invited to provide some specifics!) 1994 Ron Watt - Zimbabwe 2002 David Lubransky Victoria 2007 Bill Hemming Victoria No.3 Frame SS67-6 (Nov 1967) Ford Twin Cam Owners 1967 Mal Ramsay South Australia 1969 Dennis Uhrahne Victoria 1972 Ian McDonald Victoria 1972-3 Terry Hook 1973-6 Max Patterson Victoria 1976 R K Beard Victoria 1976 Ken Wasley Queensland 1979 Bruce Lynton Queensland Both this car and frame SS67-7 appeared at Calder on 21 Jan 1968 - Mal Ramsay took 1.6 secs offIan Geoghan's Lotus 23 Lap record. |
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7 Oct 2009, 12:36 (Ref:2556030) | #7 | ||
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Elfin Type 300 Frame History (including type 350) cont
No.4 Frame SS67-7 (Dec 1967) Ford Twin Cam
Owners Dec 1967 Dave Robertson Victoria 1971 Dick Heales 1974 Greg Doidge 1976 Warwick De Rose 1978 Barry Duckworth 1979 David Medley 1981 Dave Mawer 1989 Howard Blight Dave Robertson took four seconds off the lap record at Winton in early in 68. Also took Hume Weir class record at Easter 68 with a 51.3. Mal Ramsay in SS 67-6 lowered Mallala record to 1:17.8, Calder 48.1 at Surfer's Paradise took two seconds off Glyn Scott's record to leave it at 1:17.7. Put up a 1500 cc class record at Warwick Farm of 1:36.9 I think (quicker than Bob Muir in a Lotus 23B - Bob employed a larger engine, running in 2 litre class won the race, Mal quickest lap). Ray Bell reports on the Autosport forum that in a little over 15 months the three cars in Australia took class records on every circuit they visited except Sandown. No. 5 SS69-8 designated Type 300B Engine Ford Twin Cam 1750cc fitted with Elfin made one peice hub flange and axle units (had previously used Hillman Imp hub shafts ) Owners June 1969 Mal Ramsay/Elfin Works Car Mal raced it successfully in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, placed fourth in each of the Grands Prix and won both the sports car races, taking the class record at each circuit. Hengkie Iriwan (Indonesia) bought the car whilst it was on this fly away trip. Rodney Seow bought it off Hengkie in Singapore (I don't know when). 2004 Vaughan Stibbard (NSW) bought it off Rodney in Singapore & is restoring it currently. Vaughan would love some photos of this one being built or in use prior to it heading overseas............ I understand that the type 350 may well have been built alongside this one. That notion accords with it's frame no. which fits chronologically. No. 6 SS69-10 designated type 300C Engine Ford Twin cam - Nov 1969 Mal Ramsay (Mal must reckon the 300 goes allright) took delivery of his third (and according to Barry Catford the seventh and last of the Type 300 Elfins to be built ie Barry's including the 350 in with the 300s). This one reverted back to 1500cc engine but went on a weight loss program. Mal landed a drive in a Repco Brabham powered works Elfin 600 soon after taking delivery of this frame. 1970 Phil Moore (who later went on to win the 1972 Australian Sports Car Championship in a 2.5litre Repco Brabham powered Elfin type 360) acquired this frame and was runner up in the 1970 Australian Sports Car Championship in this car. (A certain type 350 Elfin saluted first in the 1970 Championship -more about that car in a tick). 1971 Derry George (Peter Larner also driving) 1971 Bob Muir 1971 Mike Bruce 1973 Bill Peacock 1974 Col Pavic 1975 John Blanden 1977 Eroll Davidson Trevor Bassett at some stage 1981 Daryl Muller 1986 Phil Segat Elfin Specifications of the day offered Mk iv and v Hewland g-boxes as well as the FT 200 for 2.5 litre engines. Engines envisaged were the four cylinder range of Ford based Holbay and Cosworth units as well as Mk111 FPF Coventry Climax and Alfa Romeo v8. Elfin Type 350 Frame SS69-9 Delivery Date June 1969 Bob Mills, of Elfin Sports Cars sent a pre delivery photo to Ron Lambert (who was at the time a recently departed employee, prior to Bevan Gibson's death, advising Ron that a 2.5l Repco-Brabham V8 was in the frame to be fitted to this vehicle, it did not come to pass, I'm not sure, but I think that Bob Jane may never have taken delivery of the car. The engine first fitted was a 2.5 litre Climax FPF unit. Garrie Cooper put inch and a half aluminium strips along the centre of the front wheel guards and made a new wider rear section to accomodate its wider track. Peter Woodward, with Rex Colliver spinning spanners for him, won the 1970 Australian Sports Car Championship using this Elfin Sporty. Owner 1969 Bob Jane 1969 Peter Woodward 1970 Mike Bruce Tasmania 1970 Jim Miller Tasmania 1972 Steve Roomes Tasmania 1976 Allen Aitken NSW 1976 R Johnston NSW 1980 John Holmes Qld This car is also undergoing restoration at the moment. |
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31 May 2010, 11:34 (Ref:2701697) | #8 | ||
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Elfin 300 Prototype competing Cumberland 1968, Chuck Kreuger driver
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24 Jun 2010, 09:13 (Ref:2717286) | #9 | ||
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The Elfin Type 350 was delivered to Bob Jane before passing into the hands of Peter Woodward later in 1969.
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7 Sep 2010, 10:16 (Ref:2755589) | #10 | ||
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Kevin Bartlett behind wheel
KB behind wheel of prototype 300 at Mallala - guest of Garrie Cooper during pre delivery test session in 1967
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26 Sep 2014, 04:12 (Ref:3457727) | #11 | ||
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Just in relation to the Type 350 - I mentioned in post #7 above - that I wasn't sure whether Bob Jane took delivery of the car - I now know he definitely did receive it (as I've seen photos of it on his show room floor!!) - I'm still in the dark as to whether he ever raced it ....
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12 Jan 2020, 08:08 (Ref:3951138) | #12 | |||
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12 Apr 2023, 12:05 (Ref:4151207) | #13 | ||
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1 Sep 2024, 22:48 (Ref:4225067) | #14 | ||
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Elfin Mk7 (67-5)
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71-74 John Amm, 75 Horst Hornick,76 Robin Rushforth, 77 Horst Hornick (again) 78-80 back to Robin. 81-94 Ron Watt |
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