1963 Elva Mk7

Elva, whose name is derived from the French phrase "elle va" (she goes) was founded in 1955 by Frank Nichols in Bexhill, Surrey. Nichols always took the approach that it was better to sell racing cars than race them himself.

Even with drivers such as Stuart Lewis Evans and Archie Scott Brown driving for Nichols in Europe against "works' teams such as Lotus it was hard for the early Elvas to compete and consequently, they looked to America where the SCCA provided a much more level playing field.

However, it was the Mk 7, introduced in 1962, that enjoyed success on both sides of the pond. Porsche supplied engines to Elva, a rare instance of the German firm supplying another manufacturer, and a Porsche-engined Mk7 took a debut win in the 1963 Road Atlanta race, one of the most important on the American calendar. In Europe Herbert Muller drove a Mk 7 to 2nd place in the European Hill Climb Championship whilst Tony Lanfranchi regularly beat the Lotus 23s and Brabham BT8s en route to the 1964 Autosport Championship.

The Elva Mk 7 was the best under 2 litre sports car of its day but despite this, it is believed that only 29 were produced over a 2 year period. This car, chassis 023 was originally supplied through Carl Haas to Jim Rahal, part of the Rahal racing dynasty. Driven in SCCA and club events by his father, the car has been described by ex F1 driver and Indy legend Bobby as the car that ignited his passion for motor racing.

The car remained in North America until the mid-eighties when it was brought back to Europe by Roger Fountain who set about a long rebuild. It wasn't until the early 2000s however, that the car was regularly seen in historic racing. Following a period at renowned Simon Hadfield Motorsport with Rupert Clevely and Rob Hartley driving, it ended up with prolific historic racer Roger Wills. Wills, along with regular co-driver Joe Twyman, drove the car across Europe regularly winning their class in Masters, HSCC and CHE Endurance races.

Since then it has been used by the current owner for the same purpose and has enjoyed 'no expense spared' preparation with WDK Motorsport. Twice a Goodwood Revival entrant in recent years and eligible for events such as the HSCC Guards Trophy, FIA Historic Sports Car Championship and Daytona 24 Hour Classic, the car presents a fantastic opportunity and a passport to top class events worldwide.

The car is supplied with a history file that includes photographs of the car in the years when the Rahal family owned it, a current 2015 FIA HTP and a small spares package to include wheels and assorted running spares.