1964 Elva Mk7S BMW

Designed by Keith Mardsden, the Elva MkVII was built during 1963 and proved to be a great success, showcased by a fantastic win for the 'out-of-the-box' Porsche-engined car at Elkhart Lake for the Road America 500. There were 19 Elva-Porsche cars built, but other engines were fitted including Climax, Ford DOHC, Ford 1,100 & 1,600, and Osca, with two cars being supplied without engines.

The Mk7S was the upgraded car for 1964 when the BMW power unit became the engine of choice, and this included modifications to the chassis (particularly to strengthen the engine bay area), larger brakes with Girling AR calipers, wider wheels to 6" and 7" rims, modified bodywork to accommodate, and various other mods. The build list suggests 15 BMW-powered cars were factory-built, however a number of earlier cars have subsequently been modified to BMW-power and to Mk7S spec. The BMW engine was developed in conjunction with BMW by Nerus Engineering under the control of Frank Webb based on the 1,500 unit. It was offered as a race engine in 1,600 and 2,000 format, the dry sump system being designed by Ted Martin. Only one 1,600 appears to have been factory fitted, for a hill climb car, the rest being the 2,000 units which generated around 1,82bhp initially but are now rated at more than 220bhp when cleverly built by engineers like Lester Owen.

The outstanding  Mk7S offered here has been prepared by Valley Motorsport and is presented in race-ready condition with current FIA/HTP papers that are valid until December 2026. According to the original factory build-sheet, Chassis #70/024 was completed on 17th August 1963, powered initially by a Ford 1,600cc unit mated to a Hewland MKIV gearbox latterly upgraded and now powered by a Laranca-prepared 1,991cc BMW engine also mated to a Hewland gearbox.

It's believed to be the ex-Alain Mahe/Quinlou Szyndelman car that was widely raced until 1997, at which time a full rebuild was undertaken before reappearing and achieving a class win at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1998. A continuous and successful career followed, with additional class wins in such prestigious events such as the Spa Six Hour race, the 2000 Jarama 12 Hours in Spain and second overall in the Gran Premio Storico at Jerez. The car is eligible for some of the most prestigious ‘historic’ events on the racing calendar including the HSCC Guards Trophy, the Goodwood Members Meeting, the Masters Series and many more.

This highly-competitive Elva is widely regarded as one of the most successful examples of its type and is accompanied by a spares package consisting of a full set of Minilite wheels, a set of magnesium wheels including tyres, numerous Hewland gear ratios, a spare clutch, some front wishbones, assorted suspension components and a fascinating history file. Your early inspection is welcomed and encouraged.