The ELVA SPECIAL EDITION print has been signed by…

Sir Stirling Moss OBE, FIE
Sir Stirling is without doubt our best-known racing driver, who has captured the adulation of motor racing enthusiasts around the world, is seen as a World Champion, but never actually achieved that award. His racing skills are second to none, and even at over 70 years old he shows the quick way around famous circuits to many people more than half his age. He first outing in his ELVA-BMW Mk.7S sports racing car was in 1987 at Brands Hatch. He is a motor sport hero, and it is good to know that he is an Elva owner too! It is a privilege that Sir Stirling has agreed to sign our special limited edition prints.

Keith Marsden
Once described as 'A Forgotten Hero', Keith certainly made a huge contribution to the success of Elva Engineering and later Elva Cars. He started as a young lad with an embryonic racing car company and his skills and dedication enabled further generations of Elva racing and sports racing cars to succeed. Working alongside Frank Nichols and the rest of the team, Keith was responsible for most of the design work and innovative ideas, often being given the task of designing everything from the frame upwards, including the suspension, braking system, choosing a power unit and even completing the body design. Following the Trojan takeover, Keith was head-hunted for a prestigious position with the Ford Motor Co., and became part of a unique small design team involved with special projects, until he took early retirement to concentrate on his love of the countryside. Keith was not unhappy to keep out of the limelight, and concentrate on the job in hand, and he gained much satisfaction from getting it right. It should never be forgotten that Keith managed to get it right for Frank and Elva on almost every occasion.

Bobby Rahal
Bobby hit the headlines in the UK following his appointment, in December 2000, as the Chief Executive Office and Team Principal of Jaguar Racing F1, but to the dismay of many this venture did not last. Bobby has developed an impressive career in his 17 years of championship racing - three PPG CART World Series championships, 24 career wins, 18 career pole positions, has been Driver of the Year twice etc. He has stepped down from his position of CART President, but continues to run his two-car "Team Rahal". How did all this start? Bobby had his very first race in his father's Elva-Porsche, one of several Elva sports racing cars once owned by Mike Rahal. This car now belongs to Bobby Rahal and he will be back in the driving seat very soon. See www.rahal.com

Robbie Mackenzie-Low
In the very early days of Elva Engineering, Frank was anxious to find an experienced local driver who could get the best from the prototype Elva car. Luckily he found Robbie, who had lots of enthusiasm and proven skills, and after a brief testing session, Robbie was contracted as a 'works' driver. He was soon winning races, even his very first hill-climb event at Prescott, and went on to drive the various updated Elva cars being built at the small Bexhill workshops. Sadly, the 1955 Dundrod TT Race ended in tragedy when his co-driver was killed but Robbie continued to test and race further Climax engined cars for Frank Nichols and the Elva team, until he decided to move to Dodsons in Hastings and race an Elva-Climax Mk.II alongside Archie Scott Brown in a similar car. He later found further accolades driving an Elva-Climax Mk.IV before being persuaded by family and friends, that motor racing was becoming too dangerous and he reluctantly agreed to retire from the sport and he moved to the United States. However, he was re-united with 'his' Elva-Climax Mk.II in 1998 when Robbie drove at the wonderful first Goodwood Revival Meeting in the Sussex Trophy Race and as part of the Dream Grid. Regretfully, Frank was no longer around to witness this nostalgic event.

Bill de Selincourt
Born in 1921, Bill first started racing in 1958 in his TR3, but later met R. W. Fitzwilliam who ran two MGA Twin-cams under the Fitzwilliam Racing Team. These were replaced by two of the early Elva Formula Junior cars, and Bill was invited to drive one at the Nurburgring. This was the first F/J race in Germany, held on the 12th July 1959, but Bill did not finish as one of the radius arms fractured, and the factory modified all the cars thereafter. A few weeks later Bill achieved a 4th position at the same circuit, and then moved on to the Cadours circuit in France, where on the 6th September 1959, he won the first heat. He then went on to win the final, to become the first British driver to win an International Formula Junior race and he did it in a British car. The Elva of course. The 1959 Boxing Day meeting at Brands Hatch attracted much attention with top class drivers, and it was Bill who once again sat on the pole position. He had a great start, was in the lead after Druids, but spun and recovered to finish 6th. Bill continued racing in a Lola Mk.1 and then bought a Lister-Jaguar, but an expensive blown engine helped him decide that he should retire from the sport after a brief and successful career.

Al Ross
A determined and successful Elva driver at Sebring during the early sixties, particularly in a Mk.VI with Ben Warren and Art Tweedale.

Burdette Martin
Chicago born Burdette has had a long association with the SCCA and was one of the earlier distributors of Elva sports racing cars for Frank Nichols and Elva Engineering under Vogue Motor Imports. An active racer, he later became Chief Steward for the SCCA, then head of the Chicago region and he was awarded the Wolf Barnato Trophy. Burdette continued to rise through the ranks and later became President of ACCUS and the American delegate to FISA until this was closed and he became, and remains, a Vice- President of the FIA. Burdette continues to act as a steward at some Grand Prix and is a member of the World Motor Sport Council.

Frank Beich
Frank was another of the successful Chicago area racing enthusiasts who became early customers and later acted as distributor of sports racing cars built by Elva Engineering.

Carl Haas
Carl has had amazing success in the world of motor sport, particularly as founder and co-owner of Newman-Haas Racing with 11 championships in the last three decades of motor racing. In the early Fifties he was campaigning a Porsche Speedster in the Chicago area, and became aware of the early success of Elva in the States, bought and sold some parts at race meetings, and met with Frank Nichols, Frank Beich, Burdette Martin and others to help further Elva sales. He was subsequently invited to the UK to race a Climax powered Mk.III with John Brown at Goodwood and his business relationship with Frank Nichols continued to flourish. Despite the loss of the Hastings factory in 1961, Frank was able to bounce back with the support of Carl Haas who became the sole USA importer for Elva Cars until long after the full Trojan take-over. Carl has also had a long relationship with Eric Broadley and Lola, and Mike Hewland of gearbox fame. Known for his love of the large Cuban cigar, Carl Haas has achieved the ultimate accolades in his chosen profession and has been called 'one of the most powerful men in the history of motor racing' … he is also a very considerate man who still retains fondest memories of his 'Elva days', and without the input from Carl Haas, the Elva story might have been considerably shorter. For more about the man and his team, see www.newman-haas.com

Chuck Dietrich
Always held in the highest regard by Frank Nichols, Chuck could have been a top driver in F1. No one will ever know what would have happened if Chuck had not written to Elva Engineering in 1956, as times were difficult in Bexhill due to the Suez crises and Frank needed to sell some cars. Although an early sports racer was destined go to Canada, the opportunity to send a further car to the States was quickly seized upon, and Frank followed up the letter of enquiry from Chuck and suddenly the deal was done. Within a few weeks Chuck was an Elva owner, and he was just the right man to show off all that the aluminium bodied Mk.1 could offer. He enjoyed numerous wins in the car, including Put-in-the-Bay, Dunkirk New York, Watkins Glen, Wilkes Barre Penn, Elkhart Lake etc etc. His exploits attracted much attention and he was soon importing cars, in fact he bought the first example of each type (other than the Mk.6) and won over 65 events during the period 1956 to 1967. In 1960, Chuck drove for the Elva 'works' team in the UK in Formula Junior and a Mk.5 sports racer. In 1961, his '200 Series' Elva Junior won ten consecutive races and the Championship, followed by further successes in the later '300 Series' Elva Junior for 1962. From 1965 to 1967, he drove his favourite car, the ELVA-BMW Mk.7S owned by Bob Amey and achieved many wins at both National and Professional level. At the demanding Mid-Ohio course, Chuck has won 37 races (12 in an Elva) and has competed at 65 different motor racing circuits over the years … and he is still doing it! Chuck is a modest but extremely talented man who has been a major contributor to the success of Elva racing and sports racing cars in the States.

Eoin Young
Eoin has enjoyed the company of the world's greatest drivers and teams. For nearly forty years he has been involved in motor sport, having left New Zealand as a journalist and worked alongside the young Bruce McLaren and the fledgling McLaren Racing team in the UK. He soon began reporting for Autocar and became personal friends with the greatest names, past and present. He was involved with the important contract between Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd., and Trojan Ltd., and recalls a long discussion with Peter Agg about the merits of "McLaren-Elva or Elva-McLaren", and history shows that Eoin had his way! He is still writing regularly for various columns, and has also had several books published including his own story "It Beats Working" which is a must to read, and has had two more books published recently. The first tells of the New Zealand "Classic Racers" and the second is the biography of Chris Amon, which will sit nicely alongside our limited edition model of the 'Team McLaren' ELVA Mk.8S. Eoin and his Surrey based Motormedia business offers rare and unusual motor racing books, photographs and collectable items, most from a time when motor racing was serious but fun and drivers were friends as well as competitors. Those really were the days! Visit www.eoinyoung.com

Tony Lanfranchi
Described as motor-racing's last Cavalier, Tony Lanfranchi is well known as one of the great characters of motor sport, but has also been highly successful and very competitive. He has driven umpteen different types of racing and sports racing cars from F1 to saloons, including several from the Elva stable such as an early Courier, Mk.6, Mk.7 twin-cam, and the Mk.7S BMW in which he won the 1964 Autosport Championship. He bought the Courier from Chris Meek had had some heart stopping moments when he flipped the car end over end and broke or abraded some important and well used TL parts (read the book for the gory details!). He also had some great finishes until he finally needed a replacement car and despite being broke, he tried to persuade Frank Nichols to part with a new Mk.6 at the Racing Car Show. No luck until Tony managed to win sufficient funds at a local Casino and the next day an amazed FGN received cash payment in full! The fun did not stop there, as Tony was later 'booked' for driving the Elva on the public roads as his transporter had broken down. Still he did get to the circuit with a police escort! Tony and Frank Nichols had great respect and mutual admiration for each other and TL was later employed as the Elva storeman and 'works' driver when cars were being produced at Rye. He says in his book "Frank was a super guy. I remember he would say to me just before the start of a race, "Right, Tone, don't go too quick - don't want no dead-uns. Just the lap record and win the race". Following the final Trojan take-over, Tony did not to get a drive with the McLaren team but he went on to do many more wonderful things. His love of life and great talent makes him rather special so be sure to read "Down the Hatch" by Mark Kahn. A real must!

Peter Agg
Peter Agg is another unsung Elva hero whose name is rarely associated with the production of Elva cars, but in reality without his input the Elva name would have almost certainly faded long before that actually happened. Originally associated with the family wine business, Peter persuaded his father to take up the UK concession for Lambretta scooters, and the amazing success enabled the Agg family to purchase the ailing British motor company, Trojan Limited and the 15-acre factory site in Croydon during 1959. They now had massive if aging facilities and Trojan became involved in a large number of projects from Bubble cars, to chainsaws, go-karts, and even special saucepans! When Elva Cars and the Hastings built Courier production fell into financial difficulties, Peter was delighted to take on another specialist low volume product with the view to changing the production methods from very much hand built into an improved production line built sports car. Eventually in 1964 Trojan took complete control of Elva Cars (1961) Ltd and the pretty but stillborn Elva-BMW GT160 coupe was produced, together with the Courier T-Types and the Mk.7S and Mk.8S sports racing cars before an agreement was reached with the Bruce McLaren Racing Team to produce customer cars termed McLaren-Elva. Many cars were built but slowly the Elva name was replaced by Trojan and Peter formed a Formula 1 Team under the Trojan banner. Peter Agg is a very successful businessman and his professionalism and financial input ensured that Elva continued to build highly competitive cars for many years. See website www.trojanmuseumtrust.org

Ken Sheppard
There is no doubt that Ken Sheppard produced the best of the Courier Mk.IV T-Types because he went back to the tradition of a hand-built and individually tested sports car. Ken had much experience with various high performance road-going cars, in particular TVR and was well known for his superb preparation from his Shenley workshops. He had close contact with the Elva factories at Croydon and Rye and raced with Keith St. John in a Mk.7S and an early McLaren amongst others, but when Peter Agg completed the Agreement with the Bruce McLaren Team then the Courier was 'side lined' despite a full order book. It was therefore an appropriate project for Ken to take on, and he built up the final batch of cars for Trojan to supply to the last Courier customers before production ceased. He also became involved in the stillborn GT160 project as he helped to find owners for the three cars, but he firstly converted one car to Buick V8 power in an attempt to revitalise interest in the very pretty little coupe. Sadly the necessary finance did not materialise and Ken moved on to other things while Tony Ellis continued to supply parts and servicing facilities for Courier owners. Living close to Elstree film studios, Ken was well known for his exceptional driving skills and nerves of steel, and he soon became embroiled with much of the stunt driving in many film productions including various Bond films (remember the very quick Citroen 2CV), the 'Teenage Werewolf in London', the incredible advertisement which involved blowing a front tyre heading for two huge trucks hurtling towards him on both sides, working with the great John Wayne in 'Brannigan' and leaping across an opening Tower Bridge over the Thames, driving into harbours and many other incredible feats. Thankfully he survived it all!!

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Roger A. Dunbar