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Philbel
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 7:16 am Posts: 51
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 Re: Elva Drivers
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Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:06 pm |
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Victoracing
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:00 am Posts: 69 Location: South Jersey, USA
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 Re: Elva Drivers Dick Stockton, alloy Mk. IV SR
More shots on Facebook, The 71 Crowd
Thanks to Dick and Scott Adams for sharing.
Stockton ready to run at Vineland, NJ 1960 on the alloy Mk. IV
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Thu Feb 21, 2013 6:53 pm |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Attention Courier Owners, can you share on this forum GB and USA history of early Courier drivers? There were hundresd of Couriers made and many appeared on the tracks. Can you share photos and other info about these early racing Couriers and their drivers? Here is Sebring 1966: Elva MK IV Courier was driven by Fred Opert and William McKernie and entered by Carl Haas Automobiles. They finished a very credible 25th and 3rd in the "S9" production class, despite having spent some time digging the car out of the sand bank.
Last edited by elvamk2 on Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:49 am |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Robert D. Wearn drove an Elva MK III sports racer at the Put-In-Bay race in 1959. This nice photo appears at the PIB website. As you may know, they have revived these late 1950's races and have had three-day events once a year over the past three years, with plans to continue. There is some thought that this might be a good venue for our 2015 Elva Reunion. Here is a photo of Wearn in (I believe) the ex-Berdie Martin MK III racing at PIB in 1959.
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Wed Nov 13, 2013 2:58 am |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Richard "Dick" Stockton certainly belongs on our honor list of early Elva drivers. See photo above. Dick had a speed shop near Philadelphia and began racing in the late '50's in an Austin-Healey and a Lotus. In 1960 he campaigned his Elva MK IV in GM, running in some 18 race weekends up until 1962. His later career included racing Shelby's. He is to this day involved in vintage racing. There are fine photos of Dick and his MK IV (100/70?) on Facebook "71 Crowd".
Last edited by elvamk2 on Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:25 pm |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
William "Bunny" Ribbs raced Elvas in Northern California in the early 1960's. His father began a successful plumbing company in the 1920's in San Jose and also raced motorcycles. Bunny inherited both the business and a love for racing and passed onto his son, Willy T, the same passion for the sport. (Willy T became the third highest winner in the Trans-Am Series and qualified at Indy). Bunny raced a MK IV and MK VI as well as a Lotus Eleven. Below is Bunny in his MK IV and a video capture of Bunny's MK VI at Stockton, California in 1961. Very cool VW transporter! We still see Bunny at West Coast vintage races running around in the paddock on his scooter and stopping to chat with just about everyone.
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Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:11 pm |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Mark Donohue graduated with an engineering degree from Brown University and began his racing career diving a Courier. There are many good biographies about the man sometimes known as "Mr. Nice" including the one in Janos' book and here on this forum. There was a one-in-three chance that if Donohue entered a race that he would win it. In his Courier days his engineering talents set up the car and his driving ability got the maximum performance from it. He won the National Championship in EP in 1961 before moving onto faster cars. Impossible to think it's been nearly 40 years since we lost him.
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Thu Nov 21, 2013 7:33 pm |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Suzy Dietrich, Chuck's wife in the '50's and '60's, was one of the very few women who raced sports cars in that era. She had some notable successes and raced at the best American Courses including Sebring. Here she is pictured in their Elva MK I in a Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday newspaper and titled "Sandusky's Girl Speedster". Husband Chuck and their Elva MK IB was featured on the Canadian Harewood Race Program cover, dated August 15, 1959.
Last edited by elvamk2 on Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:57 am |
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elvamk2
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:14 pm Posts: 159 Location: Julian, CA (USA)
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 Re: Elva Drivers
Charlie Kolb raced Elvas for nearly a decade. He ran this red MK II at a Road America in 1957 with co-driver Frank Baptista. Thanks to Laird Scott for taking and sharing this 1957 photo.
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Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:43 am |
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