Go to…. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1959-elva-courier-2/


SOLD FOR $30,250 ON 8/10/21 or 10/08/21 on this side of the pond. Congrats to the buyer who will surely have some fine racing in the car. Let us know!

I have just taken delivery of the car and am inspecting it and working through the registration and tech processes with SOVREN. As I study the car and documents I'm accumulating quite a list of questions and hope to reach out to prior owners for some answers and clarifications. I'd also like to trace ownership and racing history back as far as I can. As an Elva newcomer I'm reading everything I can find about the marque and Couriers in particular.

One puzzler right now is that the chassis number badge is 100/105/L (matching a 2004 title) but the majority of the other documentation, including log books and bills of sale, lists 100/115/L.

I'm also wondering how exactly to determine if it is truly a Mk II. I understand from Wimpffen's Elva book that some number of exported Mk IIs had the 100 series designations. The engine serial number was 15GB.U.H.57814 which I suspect (based on the inconclusive https://namgar.com/2013/10/22/mga-chass ... y-numbers/) is a 1500 and not a 1600. I can't see any other way to say with certainty that it's a Mk II unless it came with a 1600.

Well, it's a great new adventure! I hope the Elva forum will be part of it.

Steve

Hi Steve … Welcome! You have a fine example of the early Courier. The folk who built these cars were much amused by the more recent ‘terminology’ of Mk’s … in their words “they were all different”, built individually often to the whims of the first owner, availability of parts, feedback from race weekends when design weaknesses might appear, etc. etc.
Hence the engine number may be yet another ELVA ‘red herring’ in that all low volume vehicle manufacturers had nightmares over engine supplies and sometimes resorted to using reconditioned units when the new units were unavailable. In fact this is the REAL reason that the Courier was discontinued some years later.
Different times … and goodness knows what might have been ‘tweaked’ by various owners since …

Steve,
You should contact Gary the registrar at Elleva.net. He has a listing for 105/L and 115/L as well as 115/R. I spoke with Harvey years ago at Limerock . It was certainly a beautifully prepared car. Is the engine number you mentioned on the engine or on the VIN plate, or matching on both? The registry does mention a connection between 105 and 115 that Gary can probably explain. He has it listed in the Hastings group. Congratulations, I hope you throughly enjoy your new toy.
Bill B

Thanks, Roger. That's a helpful description of the process!

Thanks for the pointer, Bill.

I've attempted to create an account at elleva.net but cannot get past the registration question of "Where were the first cars made?". I've tried Bexhill, Bexhill-on-Sea, London Road, and Sussex. I may have a giant blind spot but that's about all I can see making sense. I sent a note to the administrator but haven't received an email reply yet.

The engine number I mentioned is on the build plate in the engine bay. The installed engine is an 1800 and the spare is a 1622. I'll have to see if the 1622 has a number, but I don't think there was a plate.

Steve