Bill Thumel's Elva Courier Race Car, Number 36

Bill Thumel's Elva Courier Race Car, Number 36

Owner: Bill Thumel
City: Virginia Beach, VA
Model: 1961 Elva Courier
Prepared by: Abacus Racing, Virginia Beach VA

History of the Elva Courier

Elva Engineering Company Ltd. started in a small garage in Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex in the early 1950's. The garage's proprietor was an ambitious young entrpreneur named Frank Nichols, who purchased a C.S.M. race car and was keen to improve and race it. The garage took whatever jobs they could to fund their racing aspirations. They also looked for performance products they could manufacture and sell. One of their earliest and most successful products was an aluminum, overhead-valve cylinder head for the Ford I.O.E. four cylinder engine family. Elva sold thousands of these cylinder heads.

Elva Engineering was interested in all aspects of race car design and construction, so it was natural they should try their hand at producing cars from scratch. They built two complete race cars of their own design for the start of the 1955 season, and they immediately began taking orders for more. Before long, they were building multiple models including sports racers and formula junior cars, some of which were exported to the United States. No more than several dozen Elva race cars were produced before Elva Engineering began sketching a road going sports car.

The first Elva Courier was built in 1958. It featured a very lightweight "semi-space frame" chassis with 3" round steel tubing for the main rails, combined with smaller tubes. A stylish prototype aluminum body was commissioned from the famous Williams & Pritchard Ltd. coachbuilding company. The aluminum prototype was used as a plug for creating initial molds; all serial production Couriers were built with fiberglass bodies.

Only about fifty Mk1 Couriers were made. Most of them were powered by the early (1489cc) MGA engine. Another distinguishing feature of the Mk1 Courier is its two-piece windshield. The Mk2 Courier convertible was introduced in early 1961, and a coupe version followed soon after. The Mk2's single-pane, curved windshield was an obvious improvement. More important and subtle changes were made to the drivetrain, chassis, and suspension. The newer (1588cc) MGA engine provided more power. A new frame design provided more comfortable and usable room inside the car, and the Mk2 Courier also featured a coil spring rear suspension.

Elva Courier replacement chassis, reinforced for racing...
Elva Courier replacement chassis, reinforced for racing, as fabricated by
James Bowler of Weldone Inc. in Richmond Virginia.

Export to the U.S. market would define the beginning and end of Elva Engineering's production of Couriers. An initial order for thirty cars arrived like a gift from U.S. importer Walter Dickson. With Dickson as the sole initial "customer", the young company would be able to secure financing and to work out supply and production issues. A small factory was built in nearby Hastings, and the company staffed up to an ultimate high of about 65 employees. Approximately 400 cars later (including kits for home market customers who wished to avoid Britian's purchase tax on new cars), that same U.S. importer wrote a bad check and put Elva into liquidation.

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Trojan Limited bought the rights to the Courier in 1962 and moved production to their own factory. With high hopes for increased sales volume, the Courier chassis design was changed to utilize box-tubing and Triumph Vitesse front suspension components including optional disc brakes. Most Mk3 Couriers were powered by the latest (1622cc) MGA engines. With the Mk4 Courier, introduced in October 1963, even more powerful (1798cc) MGB engines and independent rear suspensions became standard equipment. Despite all this development, Courier sales failed to grow, and Trojan's production of Couriers only came to about 210 cars.

In 1965, ownership and production of the Courier model was again transferred. Customized Sports Car Company (operated by a gentleman named Ken Sheppard) built about forty more Elva Couriers.

...as fabricated by James Bowler of Weldone Inc. in Richmond Virginia

No one would claim that the Elva Courier was a commercial success - in total, less than 700 Couriers were ever built - but the model's success as a race car is a different story. In 1960's sports car racing, Courier's were a favorite alternative for those who wanted something appreciably lighter than an M.G. or Triumph. Probably the most famous Courier driver was a young Mark Donahue, who campaigned his Courier quite successfully throughout the mid-Atlantic states. Couriers were driven to many victories and several SCCA championships.

Want to go racing in an Elva Courier today? They're getting pretty scarce. The good news is that the Courier was designed from day one to be produced in low volume and with simple tools, so it's entirely feasible for a skilled fabricator to replicate any Courier-specific part, or even to build a Courier from scratch.

Because a variety of engines and displacements were original to Couriers, these cars can be set up to suit a variety of competition classes. Spares and performance upgrades for the M.G. engines are particularly readily available and inexpensive. Relatively easy to maintain and tune, Couriers can be exceptionally competitive within the classes they fit. The continued popularity of Couriers in vintage racing is guaranteed by all these factors.

molds for the body were made by laying fiberglass over the original body.

Bill Thumel's Elva Courier

Bill Thumel purchased his Elva Courier in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The Maryland title showed that that the car had been registered as a 1961 model, and the car's chassis plate was stamped "100-17-L". The SCCA log book showed that it had begun its racing career in 1962, and that it had mostly competed at local tracks, especially the old Marlboro Motor Raceway (which closed in 1969, shortly after Summit Point opened).

But the old car was in rough shape. It had been parked a long time, and had sunken into the mud. Parts of the frame were severely rusted, but the car was basically complete, including an MGA 1.5L engine. The frame would need to be replaced. The body would need so many patches that it would have been quite heavy, so molds for a new fiberglass body were made by laying fiberglass over the original body. Original wheel uprights and steering rack were retained. Abacus Racing built up the engine, installed it, and completed all the performance engine and chassis tuning.


 Please support the sponsoring companies who make www.BritishRaceCar.com possible, including:
Abacus Racing: Performance Services, Machine Work, Engine Building, Race Prep

Features and Specifications

Engine: 1798cc BMC B-series with HRG-Derrington 7-port crossflow aluminum cylinder head. Approximately 12:1 static compression ratio. Dual Weber 45DCOE carburetors. ATI Super Damper degreed harmonic balancer. Mallory Unilite distributor. MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignitiono with Blaster 2 coil and Taylor Spiro Pro 8mm ignition leads. Stock Car Products "Super Flow" oil pump (wet sump) and stock MGB oil cooler. Accusump oil reservoir.
Cooling: Griffin aluminum radiator, with a Spal electric fan.
Exhaust: custom 3-into-2-into-1 step-up header.
Transmission: Quaife Engineering Ford "Rocket" heavy duty, dog ring, 4-speed gearbox with alloy maincase. Tilton clutch.
Rear Axle: Currie Enterprises Ford 8" rear axle with limited slip differential.
Front Susp.: custom independent suspension featuring custom fabricated unequal/unparallel A-arms, Alford & Alder (Triumph Herald) forged uprights and MG Midget hubs. Aluminum-bodied QA1 coilover shock absorbers (5" stroke). Elva proprietory steering rack.
Rear Susp.: custom 3-link.
Brakes: (master) Tilton pedal assembly with bias bar. Residual pressure valves.
(front) Wilwood calipers and vented rotors. Wilwood blue, 2psi residual pressure valve.
(rear) Ford drum brakes. Wilwood red, 10psi residual pressure valve.
Wheels/Tires: Compomotive 6J14 / Hoosier 205/60D14.
Electrical: a lightweight, racing alternator has been mounted off the rear axle. Optima battery.
Instruments: AutoMeter Sport-Comp tachometer (0-10,000rpm), oil pressure (0-100psi), oil temperature (140-280F), coolant temperature (100-250F), voltmeter (0-18V).
Fuel System: Fuel Safe fuel cell. Holley "Red" fuel pump. Fram HPG1 fuel filter. Holley fuel pressure regulator.
Safety Eqmt: Kirkey 39-series seat. Simpson 5-point harness with Cam Lok closure. Racetech steering wheel with Allstar Performance quick release hub. Safecraft fire suppression system.
Weight: 1523#, measured without fuel or driver. Approximately 51/49 weight distribution. (Note: class rules require the car weigh at least 1378#, plus a 100# weight penalty for using a Derrington cylinder head and a 20# weight penalty for removal of the passenger seat.)
Racing Class: SVRA 3CP

Building the Chassis

Note: these construction photos were taken by James Bowler at his shop in Richmond Virginia.

on the surface plate


fabricating a new transmssion tunnel


three link rear suspension


generously reinforced frame


tall main hoop



 Please support the sponsoring companies who make www.BritishRaceCar.com possible, including:
Weldone Inc. design and fabrication services by James Bowler

mounting the Fuel Safe fuel cell


fabricating the driveshaft tunnel


test fitting the engine and the Griffin aluminum radiator


fabricated aluminum dashboard and steering column


aluminum cowling


overview of Elva Courier construction



Suspension and Brakes

Note: these construction photos were taken in February 2009 at Bill's shop: Abacus Racing in Virginia Beach. They actually show a second, sister car that was under construction at that time. There are some variances between the two cars, but generally they're being built to similar specifications.

Three Elva Couriers: Hank Giffin's 1959 Elva Courier MkII (1.6L) can be seen at right.
Elva Courier front suspension. Note: Hank Giffin's 1959 Elva Courier MkII (1.6L) can be seen at right.

Wilwood brake calipers.
Wilwood brake calipers.

Custom suspension featuring unequal/unparallel A-arms, coilover shocks, and Triumph GT6 uprights.
Custom suspension featuring unequal/unparallel A-arms, coilover shocks, and Triumph GT6 uprights.

Currie Enterprises Ford 8 inch rear axle.
Currie Enterprises Ford 8" rear axle. (Note: rear shock absorbers are mounted differently on this car.)

Three-link rear suspension.
Three-link rear suspension.

Panhard rod.
Panhard rod.

Fuel Safe Systems, Huntington Beach CA.
Fuel Safe Systems, Huntington Beach CA.



Curtis Jacobson: freelance automotive journalist

Engine Installation

1798cc BMC B-series with HRG-Derrington 7-port crossflow aluminum cylinder head.
1798cc BMC B-series with HRG-Derrington 7-port crossflow aluminum cylinder head.

The front of the cylinder head is stamped: CT697, 205/5/59.
The front of the cylinder head is stamped "CT697, 205/5/59".

Custom 3-into-2-into-1 step-up header.
Custom 3-into-2-into-1 step-up header.

MSD6AL with Blaster 2 coil and Taylor Spiro Pro 8mm ignition leads.
MSD6AL with Blaster 2 coil and Taylor Spiro Pro 8mm ignition leads.

Quaife Engineering Ford Rocket heavy duty, dog ring, 4-speed gearbox with alloy maincase. Tilton clutch.
Quaife Engineering Ford "Rocket" heavy duty, dog ring, 4-speed gearbox with alloy maincase. Tilton clutch.

Foreground: remote starter switch. Background: breather tank.
Foreground: remote starter switch. Background: breather tank.

Tilton pedal assembly with bias bar.
Tilton pedal assembly with bias bar.

Wilwood residual pressure valves. (Blue/2psi for front disc brakes, red/10psi for rear drum brakes.)
Wilwood residual pressure valves. (Blue/2psi for front disc brakes, red/10psi for rear drum brakes.)

The valve cover is badged HRG Engineering Co. Ltd., Chessington, Surrey, Lower Hook, 4149.
The valve cover is badged "HRG Engineering Co. Ltd., Chessington, Surrey, Lower Hook, 4149".

ATI Super Damper degreed harmonic balancer.
ATI Super Damper degreed harmonic balancer.

Griffin aluminum radiator, with a Spal electric fan.
Griffin aluminum radiator, with a Spal electric fan.

Stant 18-22psi pressure cap.
Stant 18-22psi pressure cap.

Cold air induction hose.
Cold air induction hose.

Stock Car Products Super Flow oil pump (wet sump)
Stock Car Products "Super Flow" oil pump (wet sump).




Fuel pressure regulator and remote oil filter.
Fuel pressure regulator and remote oil filter.

Dual Weber 45DCOE carburetors.
Dual Weber 45DCOE carburetors.

(Intake manifolds.)
(Intake manifolds.)

(Throttle linkage.)
(Throttle linkage.)

The carburetors are stamped: Made in Italy, Tipo 40DCQE152, Number 1331.
The carburetors are stamped "Made in Italy, Tipo 45DCQE152, Number 1331".


Interior

Racetech steering wheel.
Racetech steering wheel.




AutoMeter Sport-Comp tachometer (0-10,000rpm).
AutoMeter Sport-Comp tachometer (0-10,000rpm)...

Oil pressure (0-100psi), oil temperature (140-280F), coolant temperature (100-250F), voltmeter (0-18V).
...oil pressure (0-100psi), oil temperature (140-280F), coolant temperature (100-250F), voltmeter (0-18V).

Kirkey 39-series seat.
Kirkey 39-series seat.

Simpson 5-point harness with Cam Lok closure.
Simpson 5-point harness with Cam Lok closure.

Tilton brake pedal assembly with bias bar.
Tilton brake pedal assembly with bias bar.

MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition module.
MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition module.

Accusump.
Accusump.

Door latch.
Door latch.




Kill switch.
Kill switch.


Exterior




Bill Thumel's Elva Courier Race Car, Number 36
Bill Thumel's Elva Courier Race Car, Number 36

Watkins Glen: 2008 Zippo SVRA Vintage Grand Prix.
Watkins Glen: 2008 Zippo SVRA Vintage Grand Prix.

Lucas headlight decal.
Lucas headlight decal.

Bonnet.
Bonnet.

Compomotive 6J14 / Hoosier 205/60D14.
Compomotive 6J14 / Hoosier 205/60D14.

All photos shown here are from June 2009, when we viewed the car at The Heacock Classic Gold Cup at Virginia International Raceway, or from February 2009 when BritishV8 viewed the car at Abacus Racing in Virginia Beach, Virginia. All photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com, copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

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