Brainchild of garage owner Frank Nichols, the first Elva sports car (from the French 'elle va', she goes) was built in the mid-1950s.

 A low-volume competition car, the Elva Mk I achieved a fair degree of success in amateur racing in the UK, paving the way for further models, many of which were exported to the USA where they proved immensely popular, and successful, in SCCA racing.
By the time the Elva Mk IV was introduced, the cars had become much more sophisticated, the  Mk IV featuring fully independent suspension and a tubular space-frame chassis with the aluminium undertray riveted to the chassis frame, increasing rigidity and strength.

Engine options varied depending on use, but a common setup was the 1,100cc Coventry-Climax engine mated to an MGA gearbox with specially made Elva close-ratio gears.

The brakes utilised transversely-finned Alfin drums, with the rear being inboard.

The engine was installed as far back in the frame as possible, providing optimal weight distributi...