For Sale: Elfin MS 7

This majestic Elfin MS7 was built for the sole purpose of winning the Australian Sports Car Championship. It dominated from its debut in 1974, setting lap records and claiming many outright wins on the way to winning the title at Phillip Island in November of 1975.

A regular feature in historic motorsport in Australia, it hasn’t slowed down one bit. It’s now up for sale and looking to start the next chapter of its epic career in the hands of a new owner. Enjoy its story after the break.

AS built for, and driven by, Elfin founder Garrie Cooper, this machine has raced ever since and accumulated too many success to possibly list. Recently at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix International at Albert Park, amongst a grid of predominantly 9-litre sports cars from all around the world, plus a number of ex Le Mans turbo Porsches, the 5-litre V8 MS7 was 6th outright.

Built for the singular purpose of winning the Australian Sports Car Championship, the one-off, aluminium monocoque Elfin MS7 did just that, with South Australian designer/builder Garrie Cooper taking the crown at Phillip Island on November 30, 1975. In essence the MS7 was derived from the open-wheeler MS6 Formula 5000 car, with full-width bodywork clearly influenced by the Porsche 917/10 Can-Am car capable of generating massive downforce. With a dry weight of 730 kgs and serious grunt from the 5-litre Repco Holden V8 using Lucas fuel injection, the Elfin proved more than a match for its opposition and dominated from the time of its debut in 1974, setting numerous lap records and scoring several outright victories in the period 1974-1975 with Garrie Cooper.

The MS7 passed to privateer Stuart Kostera in West Australia in 1976 and continued racing in sports car events until 1983 (winning the 1976 Australian Tourist Trophy amongst many other races), then Alan Newton in Victoria owned the car until 1997. It has more or less raced continuously ever since, competing in Group Q Historic Sports Cars with Aaron Lewis of New South Wales from 1997 and held many class lap records in his capable hands. The current owner purchased the Elfin in May 2005 and raced the following year before instigating a full rebuild over the winter of 2006/7, with a new engine and improved cosmetics. In 2007, the car continued to perform well at Phillip Island, the Australian Grand Prix meet, Oran Park, Eastern Creek, Winton and Wakefield with wins, podiums and lap records.

Looking fabulous in the iconic period ‘Ansett’ livery, a colour scheme the car has worn all its life, the MS7 is one of Australia’s most successful and significant aluminium bodied monocoque sports racing cars from the era and the last V8-engined car built by Elfin Sports Cars. Naturally enough, the MS7 has been thoroughly researched and documented by the current owner and comes with a detailed history file, plus the all important CAMS logbook and Certificate of Description – the Australian equivalent to FIA Papers.

Apart from winning the Australian Sports Car Championship in 1975 with owner/builder Garrie Cooper of Elfin Sportscars, the MS7 has won so many races with its four owners that they are too many to list here but there has also been one very recent exception which was not a “win” but nevertheless an important part of the car’s history and this is referred to below:

2013 AGP (Australian F1 Grand Prix) Albert Park (Melbourne) in conjunction with the VHRR of Victoria turned on a two weekend format for WORLD invited sportscars of a similar specification to Can Am cars and Group A & C Le Mans sports cars from the late 1960s through to the late 1980s both at the Phillip Island Historic Festival and the Australian Grand Prix the weekend after.

This field included almost 20 overseas drivers/cars from UK/USA/Germany/NZ mixed with our best “locals” all in all sorts of cars including many Lolas, Matra Simcas, Le Mans spec Porsche 962/956/935, Argo, McLarens, March, Sting, McKee and a few other not so well known period cars … a large portion of all were running “big block” Chev-based motors, some as big as 9 litres producing nearly 900 bhp … and of course the Porsches were all turbo charged with well over 600 bhp on tap depending on boost … a very healthy field and results can be checked out on http://racing.natsoft.com.au/results/ after you click on circuit racing and the event link on Sunday 17th March 2013.

Elfin MS7 only with its 5 litre F5000 spec motor gridded 9th after a troublesome qualifying and after some busy dicing worked its way up to 6th outright in a STAR field of over 30 international world sportscars … driven by Robert Tweedie was an excellent result and indicative as to how competitive this car really is and it is expected the race which was televised and seen by hundreds of thousands of spectators.

This result surely places this car amongst the world’s best sports cars of the era and a credit to Australian craftsmanship and ingenuity as well as the Elfin factory which built somewhere in the region of 240 cars in the era all completely different … the MS7 being unique the only one of its kind.

More details, spares inventory and pictures can be found on www.ibcholdings.com.au/cars and this car is eligible to race almost anywhere in the world and as outlined above and is very competitive. Realistic price based on world market for similar cars so overseas buyers take advantage of our declining $$$ exchange rate at present and the MS7 is offered at PRICE AUD $300,000 (spares negotiable) … trade considered.

For more details contact:

ROBERT TWEEDIE (Sydney)
Int: + 61 408 162 762
Aus: 0408 162 762 daytime
E: ibcholdings@bigpond.com