Sadly, after 47 years of ownership, it is time to sell my 1963 Lightweight Elva Courier.

Powered by a Stage 2 Lotus TwinCam "L" long-block with twin 40DCOE Webers coupled to a Ford 5-speed via an 8" street driveable racing clutch, at only 1,300 pounds, this car is quick and agile. One of the very few Couriers made 1956-1966, even fewer were lightweights. This one was hood scooped at the factory to accommodate a BMC Darrington. In the spirit of the four Sebring Couriers, it is now fitted with a Lotus Twin Cam at 1720cc and estimated 170 HP and has an oil cooler. The rear quarter panel s are flared with from Elva legend “Butch’s Gilberts” molds. The seats buckets are also made from Butch’s molds.

Fully restored in 2007, the engine was built in the UK and has about 30 street hours on it. While it does dribble a bit of oil, it is tight and clean-burning. It has an engine fan as well as a manually switched electrical fan on a new core. The stripes are painted on the fibreglass body, and the number 9 is a removable, extremely high-quality decal that is fade-proof. Metal components are powder-coated or painted with POR15 (frame and fuel tank). Along with the brake rotors and drums, all suspension parts are powder-coated. The suspension is adjustable Carrera racing shocks and springs supplied by Butch. It has recently installed Toyo Proxy R888 tires on authentic Minilites.

It was raced on Ontario’s Mossport Raceway in the mid-60s and British Columbia’s Westwood Raceway in the 70s, with appearances at many autocross events over the years. While it requires updating to be track-ready, it is street registered with a softop, side curtains and tonneau. For the past 40 years, most outings were to car shows with two appearances on My Classic Car.

This beauty is an eye catcher and attracts a lot of attention at car shows. The car is in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is drivable; the USA Blaine, WA border is a 15-minute drive.