Elva BMW 2 litre.
Photographed outside a smart country retreat is this shapely 2dr Elva GT.
Return to Classic Motoring Photographs - Page 4.
Attached to this photograph is the following snippet of information:
"The new 2-litre Elva BMW GT 160 is designed by Fiore of Paris with aluminium coachwork by Fissore of Savigliano, Turin. It stands only 40 inches high and, powered by a 1991cc dry-sump BMW engine is capable of a speed of 160mph. A glass fibre version is to be made available for the UK market."
So at 40" high this could have been the "GT40" instead of Ford's Le Mans car. From having a look around, it would seem that only 3 Elva BMWs were ever produced, the last of the three - powered by a Buick engine ?! - gets a mention on this other website, as does a photo of a proper BMW-powered version. More details on the 1965 example powered by Buick iron also appears on race-cars.com.
Were those built all aluminium, or did any of the 'UK spec' fibreglass versions get built too? The cars were shown at the 1964 Turin and Earl's Court motorshows, but seem to have faded away shortly after as the parent company got involved with other projects. The Elva company now is probably best remembered for its range of Courier sportscars, such as the T-Type or MkIV Courier.
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