Two-liter sports racing cars have always had a place to compete within the ever-changing regulations of international motorsports; the World Sports Car Championship from 1953-1961, the Speedworld Challenge from 1962-1963, the International Championship of Makes from 1964-1971 and the World Championship of Makes from 1972-1981. There was even a European Championship of Makes for cars up to two liters from 1970-1975. This allowed manufacturers to showcase their design and engineering excellence by producing a limited number of purpose-built racing cars to compete at the world’s greatest racing venues. There was great racing in the under 2.0-liter class.  On the right circuit, these nimble cars could often get the best of their larger competitors. A World Championship of Makes with race circuits such as Silverstone, the Nürburgring, Le Mans, Monza, Daytona and Sebring resulted in an era of motorsports that may never happen again.  Today, these historic cars are highly sought after by collectors, not just for the admiration of their technology, but also to participate in reenactments of these famous racing events.

 1960 Lola Mark 1

Eric Broadley had started modifying and tuning sports cars, or specials, in the 1950s, with his cousin Graham, but founded Lola Cars in 1959 in Surrey, England. The first successful sports racing car was the Lola Mark 1. It was a lightweight, tubular space frame, open two-seater, front-engine design. It was powered by a Coventry Climax, FWA, 1,098-cc 4-cylinder engine mated to a BMC 4-speed gearbox. With four-wheel independent suspension and big Alfin drum brakes, it not only handled well, but it stopped in a very short distance. This good-looking Lola racing car put Eric Broadley’s company on the map, winning races in the small displacement category. The Lola Mark 1 was exported to the United States and also had success in the SCCA. Today, a Lola Mark 1 is a front-running car in the pre-1960s, front-engine, drum-brake category for sports racing cars.

1963 Elva Mark 7 Sports Racing Car

Frank Nicholas founded Elva cars in 1954 in sleepy, little, Bexhill-on-sea Sussex, England, not far from the Goodwood circuit.  Elva sports cars were quite successful and found their way to America being sold by distributor Carl Haas in Chicago. The Mark 7 was designed by Keith Marsden in 1963. It had a tubular space frame, four-wheel disc brakes, a Hewland gearbox and was powered by a variety of engines, 1100-cc Ford pushrod and Coventry Climax, 1500-cc Lotus twin-cam, 1800-cc BMW and even 1700-cc Porsche 4-cam.  Some 69 cars were built between 1963 and 1964; 19 had Porsche power (the Elva Porsches,) and 10 had BMW power. The 7S was quite an improvement over the 7, with larger wheels, bigger uprights, Girling AR brake calipers, larger radiators and a strengthened frame. The 7Ss were powered by the new BMW engine, and were very successful, winning SCCA titles in America. The 7S was a direct competitor with the Lotus 23, and Road & Track magazine, when asked in a 1963 track test to say which was the better car, said, “it is six of one and a half dozen of the other, both are winners,” but the Elva was certainly better looking. Elva Cars was later sold to Trojan, the customer arm of McLaren cars, and in 1966 its 12-year run of great sports racing cars ended.

Criteria Used For Assessing Valuations for this Guide:

• Degree of Originality
• Overall Condition, Restoration
• Technology, Design, Coachbuilder
• Production Numbers/Rarity
• Competition History
• Ownership History, Documentation
• Modern Event Eligibility

Regional Variances

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT. Most of the time, we are able to document known sales or closed escrows, as they say in real estate. When this is not possible, a logical estimate of the car’s value is given, based on its sales history and relationship to cars of its type.

The prices stated in this guide are based on U.S. values. The values of historic racing cars can vary as much as 25%-35% in other countries, depending on local market appeal, currency rates, import duties, and VAT.