Can some kind Lotus lover give me some info on the Eleven?
There is a "Westfield" for sale here in the SF Bay Area, and
I'd like a little knowledge before I do something foolish.
I already know that it "isn't a real Lotus Eleven" - The price
told me that right away. What I'd like to know is if the
Westfield is a "good" copy or if it falls into the same kettle
as those awful MGTD replicas built out of VW parts.
The Lotus Eleven was Chapman's first volume-produced
success. It was a space-frame sports-racing car using
as many custom-designed pieces as Lotus could afford
and resorting to existing parts where required. For
instance, early Elevens used a swing-axle front suspension
(like a Malibu Grand Prix car, or like the rear end of
a Spitfire) that made for interesting bump-steer at
150 mph. (Yes, that fast.) This was updated to a
proper upper-and-lower A-arm setup after a few Elevens
had been sold and Lotus had the cash to revise them.
The engine in the originals was the 1100cc Coventry-Climax
Firepump From Hell, using a pair of Weber sidedrafts for
induction. Can't recall the gearbox and diff on the
factory versions. The doors are a curious artifact: they're
hinged on the bottom and open out, like Gullwing doors only
backwards. Seems the French organizers of the Le Mans 24 hr
race required working doors (in fact, you had to open and
shut them for the old Le Mans-type start; the usual trick was
to hop into the car, fire it up, then open and shut the door
as you raced down the straightaway...)
The Westfield is, in many ways, an improved update of the
Eleven concept. It uses a reproduction of the later A-arm
front suspension, a tube-frame that's very much like the
original, but it gets its power from inexpensive, easy-to-
maintain Spridget components. You need a donor/parts car
Midget or Sprite for its engine, gearbox, diff and a few
other parts, but the suspension and chassis are all Westfield.
The Westfield has coil-over shocks at all four corners (no
lever arms here!), weighs some amazingly little amount, and
in general is a race-car-for-the-street. With even a
basically stock 65-bhp Spridget engine, Westfields will hit 60
in under 10 seconds; if you take some leaves out of my notes
on how to upgrade the A-series performance, you can get lots
more power (up to well over 100 bhp if you have the re$ource$).
The general consensus was that the stock Spridget -- well, plus
a low-restriction exhaust and a good tuneup -- made enough power
to make the Westfield a sheer joy to drive. The workmanship of
the parts was all first-rate; the kit cost about $10K new, so
it's a world ahead of those repulsive MiGi fiberglass horrors
that I've seen. I've seen a number of real Elevens in vintage
racing, and the Westfield looks at *least* as good as a real one,
with the advantage that all the motor parts are cheap and easy
to find (the advantage of using a 350,000-car installed base as
your donor).
If the car is already assembled (it sounds like it is), look over
the general build quality. The motor is cheap; you can get a real
good used 1275 for under $500, a top-notch rebuild for under $2K,
and a flat-out 130-bhp road race motor that will break your axles
for $4K or so.
Options: The Westfield used the Spridget's wheels and brakes.
Brakes are stunning in the light Westfield, and wheels have two
possibilities, wire and disc. Wires would be swell to have,
but if it's got discs, you can install Panasports that look like
Minilites and be really authentic. The thing to look out for
is to make sure that the car used the 1275 engine and the later
rib-case gearbox; I'll be happy to, er, consult on the purchase
if you want a Spridget expert along. (Naturally, this will
entail a test drive by the expert consultant... :-) don't worry,
I don't have enough cash for one of these now.)
Disadvantages: Spares for the non-drivetrain stuff. Westfield
also made a Seven replica, for which Caterham sued them (Caterham
being the authorized builders of the ex-Lotus Seven). I don't
know how this affected Westfield's continued presence in the
Eleven market. Also, of course, the Eleven doesn't really have
a top; it's a fair-weather car (or a potential OSP killer if
you put in a good motor and have a better suspension than a
Sprite and less weight.... Hmmm.) The main issues that would
give you a headache are how well the builder screwed things in,
not so much the mechanicals as the electricals. You should be
able to get to everything, but if you *have* to all the time...
The motors can be dead reliable; I used a Midget for daily transport
for three years, blah blah blah, if you're on this list you can
write this part as well as I can. :-)
Body rust should be a non-issue, it's an aluminum body. Chassis
rot shouldn't be an issue, the car is practically new and it
uses modern metallurgy and rustproofing techniques. What else?
The looks are, well, you either like the ELeven (with its weird
rear fenders) or you don't. Personally, I think Eric Broadley's
Lola Mk I is far, far prettier, but they don't make a kit.
How much are they asking for it?
--Scott
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