Elva Courier Forum

There is probably some merit to the Wikimedia page, if you only had 60 seconds to devote to an unknown marque. The multiple mistakes are annoying, even more so that they are being accepted as factual.
If you have made it this far on the ElvaExp site you will undoubtedly appreciate the true story. The factories, Courier production numbers, minutia on each model are supported by facts taken directly from the owners' registry. Lets begin...

Spring 1958 to May 1959, . . London Road Garage and the Drill Hall factory, Bexhill . . . Courier / Courier 1500 / Elva-MG . . . aka Mk.1, but we didn't know that then!
The first five, and thirteen total Bexhill Couriers were RHD; not all were for export.
Chassis numbers extend to 100/110/L, not fifty. 107 were Bexhill production. (See Hastings chart for 21, 23, and 104L)

Frames are round-tube ladder style, with angle iron outriggers to mount the body at the rocker sills.
At least the first eighteen Couriers used a front suspension system where the lower arms mount to a parallel tube above the main frame rails; "long arm" style. The other 90 have a gusseted box on the main rail to mount that lower suspension "short" arm, a system continued at Hastings. The suspension pieces were fabricated by the factory, around Triumph "Ten" Herald uprights. Four wheel drum brakes, 9" F, 8" R.
The first 28 Couriers, plus 33R featured a flat back deck behind the cockpit. The next, improved body mould featured a lip behind the seats to keep some rain out and snap the hood (top) in place.
The LHD steering column was boxed into a trench rather than poked through the footbox, the corner of which interfered with the back carburetor choke arm.

Consistent Bexhill design clues were the marker lights placed above the body beltline, and the two-piece, flat glass windscreen. Dashboard instruments were placed in front of the driver, whether LHD or RHD.



Hastings factory, the Courier Mk.II

May 1959 through July 1962
MG RS engines, 1600cc for the US and European exports; 1500cc* for the UK.

The body mounts to tubing at the sills, hidden vertical pins. Mk.II marker lights mount to a moulded flat plinth below the beltline.
The windscreen is now one piece, curved glass. The hood taller and more sleek, per the 1960 ad speak. Instruments are housed in a central dash panel above the trans tunnel; fitting for RHD "200" cars and the LHD "100" exports.

The first 24 TROJAN E1000 builds are Mk.II Hastings cars, just not assembled in Hastings.
So, in fact, 100/142/L, 100/203/L, 200/63/R, 400/ 6/L, and E1006 are the same model Courier, the C2.
. . . . . see the Hastings Mk.II attachment . . . . .



Trojan factory London, Courier Mk.3 and Mk.4

The roadster body looked the same but the big change was the chassis. The Trojan Mk.3 utilized pressed steel sheet and boxed square tubing; steel floor rather than plywood.
The front suspension was Triumph Herald/Vitesse/GT6 stock production stampings. TR front disk brakes became standard, bolted to custom drilled hubs to retain the 4" bolt circle front and rear.
A closed body was offered, beginning with the Anglia choptop, then a fastback GT design. Some later GT coupes could be had with independent rear suspension, but not on the open cars...yet.

The Mk.4 Courier roadster had a new body shape to work in the steel Spitfire doors, instant roll-up windows. The nose morphed into a three-openings grille with moulded bumper shape.
Big news came after car E1124 when Tru-Track IRS ( "4-T" ) was offered as an option. At this point you could request your build specs from a Chinese menu of BMC and Ford engines, standard disk brakes, solid axle or IRS, "big brake" option from the TR4 front and rear; 13 or 14 inch rims including wire spoke wheels. These were options remember, not all Mk.4 Couriers had the MGB and Tru-Track when they left the factory. There were approximately 100 Mk.3 and 100 Mk.4 Couriers built, including Sheppard.
. . . . . see the Trojan charts . . . . .



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 2024-04-11 05:35 PM by CossaboonG.

This article states that the Courier Mk.II has less headroom, which implies a lower hood, to give that sleek look.
gc

TROJAN Courier Mk.4 and 4-T specs.
Does anyone have the complete chart?

Courier Mk.III specs, from the TROJAN sales brochure 1962

Addendum to original post


There is some question about the Courier production number, blamed on the multiple factories and non-existent Bexhill-on-Sea records.
Some wildly fluctuating totals, 538, "over 700" to 1,000 units, may include the Sportsracers and Formula Junior production; the author/editor not understanding the various ELVA models.

Edit the original post... there were approximately 15 Courier 200/xx units built at Bexhill-on-Sea, boosting the Bexhill total.

For our purposes this will include the UK "kit" Couriers in the Hastings "car" count.


Using the Registry data I come up with these numbers:

Bexhill-on-Sea . . . . . . . . . . 131
Hastings 1500, Mk.II, III . . . 186
Trojan Mk.III . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Trojan & Sheppard Mk.IV . . 103 .

................................ Total . . 495


For easy reference this can be simplified by the "rule of 100s" generous rounding, but that wouldn't be correct, would it?
Bexhill . . . .100
Hastings . . 200
Trojan . . . . 200


Gary Cossaboon



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2024-06-24 10:41 AM by CossaboonG.

Hi
Has anyone got the accurate info on what Carbs and brakes were on MkII couriers. I assume none would have had a LSD

The short answer is MGA SU H4 carbs, 1 1/2"

All drum brakes, front 9"; rear 8"

No limited slip diffs





I have been in contact with Mark Campbell and have had a much more detailed discussion.
Further input welcomed.

Gary C

The Courier Mk.4 and 4-T specs page in full.