It All Began with Edsel Ford…
Edsel Ford in 1921. image courtesy Library of Congress
Those of you who have my book—Classic Speedsters—you know that Edsel Ford was a speedster fan and had crafted a few in his day, beginning as early as age 10. Edsel’s most remarkable example, the 1934 Model 40 Speedster, came from his collaboration with E.T. Gregorie, his designer at Lincoln Motor. I wrote about this special speedster in my blog post on Edsel (post 25, Oct 2019); check it out if you haven’t already read it.
1934 Edsel Model 40 Speedster, in Edsel’s favorite color.
The 1934 Model 40 was a special design, long, low, and purpose-built. It was the outcome of Edsel’s repeated visits to European carrossiers on his junkets overseas. He brought back ideas about building sports models, discussed them with E.T., and the designs flowed from their chats. The Model 40 was their greatest achievement, and you can see it on permanent display at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Dearborn, Michigan.
Inspiration
In 2019, one of my Australian readers, a gentleman by the name of Rick, wrote to me about his collection of speedsters. He went into some detail about how the cars that he now cares for came to him; my recounting herein is but a summary of that. As Rick conveyed it, the story begins with Jeff Gransden, ….
Jeff Gransden of Adelaide, South Australia, was a racing personality in the 1970s at a time when historic racing was taking hold as a viable activity for both participants and organizers. He wanted to craft a 30s-era Indianapolis racer for street and track, and he knew just the body that he wanted—Edsel’s Model 40 Speedster.
Together with an automobile historian, John Blanden, the two obtained plans and specs of Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 speedster and set about building a sympathetic version of the Model 40 after agreeing with the current owner to NOT create a replica of it.
The Elfin Connection
Three street speedsters were built using a similar layout to the Model 40 speedster, with the fourth example using the same chassis specs. However, number four was fitted with a single-seat racing body that replicated a prewar (WWII) Australian Grand Prix car of some fame that had been popularly known as Black Bess.
All bodies were alloy coachwork and built by Elfin Racing Cars Ltd, a firm in Adelaide that mainly designed and built cars for Formula 2, Formula 3, and sports cars as well.
Elfin was also famous for its competitive racing examples that won several events in a variety of series, which included sports cars, Formula Fords, and Grand Prix racers. Famous competitors such as F1 champion James Hunt had piloted an Elfin.
One example of their sports version was the Chevy V-8 powered Elfin MS7, which won the 1975 and 1976 Australian Tourist Trophy Sports Car Championship. The MS8 Clubman shown below was inspired by that model and was designed by Holden for street/track enthusiasts—a true speedster in the Lotus 7/Caterham tradition!
Elfin MS8 Clubman. a true street speedster that one can run at the track. Chevy V-8 power. image courtesy Elfin Sports Cars Pty Ltd
Unfortunately, it appears that Elfin had ceased production in 2012….
The Gransden Speedsters
The Gransden specials were built using prewar Ford and Mercury chassis, suspension pieces, and engine mechanicals to comply with the Australian historic road and track racing regulations as issued by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS). As mentioned above, Elfin fabricated the period-correct bodies.
Gransden was able to successfully campaign his replica of Black Bess, which he named the Red Rocket, for 40 seasons up into the 1990s. He was written up in Australian Classic Car Magazine in 1989 because of his remarkable car and string of victories.
Jeff Gransden at speed and having fun in his speedster. image courtesy Australian Classic Car, 1989
Rick is the current custodian of Red Rocket, as well as another example from the foursome that Elfin Racing clothed for Jeff Gransden, who is now deceased. The photos below pretty much tell it all—a pair of 1930s-style speedsters with a hint of Edsel Ford’s Model 40 speedster in them. I hope that you enjoy their elegant shapes as much as I do.
Jeff Gransden's Red Rocket. images courtesy current owner
Red Rocket's 2-seat sibling.
Another view of the 2-seater, a true street rocket!
Red Rocket's engine bay.
“Street Rocket’s” engine bay. Both have either a Ford or Mercury flathead, the Mercury having a larger cubic inch displacement. Where the expression “Merkin’ it” comes from….
Now, which mount would you take on a drive on the open roads of the Outback?
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At I write this, I wonder about some of my speedster friends from around the U.S. and also across the world. We have all been through a time of troubles during the past couple of years, and I do hope that things settle down again so we can get back to enjoying each other’s company—and cars!
Speaking of which, I am attending The Amelia this year after a two-year hiatus. I’ve planned to visit other shows this season, and I will take photos to share as I run across examples of our beloved speedsters. Until then—enjoy the day in your speedster!
-------------------------------------------------=Book News=-------------------------------------------------
Copies of my book, Classic Speedsters, are steadily going out to new readers as more and more order a copy. Autobook-Aerobooks in Burbank, California has been selling them, but you can also obtain a copy on my website, https://ClassicSpeedsters.com if you haven’t yet done so.
I’m grateful to all of you who have purchased my book—please spread the word about whether you’ve enjoyed it to your friends and club mates. You can also leave a review online using this tinyurl link:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8r3fyr
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Classic Speedsters book card