Pre-litigation Westfield

[blankczechbook]

this has been discussed before but never quite resolved, i have an early non prelit sei - and spences car is a late prelit se.

we had a look at the chassis numbers - once when i was helping take the engine out or bleeding the brakes with the interim owner...

i think the figure was about 500 or so..  mine was an 1988 chassis date - spences chassis number a few less than mine.

So where did the 132 figure come from pls ??

[mhc]

This one could be for sale  

[Mark Stanton]

QUOTE

and I mistakenly thought it was a series 1 lotus 7 so good is the likeness, ..................

which in some ways was the reason why court action was entered into  

QUOTE

A friend of a friend in Switzerland owns a 1989 model.

It may have been registered in 1989 but that was post litigation and would have been manufactured long before  

Where did you get the 132 figure from - perhaps for that year possibly but not overall    

[ban1216]

SO i ake it then that the chassis numbers follow on from one another

mine is chassis number 90 so will that make it a prelit

[Mark Stanton]

Quite possibly but without photo's wouldn't confirm as admin and paperwork was never at the forefront with earlier cars    

You may also have other numbers to go alongside 90  

[Mark (smokey mow)]

a search revealed this:

QUOTE

Info from the Robinshaw & Bouckley Westfield book:

There were two 'generations' of Pre-lit Westfield Sevens.

The Westfield Seven followed on from the Westfield Eleven, and was an accurate replica of the early Lotus Seven, with all-alloy bodywork (except for GRP wings and nosecone), Triumph front uprights and Spridget or Ford engine/gearbox/axle. Total production 132.

The pre-lit Westfield SE was a cheaper update with more GRP (all-in-one GRP rear bodywork and wings, for example)and all-Ford running gear. Robinshaw and Bouckley reckon '605 Seven SE kits were sold from Spring '86 until production was brought to a premature halt in early 1988 as a result of the litigation with Caterham Cars.'

The car was relaunched in 1988 as the plain SE (no 'Seven' moniker), with the familiar current body style with 'swage lines' on the bodywork to differentiate it sufficiently from the Caterham product to avoid further litigation.

[Mark Stanton]

Thanks Mark

I was trying to find my copy of that book        

However 87 was date for end of fibreglass pre-lit which then saw the low-line nose SE followed by the high line nose SE and SEi in mid 1988    

Some earlier ali panel and later fibreglass pre-lits were re-bodied with later style bodywork  

[davehall]

Checked mine now and the plate says "Westfield Seven - 87 SE 368", so I assume mine is the 368th of the 605 mentioned in the Robinshaw and Bouckley book. I know the kit was originally bought in 1987 and was first registered in 1989.

[WESTY791FWD]

I have just purchased my first ever Westfield, a 1986 prelit Westfield Seven?

Chassis No 7/85/50A/K/R. First Registered 21/4/86.

The information on the previous posts makes interesting reading?

[Thrustyjust]

Spence, the chassis number is the build number.If you want to see it on the car, you will possibly have to unbolt the oil cooler and it is on that crossmember.

Mark, I did buy the car off Dave Spooner, when I saw Spence the other day, I tried to remember his name. He never really used the car or the guy before him. I remember meeting Dave at Curborough about a year later with a maroon pinto car. I remember his brother saying he only b****y polishes it, never goes out. I owned it for 5 or 6 years before selling it to my mate Jules, who sadly soon after got made redundant and had to sell and it had a 2 page write up in Which Kit, which Spence has all the info on. Is still a great car and has a great enthusiastic owner now after a couple of duffers, so will still be going for a long time to come.

[spence]

Cheers mate, knew I forgot to ask you something. Had been looking for that but never found it.

[jak]

This one could be for sale  

Mick,

Please don't keep throwing temptation in my way!!    

If I had the space I'd take it off your hands.    

John

[blankczechbook]

"Robinshaw and Bouckley reckon '605 Seven SE kits were sold from Spring '86 until production was brought to a premature halt in early 1988 as a result of the litigation with Caterham Cars."

i don't reckon it is as many as 605 either for the SE cars - my 88 non prelit has a lower number (about 550) - i am not going to give the exact VIN on an open forum.

what sort of numbers have the lowline cars got then? (mine isn't a lowline BTW)

[jonrarit]

here's mine at the hairpin at knockhill.

It's chassis 149 (I think) with GRP bodywork and a Honda Blackbird bike engine

[Andy Banks]

There are a couple of sevens underwraps at the back of one of the J D Classics warehouses I noticed the other Sunday - no idea what they are as a) I probably wouldn't be able to tell and b) there are in area not open to the public.

SmokeyMow - do you know?