In the 1950s, sports-car development was moving apace, with cars getting faster but also bulkier and more complicated than they had been before the war. Colin Chapman stood apart from that; with his philosophy of ‘adding lightness’, he built a string of highly competitive sports-cars with minimal bodywork, strong but lightweight frames and straightforward engineering. Pursuing that philosophy to its natural conclusion resulted in the Lotus Seven, a car much prized by privateer racers on account of its low cost, simplicity and sterling performance in clubman racing and at hill-climbs.
The appeal of the Seven never went away. It was developed through the 1960s until the rights to its design were purchased by Caterham Cars in 1973, and the Caterham Seven remains in production today. Demand for Seven-style sports-cars has been so high, though, that various rivals have challenged Caterham’s dominance, foremost among which has been Westfield Sportscars, founded in 1982.
Westfield’s SEi was very much a Seven in principle, just not in name, although it differed in many ways from the Caterham. The Westfield, like most Lotuses besides the Seven, used all-fibreglass bodywork, whereas the Seven used aluminium. Westfield even stole a lead over Caterham and other rivals in introducing independent rear suspension and a wider chassis, which have since been broadly adopted across the industry.
While the frame and chassis were Westfield’s, various donor cars supplied the running gear for the SEi. With the 1600cc Ford CVH engine and five-speed Type 9 gearbox, as in the example offered here, the result is a blisteringly quick car, providing a driving experience which is extremely lively even by modern standards while remaining true to the spirit of the classic Seven.
This SEi is particularly special, having been in single ownership from new. The owner, a great driving enthusiast, has maintained it sympathetically and kept it going for the whole of its life, using it on several occasions for long drives into Europe. It has been treated very much as a driver’s car and promises to give great enjoyment to anyone who loves to seek thrills on the open road.Z0D9v6UHHWihr78gstMPTeiF3ncvVyJS4KXAQ959.jpg975.79 KB
The History and Paperwork
We understand that this SEi was manufactured in 1989 and originally sent to Portugal in order to gain type approval for the model, but Westfield shipped it back to England and retained it for a few years
Original colour scheme of Red with Black interior
Sold as a new car through the Westfield Centre in Saffron Walden and purchased by the vendor in 1992, hence the year of manufacture and registration recorded as 1992
Greatly enjoyed over the following 30 years, with a number of excursions made into Europe, but now offered for sale as the vendor feels his age compels him to drive something more practical
Offered with the V5, the original bill of sale from the Westfield Centre, numerous MoT certificates and invoices for servicing and other work, plus copies of Westfield World and original company literature including an SE/SEi sales brochure and price lists
New steering wheel fitted with original included in sale
Sold with custom-made pannier bags
While one does not buy a Westfield to feel cosseted, the interior of the SEi is surprisingly comfortable for a bare-bones sports-car. Once you’ve climbed in, you can sink comfortably into the aftermarket seats, which are of a much sportier character than the original seats but still sufficiently well-padded to ensure lasting comfort.
Being Spartan by design, there’s not much to the interior and hence not much that can be faulted. The seats themselves are in excellent condition, as are the floor mats, the dash and the steering wheel. The steering wheel has been replaced in the past on account of the original becoming somewhat scruffy, but the original is included in the sale and shouldn’t need anything more than to be recovered to give it a new lease of life.
The dash contains all you could reasonably need in the way of instrumentation, with a speedometer, rev counter, fuel gauge, temperature gauge and oil-pressure gauge. A little surprisingly, the Westfield was even built with a heater. The vendor advises that the fuel gauge is slightly defective, so he relies on the mileage reading to judge fuel consumption, and the heater has been bypassed owing to a fault. However, he adds that at no point in his 30 years of Westfield motoring has he ever felt inclined to use the heater!
There is a boot of sorts in the rearmost part of the body, which is large enough to carry sensible provisions such as a fuel can, tool roll and tyre pump, plus a small overnight bag. As the vendor has used the Westfield for a number of short holidays, he has doubled its luggage capacity by having a pair of pannier bags made to his own designs. In addition to their obvious utility, they have been specifically designed in order to permit an unimpeded view of the road behind.
Sold with full weather protection plus tonneau cover
With its rakish, low-slung bodywork and rorty exhaust note, the Westfield has always been something of a head-turner, and to that end its bright Rosso Corsa paintwork suits it to a tee. The paint is not original, though; Westfields left the factory with gel-coated coloured fibreglass bodywork which can fade over time, so the vendor decided in 2017 to smarten the car up. It had been red originally, so the vendor settled on Ferrari-esque Rosso Corsa for painting.
The six-year-old paint now has a few superficial cracks in places, where it has either absorbed road shocks or reacted to the heat of the engine, but we can hardly think less of it for having been driven enthusiastically and thoroughly enjoyed. The bodywork being fibreglass, rust will never trouble it, so a few slight paint defects are of no practical concern.
The wheels suit the car particular well, having also been repainted in red from their original silver a number of years ago. The finish has lasted well, although the offside rear wheel has acquired a few light paint chips.
In the way of trim and other fittings, all presents very well, with the chrome on the headlamps shining nicely. The lights themselves are not original to the car, being of a smaller-diameter type as used on other Westfield models. Apart from a crack in one of the rear light lenses, all the glass is in good condition.
If you should get caught in wet weather, the Westfield comes with full protection consisting of a hood and two side screens. The hood can be raised and lowered quickly and easily, though the vendor advises that the side screens have lately become more difficult to fit and their fixings may benefit from being straightened slightly. A tonneau cover for the cockpit is also included, as is a partial exterior cover which provides additional protection if the car is left out overnight.0Er6bbn74gWuWCSVrlSqIosQ2sNnOrTSWAP0bful.jpg1006.01 KB
The Mechanicals
1.6-litre Ford CVH engine and five-speed gearbox
MoT with no advisories until November 2023
A truly thrilling car to drive
With a 95bhp, 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine with twin Weber 40 DCOE carburettors, as used in the Ford Fiesta XR2 and Escort XR3, powering a car which weighs only 570kg and sits only a few inches above the tarmac, you don’t need us to tell you that this Westfield is a lot of fun. We could have guessed it, but we’ve been fortunate to find out just how fun it is for ourselves.
Twist the key and the engine bursts into life with a lusty bark, eager to be unleashed on a stretch of winding road. It is happy to be driven sedately, but much prefers to be hustled along enthusiastically. The power-to-weight ratio obviously being excellent, it will accelerate like greased lightning and, when the road starts to twist and turn, it sticks to the road like glue and carries on as if the corners were nothing at all.
All that should, of course, be expected from a sports-car, but what comes as a surprise is how pleasant the ride is. Having suitably firm suspension, the vendor attributes the excellent ride to the chunky tyres; shocks from the road are not transferred to passengers any more so than they might be in a family saloon and the end result is a car which looks and sounds wild but is actually very well-mannered.
Over the course of its life, the Westfield has never needed anything other than routine maintenance, with regular servicing undertaken by a local garage. It currently has an MoT with no advisories valid to November 2023. A spare clutch cable is included in the sale.8r8u8KqpzA6NiAiHexnIOFUnGCzBzS2Vnqg4b101.jpg737.21 KB
The Summary
Seven-style roadsters like the Westfield offer perhaps the purest driving experience for the motoring enthusiast. With no distractions in the cockpit, the driver can simply focus on getting the most out of the car, which responds to input with such speed and precision that the more enthusiastically you drive, the more it rewards you.
The fact that this example, maintained from new by one suitably caring owner, has never asked for much besides basic servicing is testament to the quality of its construction. The engine is still very vivacious after almost 80,000 miles, the gearbox feels tight and firm, and Westfield’s bodywork, being fibreglass, will never corrode. Few cars can make you smile like the Westfield can, but older models like this rarely appear for sale, so place your bids while you can.
Notice to bidders
This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.*
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