Westfield XI is going out of production

The ERA 30 looks more like a car that could be built with present day motivation.

They have it setup for a Zetec, but say other engines will fit.

"Needs more 4ag"

Y'know, I'm not sure about that. Sure would make it quicker, but those a-series sound distinctive with the siamesed exhaust. I love the 4age, but I don't think it would even fit...

That XI vs 550 video derailed me. I have not seen a more beautiful car than the 550.

Things I've learned the hard way;

Instead of a beat down donor car, we sourced the raw parts and had a MG specialst rebuild them. While it sounded good in theory, we wound up getting a few mis-matched items, specifically hubs vs. steering rack. They used different rod ends and thread pitch, so I had to cut the ends off the rack and tig up new threaded ends to get it to work. Same went for the rear drums brakes. The drums wouldn't fit right, so they had to be turned to fit properly.

Also the MG gauges, while they look pretty and period correct, suck. There is no way to easily calibrate the speedo. The tach needs to be converted to - ground and still isn't correct, and they were all a pita to dissassemble to clean up. Next time (if there is a next time...) I'll go for a nice set of aftermarket gauges.

I also thought that getting the Westfield wire harness would save time and be cheaper in the long run. Wrong. Everything they say about English wiring is true. Apart from the fact that it is more of a MG harness, it was still set up for a generator, and in the time it took to decode and modify it for an alternator and fuel pump, I could have built a way nicer one for the whole chassis from scratch. Stupid things like mis-matched ends didn't help either...

Now I get to rant about the engine. The aforementioned MG specialist also started to rebuilt the engine when they decided to go out of business. So they basically took 9 months to give us a boat anchor. It was pouring oil out the rear main rope seal as it ran. This is how that conversation went;

Us: The engine leaks really bad. Them: Yeah, people usually vent the timing cover to release crank case pressure. Us: You'd think for $7000 that the builder would have done that! Them: Well , uhh, I'm the builder...(crickets chirping) Them: Bring it back and we'll fix it. Us: Sure thing...

Needless to say watch out. Now the engine is at my friends shop and he's going through it to see what kind of awesome job the other guys did, along with machining a real rear main with a Viton o-ring.

We also went with a Griffin aluminum radiator, made to MG specs. Turns out it was 1/4" too wide, but Griffin actually took it back and narrowed it free of charge. Thank God someone still cares out there...

Then there is the "Build Manual"....

When modifing the steering shaft end, ignore the book , and do it later when the whole assembly is mocked up. It's always fun to cut and re-weld things when your fingers can't fit between the steering wheel and the dash...

Definately use the Ford 5-speed, but put it in first, then load the engine. We had to cut the crap out of the trans mount to get it to fit straight.

No pics or guidance for the single seat option, and the gel coat was unfinished, but hey what do you expect.

All in all, for the projected final cost of this project, you can buy someone else's used one and some other cool stuff, or go buy a new Elise...

Enough already, pics:

My dad had a Westfield xi when I was a kid. He's still got a body and chasis that is on my list of things to build when I have time for a big project. Now I have to go research different engine and driveline components since mine won't be a series powered. I'm thinking 3cyl Turbo from a Suzuki mated to a samurai 5 speed...

As cool as that is, what's the price on a used Elise or Exige?

North by Westfield by Peter Egan

This is a reprint of an article about Egan driving one of the Westfield kits from LA to Road America the day after he finished putting it together.

I need to add something like that to my bucket list.

intrepid wrote: Haven't they been in and out of production a couple of times now? Maybe there's just not enough demand to keep making them all of the time.

Yes, the kit was canceled once before. Given Westfield's current direction and management, I would be surprised to see the XI return again.

That Westfield in the R&T article was the first one in the US, and the first LHD version from what I recall.

I agree that Westfield's documentation leaves quite a bit to be desired, and that once they have something together they usually refuse to fix known problems. We've had some real problems with them on their Miata-based Seven kit - they simply refuse to acknowledge how clutch hydraulics work, so we have to modify the pedal ratio on every kit to make it work. The 'glass quality has been very good, though, so I'm surprised to hear about the quality of the gel coat. I know Westfield recently changed suppliers on that, and xFactor's build would have been one of the older suppliers.

These cars don't make any sense from a financial standpoint any more than a Stratos replica does. But it's a nice alternative to Yet Another Cobra and would be a real showstopper if done right.

What is this? the FRB club? [1]

Didn't the XI win something at LeMans? Index of Efficiency or something? It would be un-motorhead like to NOT want one.

However, since my FMII Miata I am serioulsy addicted to "oomph" and the BMC A series would never do. There will be a box of 'busa of stuff in the driveway soon. . . . . maybe I should sell the shifter kart?

Nice stuff, thanks to all for something to think about!

David in Durango

[1] someone might say: "gee wouldn't a XO7Zip Nine GT be nice?" so I send 27 ads for XO7ZipNine GTs and they call me a Rat B@stard.