Elfin Logo

A quiet man and a small factory in Adelaide

Garrie Cooper didn’t talk much. The Elfin Heritage Centre, which is dedicated to his memory, says he spoke through his deeds on the race track instead. Those deeds added up. Working from a small factory in Adelaide for more than 20 years, Cooper and his tiny team built 27 different models and 248 cars, and the heritage centre describes Elfin as the second largest manufacturer of racing cars in the world in the late 1960s.

Cooper was born in Adelaide, South Australia. His first production car was the Streamliner, a small sports racer that went into production in 1959, with 23 built before the run ended in 1963. The factory stood on Conmurra Avenue in Edwardstown, a southern suburb of Adelaide, where a plaque now marks the spot.

Elfins went on to dominate Australian open-wheeler and sports car racing from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. Frank Matich, John McCormack, Larry Perkins, John Bowe, Vern Schuppan and even James Hunt drove them. The tally, according to the heritage centre, came to 29 national championships and major titles.

Then the story stopped short. Cooper died suddenly on Anzac Day 1982, aged just 46. The company passed through several owners, moved to Melbourne in 1998 under Bill Hemming and Nick Kovatch, and was bought by the Walkinshaw Group in 2006. New production ended in 2012. In May 2023 Young Timers Garage bought Elfin Sports Cars from Walkinshaw Automotive Group, and the official site now carries a short promise: Elfin will return.

The elf on the badge

The Elfin badge does exactly what the name suggests. It is a round, chrome-finished emblem with a black centre, and in that centre sits the face of an elf: pointed ears, a sharp chin, a mischievous grin and hair swept up into a crest. Around the rim, the word ELFIN runs across the top in yellow capitals, while SPORTS CARS sits along the bottom in black. This is the badge shown on the official Elfin site today.

Neither Elfin nor the heritage centre publishes an explanation of why Cooper chose the name or what the elf is meant to say about the cars. So we won’t invent one. What can be said is that the elf is still the face of the marque: the Elfin Heritage Centre carries a similar elf head on its own logo.

Racing cars first, road cars later

Most of Elfin’s 248 cars were built to race. Formula Junior, Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Formula 5000 and big V8 sports cars all came out of Edwardstown. The road cars came later, in Melbourne, and the most famous of them were designed with help from Holden.

Landmark Elfins, from Streamliner to T5

• 1959: Streamliner. The first production Elfin. An initial run of six went to five friends and Cooper himself, and 23 were built in total by 1963.
• 1971: MR5. Elfin’s Formula 5000 car of 1971, the start of a line that brought two Australian Drivers’ Championships with Ansett sponsorship in the 1970s.
• 1975: MS7. A Chevrolet V8 sports car that won the Australian Tourist Trophy in 1975 and 1976. The MS stands for Motor Sport.
• 1980: MR9. Cooper’s last Formula 5000 design, which Australian motoring writers describe as the only F5000 built around ground-effect aerodynamics.
• 2004: MS8 Clubman and MS8 Streamliner. Revealed by Holden at the Melbourne motor show on 27 February 2004, powered by Holden’s 5.7-litre V8 and hand-built to order in Murrumbeena, Victoria.
• 2006: T5 Clubman. An entry-level turbocharged four-cylinder model, and one of the last Elfins built before the revival.

Holden’s involvement began in 2001, when its design chief Michael Simcoe offered to redesign the Clubman body, and after the Walkinshaw purchase Elfins were sold through selected HSV dealers. Elfin’s own history is kept at the Elfin Heritage Centre in Moorabbin, Melbourne, which opened on 16 August 2007. For more on how badges like the elf are put together, see how car logos are designed.

Frequently asked questions

What is on the Elfin logo?

A round chrome badge with a black centre showing the face of an elf, with pointed ears and swept-up hair. ELFIN runs across the top in yellow and SPORTS CARS along the bottom.

Who founded Elfin Sports Cars?

Garrie Cooper, an Adelaide-born engineer who built racing cars in a small Adelaide factory for more than 20 years. He died suddenly in 1982, aged 46.

Does Elfin still make cars?

New production ended in 2012. In May 2023 Young Timers Garage bought the company from Walkinshaw Automotive Group and says Elfin will return.

How many cars did Elfin build under Garrie Cooper?

According to the Elfin Heritage Centre, 27 different models and 248 cars, which won 29 national championships and major titles.

The Edwardstown factory file

Founded

1959

Founder

Garrie Cooper

Country

Australia

Parent company

Young Timers Garage

Current emblem

A round chrome badge with a black centre showing an elf's face, ELFIN in yellow across the top and SPORTS CARS along the bottom

Known for

Australian racing cars and Holden-powered Clubman sports cars

Status

Revived

Website

Official website ↗

More Australian car brands

• Holden
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