YTG boss discusses future plans for Elfin brand

ELFIN Sports Cars made headlines earlier this year when it was announced that new owners, Young Timer’s Garage (YTG) in Keysborough, Victoria, had purchased the brand – and a number of vehicles – from the Walkinshaw Automotive Group.

In the months that have followed, the level of interest shown in the racecar turned road-car brand has skyrocketed, with Australian and overseas investors alike keen to claim their stake in the reborn marque.

But for managing director, Shaun Baker, the 64-year-old Elfin brand means so much more.

Speaking exclusively to GoAuto this week Mr Baker outlined his plans for the development of a boutique production facility that adheres closely to the vision of Elfin creator, Garrie Cooper, saying his goal is to return the marque to its rightful place as a sporting brand for Australian driving purists.

“The opportunity with Elfin came about through some past business relationships I had, and I knew this opportunity was too good to pass up – it was unbelievable, really. I needed to raise the money, which I did, and although at that point in time I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do with the brand, I knew I had to do something,” he explained, noting that a non-disclosure agreement prevents him from detailing what YTG had paid.

“The Elfin brand had been dormant for 12 years, and it’s a brand that is a very special part of Australian automotive history, as you know. I couldn’t walk away from that; and from there it all developed rather quickly. Then it became a question of ‘where do we go from here?’.”

Mr Baker, whose resume includes stints with Damelians, Duttons, Ferrari/Maserati, Koenigsegg and Pininfarina AU/NZ, founded YTG in 2021, said his focus is to build Elfin models in Melbourne, initially in the form of the T5 Clubman.

In 2008, the Elfin T5 (Type 5) Clubman retailed from $64,950 plus on-road costs. Despite its resemblance to the Elfin Type 3, the 780kg open wheeler was new from the ground up, and featured a rigid, lightweight frame and components – including brakes, differential, axles, and steering rack – sourced from the VE-series Holden Commodore.

Power comes from a 2.0-litre Ecotec four-cylinder turbo-petrol (think Astra Turbo) with direct fuel injection and variable camshaft timing, which produced a zesty 194kW at 5300rpm and 351Nm from 2500-5300rpm. It was paired with a five-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels.

The standard T5 Clubman runs double wishbone suspension all round with Eibach springs and adjustable Koni shocks. Cast uprights are used to allow for camber adjustment front and rear, as well as toe adjustment up front.

Braking comes courtesy of twin-piston callipers at the front clasping 298mm rotors, while single piston callipers latch 290mm discs at the rear. All brake units feature braided lines.

“Our first goal is to try and build this, that’s what we would love to do – small volume manufacturing. We have five T5s, an MS8 and a Streamliner, most of which are in pieces, and after careful consideration we think that T5 is where we will focus,” detailed Mr Baker.

“We also have CAD drawings, moulds, frames, parts … it’s like a treasure chest of Elfin gold. But we really think the T5 with the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine is the way to go – and we’ve already got people knocking on the door wanting to put their name down for one.

“But what’s even more remarkable is that since we made this announcement, we also have outside interest in the brand as a whole. We’ve had calls from Indonesian, Chinese, Malaysian and Indian brands desperate for a recognised sports car brand to take on board – and they’ve come to us!

“And yes, it would be easy and profitable to flip the brand, but I just can’t give up on it that easily.”

Mr Baker said he believed a 15 per cent return on each vehicle sold would be adequate to make the business viable, assuming it could find buyers for between 50 and 100 Elfins per year.

If produced, the Elfin T5 Clubman would rival the likes of the Caterham Seven, Morgan Plus 4 or Pembleton T24, most of which are available only in the United Kingdom. However, the model’s price would likely correspond more closely to that of a Porsche 718 Boxster (from $135,100 plus on-road costs).

“Of course, it has to be profitable, and that’s a big part of the issue here. Building cars, even a handful a year, is very expensive. The cars would have to cost more than double what they did the last time they were on sale to make this even close to being viable,” Mr Baker told GoAuto.

“There has also been changes in the ADR structure since then that pose additional hurdles, so we would need to be cognisant of just how much investment and engineering would be needed to satisfy those steps.”

Given the T5 Clubman was never designed to have airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction or stability control, the likelihood of it adapting to a world where ADAS is the norm is quite an ask.

Customers are apparently keen to maintain the “purity” of the driving experience the Elfin provides, but with legislation dictating many of the requirements a vehicle must include to be saleable, the realities of returning the T5 Clubman to the road in 2024 may prove insurmountable.

“Like I said, it has happened very quickly. At the moment we’re pulling the right people together and we’re working our way through everything we have to understand. ‘Where we are at? How do we fill the knowledge gaps required? What is the end result we need to make this viable?’,” reiterated Mr Baker.

“We are also determined to keep it (the Elfin brand) in Australia. As a niche brand, a low volume brand, we think we could make this work. We are in discussions with the government as to how it might work, how a brand with the history and pedigree of Elfin would look in 2024 and beyond; and what we are hoping is that this will work out, because I really couldn’t bear to sell the brand.

“On the plus side, we’re also very fortunate to have access to new materials and construction techniques that could help to lower the cost of manufacturing. We have been doing some analysis work with some of our business partners and there is a very likely chance that we could offer the T5 as a built-to-order vehicle, totally tailored to customer order – imagine a body built in carbon-fibre, as an example.”

At this point in time, YTG is in the process of taking stock of the items included in the deal and assessing how many potential cars worth of parts remain. Initial calculations suggest the stock levels are “inconsistent” with some of the standard GM-sourced parts found in their hundreds, while more bespoke, Elfin-specific parts appear to be low in volume or missing altogether.

YTG is currently in communication with several of the original parts suppliers to ascertain the possibility of manufacturing the missing components and says any remaining stock may be sold to a collector or current owner seeking hard-to-find parts for their own vehicle.

On the topic of electrification, Mr Baker said he was also keen to see the Elfin brand remain one that is untouched by the move to electrification; despite the fact the Victorian state government is currently offering grants of up to $750,000 to businesses interested in producing electric vehicles in the state.

“The suggestion has been made, and there would certainly be a lot of assistance available were we to head down that track. But I believe that would mean the Elfin loses much of the pureness of what it is, so that is part of what we’re discussing,” he stated.

“Because it is a low-volume car, and because it is a car that delivers such pureness in the way it drives, I would like to see it remain with internal combustion power. We want the car –and the brand – to remain true to the idea Garrie (Cooper) and Tom (Walkinshaw) originally had for it.

“I am currently assessing how we can pull together the right plan and the right people to make this a viable option for ourselves in Australia – and possibly for export.”

Should the whole idea go up in smoke, Mr Baker said the alternative is to lease or sell the brand to one of the interested overseas parties.

While he has not put a figure on such a decision, GoAuto gets the impression it is currently a final option only – and one YTG would only consider upon exhausting every alternative.

“Obviously we’re still working through the business plan, but the idea is that perhaps it (the business) could be sustainable with around 50 cars produced per year. Ultimately, that is where we would love to be. I don’t want to sell this brand and see that logo on an SUV. That’s not what this is about,” he enthused.

“I think there is enough interest in Australia, New Zealand and overseas that we can make it work. We have talked about left-hand drive as a possibility already, and we have talked about how the brand might look against, say, Caterham, Morgan, Pembleton and so on.

“Based on the feedback we have already had it seems that is what the Elfin customer wants, and I’m really hoping YTG can be the ones to give it to them.”