Our Westfield

A friend of ours purchased a Westfield and in June 2004 he invited us to join him for a track day at Ty Croes Anglesey, this was an overall great weekend and after much discussion we decided to go ahead and buy a Westfield. In August 2004 we found a nice example and went ahead and bought it. It was a 1989 Westfield SE, fitted with a Ford 1600 GT Crossflow engine, twin Weber 40 DCOE carburettors, a Ford Type 9 5 speed gearbox and a Ford Escort 'Live' rear axle. We used it in this spec until early 2005 when 'upgradeitis' set in. We removed the engine, which was completely rebuilt by Noel Flinders at NF Racing Developments, Rotherham. This was a superb power unit, producing 110BHP with a 0 to 60mph time of 5.2 seconds, very respectable for a Crossflow engine.

We used the car for a number of 'Trackdays' and as the car is road legal covered many pleasurable miles around the Yorkshire/Derbyshire Countryside.

Towards the end of 2006 a further bout of 'Upgradeitis' set in.

The car was taken into our garage and completely stripped. The wiring loom, dash panel, switches, interior, engine, gearbox and back axle were removed and the transformation began. Over the Winter period the car under went a complete rebuild. The Ford Crossflow engine was replaced with a Vauxhall 2litre XE. This engine was completely rebuilt, again by Noel at NF Racing Developments. It's fitted with Jenvey throttle bodies, Coscast cylinder Head, DTA engine management, Stainless steel four branch exhaust manifold and a 'Wunoff' repackable 6" silencer. The rear axle mountings were strengthened and a Tran-X limited slip differential was fitted in order to manage the extra BHP/Torque transmitted by the Vauxhall engine.

A Quaife close ratio semi-helical gearbox was also fitted.

A custom made Carbon Fibre dash, using new switches and instruments, including a SPA Design digital speedometer, were fitted as was a complete custom made wiring loom.

The engine now produces 188.3BHP at 6730RPM with 160.1lb/ft of Torque at 5070RPM

As the car only weighs 550kgs this gives an impressive 342.3 BHP per tonne with a top speed of 135mph. (Circuit only!)

The 0 to 60 mph is now 4.8 seconds.

What is it on road, track and to work on?

It's for road use and is perfectly road legal, very nice head turner, but with a change of wheels/tyres and suspension set up it is a fantastic 'Track Day' car. It's really easy to work on and parts are readily available, either new direct from Westfield Sportcars, or plentiful supply of good used parts. (Ford and Vauxhall Running Gear)

The car was on a trackday at Elvington, York 6 days after purchase and has since been on numerous circuits which include Elvington Airfield York, Donington Park, Ty Croes Anglesey and Cadwell Park.

Upgrades & Additions

• Carbon fibre effect 5 3/4" headlamps
• 15" OZ Ultraleggera lightweight alloy wheels fitted with 195/50x15 Toyo Tyres
• SPA Digital Speedometer
• Protech Alloy bodied adjustable shock absorbers all round
• RAC/FIA spec Roll Bar
• High level brake light fixed to roll bar
• Mintex 1144 brake pads
• 2'2 Quick Rack
• Luke four point harnesses for driver and passenger
• Custom made full Tonneau cover, including Boot Box cover
• MK GRP light weight race seats
• MK custom made lightweight long range fuel tank