The Westfield SE is the model the British company Westfield Sportscars built its reputation on. Inspired by the Lotus Seven, it was sold first as the 7SE and then in a long series of versions — SE, SEi, the wider SEW and SEiW, and the V8-engined SEight — mostly with Ford running gear and a glass fibre body.
Westfield SE at a glance
| Maker | Westfield Sportscars Ltd, Kingswinford, West Midlands |
|---|---|
| First model | 7SE, a Lotus Seven replica, from 1983 |
| Body | glass fibre, in the Lotus tradition |
| Rear suspension | live axle on the SE, independent on the SEi |
| Wide-body versions | SEW and SEiW, wider at the rear and in the cabin |
| Common donors | Ford Escort (first two rear-drive series), Ford Sierra, Mazda MX-5 |
| Engines | Ford Kent 1.6, CVH, OHC and Cosworth YB, later Zetec; Duratec |
| Classic version | 2.0-litre Ford Zetec 16V, 110 kW (150 PS) |
| Quoted build time | 120 hours |
| Factory-built premium | about £4,000 over the kit price |
| Output | about 450 SEi and XTR chassis a year (Total Kit Car) |
| Cars sold | over 13,000 since 1983, about 400 a year |
The SE has no Wikipedia article of its own; this page is based on the sections about the model in the English, German and Italian articles on Westfield Sportscars.
History of the Westfield SE
Westfield began with a replica. Chris Smith, a driver and engineer in historic motorsport, built himself a copy of the Lotus Eleven in the spring of 1982; after several enquiries from people who wanted one too, he founded Westfield Sportscars Ltd at Easter 1983. The company then developed the Westfield 7SE, a replica of the Lotus Seven, and allowed production of its earlier XI to wind down.
When Caterham Cars bought the rights to the Seven from Lotus, Westfield was building cars of very similar style and construction. Caterham threatened litigation over industrial design rights in the late 1980s; the case was settled out of court and Westfield changed the design of its cars. The two marques still look alike from outside but are built differently: Westfield uses the glass fibre body method Lotus applied to the Elise, Esprit and Elan, where Caterham stayed with aluminium. Westfield also pioneered independent rear suspension and a wider chassis, ideas other makers have since adopted.
The SE was the car that carried the range. It was originally called the 7SE and was offered in many forms over the years. The SEi replaced the SE’s live rear axle with independent suspension; the W models, SEW and SEiW, had a slightly wider body at the rear and a wider cabin. Mechanical parts came mostly from the first two rear-drive series of the Ford Escort and from the Ford Sierra, and engines were mostly Ford as well: 1.6-litre Kent units from the Escort and the first Fiesta, CVH engines from the Fiesta and Escort with carburettors, injection or a turbocharger, Ford OHC and Cosworth YB engines, and in later cars the Zetec engines of the Zeta and Sigma families and the Duratec.
The Classic version of the SE was sold with a 2.0-litre Ford Zetec 16V of the Zeta family rated at 110 kW (150 PS). The kit contained every part needed, with only the fluids bought separately, and Westfield said no special tools were required and quoted a build time of 120 hours. The same cars could also be bought factory-built for about £4,000 more than the kit. Westfield moved to Kingswinford in 1991 and was sold to Potenza Sports Cars in 2006; it went into administration in June 2022, was bought out by Westfield Chesil Ltd in September 2022 and moved to Bicester.
Design and features
- Seven-inspired layout: a light two-seater with the bare essentials, in the tradition of Colin Chapman’s original.
- Glass fibre body: the Lotus method rather than Caterham’s aluminium panels.
- Independent rear suspension on the SEi: an improvement over the live axle of the early SE.
- Wide-body option: the SEW and SEiW gave more room in the cabin.
- Huge engine choice: from 1.6-litre Ford Kent units to Zetec and Duratec.
Westfield SE versions
- 7SE: the original Lotus Seven replica of 1983.
- SE: the standard car with a live rear axle.
- SEi: independent rear suspension and a Mazda MX-5 donor option.
- SEW and SEiW: wider body and cabin.
- SEight: the SE with a Rover V8.
- SDV: Single Donor Vehicle, built around a Ford Sierra or Mazda MX-5.
The SE was the starting point for the track-focused XTR line and for the V8-engined SEight. More cars are in the Westfield collection.
Video: First ride with our new Westfield SE
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Westfield Sportscars, English Wikipedia: company history, construction, donor cars
- Westfield Sportscars, German Wikipedia: SE versions, engines, kit and build time
- Westfield Sportscars, Italian Wikipedia: history and output
