1997 Westfield SEW 2.1 Pinto

Highlights

• 2.1-litre Pinto engine
• Tested to 144 bhp
• Twin Weber carburettors
• Small, lightweight, and nimble
• Wide-body model

Overview

Is it a track car which you can drive on the road? Or is it a road car you can drive on the track? To us it’s both. Westfield continues the long British tradition of enthusiasts in sheds tinkering away on mechanical projects for the love of it. They produce both fully-assembled cars, ready to be driven, and kits to be assembled at home. There’s something indescribably alluring about driving a car which you can tell people you’ve actually built yourself.

This Westfield has been the recipient of much additional work since it left the factory. The original two-litre engine was replaced with a 2.1-litre Pinto engine, which was fitted with a lightened flywheel, Kent camshaft, and double valve springs. It runs on twin Weber carburettors and has been tested on a dyno, with very respectable output figures of 143.9 bhp and 137.2 lb ft.

All this means that whether you’re driving on the road or the track — or on the road to the track — you’re going to enjoy yourself even more. Lowering yourself into the cockpit, you’re sitting only a few inches from the road. There are no doors so a certain amount of racing-driver nimbleness is required to enter and exit, but this car has the benefit of a slightly wider body to allow a little more wiggle room.

Weather protection is provided in case you get caught out in a shower: including a folding roof, tonneau cover, and full car cover. But if you’re reading this you’re probably not planning on commuting in this car through the winter, so you won’t lament the lack of stereo or whizz-bang entertainment systems. This Westfield exists for the sole purpose of enjoying the drive. It’s perhaps the most direct, exhilarating sort of driving you can get. Which is just the kind of driving we like to encourage.

History and documentation

• Registered 2 May 1997
• Extensive collection of invoices and old MOT certificates
• Current MOT with no advisories expires 1 Sep 2025
• V5 present in owner’s name
• HPI clear
• Five former keepers
• Dyno power test charts
• Original Parts Catalogue on file
• Private plate P6JGO included in sale

Interior

• The ‘W’ in this car’s model name designates it as having a wide body, and therefore more interior elbow room
• There are no doors, but low-cut side panels allow easier clambering access
• Luxuriously upholstered in black leather
• The leather has built up an attractive level of patina over the years
• There is some wear to the driver’s seat
• Deep bolsters provide plenty of lateral support
• Willans four-point harnesses
• Black carpets with leather trimming
• Leather-trimmed steering wheel
• Carbon fibre dashboard panel
• Analogue gauges
• A little fading to the rocker switches
• The seller tells us that everything works as it should do
• Flat windscreen glass in good condition
• Sidescreens provide additional weather protection

Exterior

• Lightweight and low-slung, this Westfield looks extremely nimble
• Finished in an attractive shade of British Racing Green
• The paint looks good, with a few chips and scratches
• GRP body panels in good shape
• No obvious damage to the bodywork
• 15-inch Minilite-style alloy wheels
• Toyo tyres
• ‘Cycle’ front wings, with a small dent to the offside wing
• There are a few scuffs to the wheel rims
• The light lenses all look clear
• Soft top roof, tonneau cover, and car cover included
• The seller reports that there are no issues on the underside of the car
• Exposed exhaust pipes

Mechanical

• According to the accompanying documentation, the 2.1-litre Pinto engine was rebuilt and fitted in July 2005

• The specification includes:

• 2,093 cc four-cylinder engine

• Lightened and balanced flywheel

• Kent RL32 rally-spec camshaft

• Double valve springs

• Steel vernier cam pulley

• Compression ratio 11.3:1

• Cylinder bore and stroke: 93mm x 77.4mm

• Weber carburettors fitted

• Accompanying dyno test figures show a maximum output of 143.9 bhp and 137.2 lb ft

• There are dyno figures for the previous engine on file

• Five-speed manual gearbox

• Rear-wheel drive

• Engine bay in very clean condition

• Pipercross foam air filter

• Live rear axle

• The seller tells us that the car starts third time, sounds excellent, and stops well

• The battery is said to be new

• No mechanical issues reported

Summary

In terms of ‘thrills per kilogram’, the Westfield is certainly up there. It’s the kind of car that can turn any quiet country road into an exciting driving experience, with its low stance, throaty exhaust note, and lightning-quick responsiveness. And with that tuned engine under the bonnet, the stream of thrills should come thick and fast.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Chorley, Lancashire.