Considering a Westfield
Discussion
Since a young lad I had a fascination with kit cars. Being born in the Midlands I'd regularly drive up to Gibbons Industrial Estate from the age of 17 and swoon at Wesfields coming out of the factory. I was a subscriber to Kit Car Magazine and had posters of the newly released megabusa on my wall in bedroom.
It's only recently after test driving (loads) of cars searching for my next new daily I realised I genuinely don't aspire to any new cars. Not the ones I can afford anyway. This, and the fact I'm 40 in February means I think the time for a Westfield is now. I'm regularly looking online and noted Equus' post about the rear wheels on many examples and I've realised I need to do a lot of research. I'm open to any car, bike engined or car engined. I assume an SE would be better for me (I'm 6' 3" and quite big). Will i fit?
Many for sale appear to be sold by ToyBox in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Does anyone have any experience of this outfit?
It's only recently after test driving (loads) of cars searching for my next new daily I realised I genuinely don't aspire to any new cars. Not the ones I can afford anyway. This, and the fact I'm 40 in February means I think the time for a Westfield is now. I'm regularly looking online and noted Equus' post about the rear wheels on many examples and I've realised I need to do a lot of research. I'm open to any car, bike engined or car engined. I assume an SE would be better for me (I'm 6' 3" and quite big). Will i fit?
Many for sale appear to be sold by ToyBox in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Does anyone have any experience of this outfit?
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 15th November 10:18
You will want an wide bodied car, designated by and W in title (i.e. SEiW) possibly also lowered floors.
Sports type seats are better IMHO but you might find them a tight squeeze depending on the shape, but the 'standard' cushioned seats are bulky, usually adding to height.
Great cars, just be very wary of build quality. I had one that was keenly priced but it turned into a job every weekend which was remarkably irritating and played a part in selling it on.
Loads of engine, gearbox and running gear choice, unlikely to find two identical cars due to nature of build and minor evolution over time. I would discourage you from a bike engined car and unless it is for the track only a moderately powered car engine with sensibly setup suspension and road tyres, still plenty of fun. Mine was 130bhp, near 500kg, road biased setup with road legal semi-slick tyres. That was ok on twisties but I always wanted more power and a LSD.
WSCC is a great resource but you need to pay to post.
Toybox have a good rep, you pay more but it's a business implications on selling to you with regards quality and overheads.
Sports type seats are better IMHO but you might find them a tight squeeze depending on the shape, but the 'standard' cushioned seats are bulky, usually adding to height.
Great cars, just be very wary of build quality. I had one that was keenly priced but it turned into a job every weekend which was remarkably irritating and played a part in selling it on.
Loads of engine, gearbox and running gear choice, unlikely to find two identical cars due to nature of build and minor evolution over time. I would discourage you from a bike engined car and unless it is for the track only a moderately powered car engine with sensibly setup suspension and road tyres, still plenty of fun. Mine was 130bhp, near 500kg, road biased setup with road legal semi-slick tyres. That was ok on twisties but I always wanted more power and a LSD.
WSCC is a great resource but you need to pay to post.
Toybox have a good rep, you pay more but it's a business implications on selling to you with regards quality and overheads.
Edited by boombang on Monday 15th November 10:07
Built my own Westfield in 1990 with a 2.0 litre Pinto lump.
Didn't really enjoy it as it took a long time and a lot of parts didn't fit like they should.
When built though, the car was lovely, navy blue with pale blue leather.
The factory manager was John Grosvenor at the time, I've just read that founder Chris Smith has just died sadly.
To sum up, Yes get one, but check the build quality carefully, but if you get a good one you shouldn't lose much money when you come to sell.
Didn't really enjoy it as it took a long time and a lot of parts didn't fit like they should.
When built though, the car was lovely, navy blue with pale blue leather.
The factory manager was John Grosvenor at the time, I've just read that founder Chris Smith has just died sadly.
To sum up, Yes get one, but check the build quality carefully, but if you get a good one you shouldn't lose much money when you come to sell.
If you're well-built, you'll need an SEiW ("w" for wide bodied)
If you're tall, you might want to consider lowered floors to get your head below the windscreen (or just not bother with a windscreen at all)
Toybox are at the top end of the price range, but their reputation is good and their cars are generally excellent.
As already mentioned, build quality is key. Most cars, even the best-built ones will need a certain degree of mechanical common-sense, as they generally require regular checking and "fettling"
Choose your engine carefully - all have their pro and cons and it will depend heavily on what you intend to do with the car. Bike-engines are fine for track work, but can become tiresome for general road pottering. Power is another big consideration. Some owners won't get out of bed for less than 200bhp, but some owners of lowly crossfows and Pintos get just as much enjoyment out of their cars.
WSCC is excellent and worth many times the membership fee. You'll get as much help as you need and plenty of offers of passenger rides. View lots of cars and make an informed decition and you'll be fine.
Good luck
If you're tall, you might want to consider lowered floors to get your head below the windscreen (or just not bother with a windscreen at all)
Toybox are at the top end of the price range, but their reputation is good and their cars are generally excellent.
As already mentioned, build quality is key. Most cars, even the best-built ones will need a certain degree of mechanical common-sense, as they generally require regular checking and "fettling"
Choose your engine carefully - all have their pro and cons and it will depend heavily on what you intend to do with the car. Bike-engines are fine for track work, but can become tiresome for general road pottering. Power is another big consideration. Some owners won't get out of bed for less than 200bhp, but some owners of lowly crossfows and Pintos get just as much enjoyment out of their cars.
WSCC is excellent and worth many times the membership fee. You'll get as much help as you need and plenty of offers of passenger rides. View lots of cars and make an informed decition and you'll be fine.
Good luck
I had an SEIW for a while, good fun little thing. Mine was a 2l zetec running twin carbs and the top end of the engine had been fettled with, estimate was something in the region of 160-170bhp and I wouldn't have wanted anything much quicker to be honest.
From memory mine had been built with Granada drivetrain rather than Sierra which I think gave a slightly more robust gearbox and an lsd. So definitely research the best bits of spec to go for. Mine had 16" wheels which were too big and made the ride harsh, 15s would have been much better.
Someone I worked with who I think was 6'5 tried getting in it once, couldn't get his knees under the dash and to be honest it was comical, so try to find someone local who wouldn't mind letting you try one for size.
From memory mine had been built with Granada drivetrain rather than Sierra which I think gave a slightly more robust gearbox and an lsd. So definitely research the best bits of spec to go for. Mine had 16" wheels which were too big and made the ride harsh, 15s would have been much better.
Someone I worked with who I think was 6'5 tried getting in it once, couldn't get his knees under the dash and to be honest it was comical, so try to find someone local who wouldn't mind letting you try one for size.
Brilliant little fun cars. Only observation from having one in the family (1998-2002) was that ours didn’t have the front cycle wings (think that’s the name) and the more artful wings. Artful yes, pretty yes - but on track days created lift to the front wheels at speed - if I had another one it would definitely be cycle wings.
sebdangerfield said:
Many for sale appear to be sold by ToyBox in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Does anyone have any experience of this outfit?
Just re-read your post - we bought ours from them! Nice to know they’re still around, they were easy to deal with and the car perfect.Edited by sebdangerfield on Monday 15th November 10:18
Zumbruk said:
I owned a SEiW with a 2 litre Zetec for a while. An absolute hoot. I'm 6'2" and was about 18 stone at the time, and fitted just fine. I'd say go for it, but reiterate what others have said; build quality is key.
Agreed. Ours was factory built with a Zetec engine. Could have had a bit more power maybe, but overall lots of ticks. Thanks for the responses folks. I think it makes sense then for me to look at the car engined cars and dismiss the bike engined ones as i'd like to mainly focus on road driving and do the odd track day. My budget seems to be able to hit most engines but I wouldn't be put off by the older stuff like cross flows or pintos.
I'll definitely look at the wide bodies cars and I appreciate the examples of other big lads... it looks like I should fit. I'd not heard of lowered floors before, was this an option or something I'd have to commission if I purchased a car without lowered floors?
I'll definitely look at the wide bodies cars and I appreciate the examples of other big lads... it looks like I should fit. I'd not heard of lowered floors before, was this an option or something I'd have to commission if I purchased a car without lowered floors?
sebdangerfield said:
I'll definitely look at the wide bodies cars and I appreciate the examples of other big lads... it looks like I should fit. I'd not heard of lowered floors before, was this an option or something I'd have to commission if I purchased a car without lowered floors?
Both! 
I didn't bother with mine. I did fit a decent rollover bar, though, which meant you couldn't get the hood on.
sebdangerfield said:
Thanks, It won't put me off anything that's wide enough to get my arse in then if I can have the floor lowered later.
Got a feeling it's not a cheap mod, so probably worth trying a couple for size and hunting one already built with lowered floors if that's what you need.Have a look at other seven kits too, they're all slightly different, you mind find one is better suited to larger frames!
Westfield is definitely towards the upper end re quality though, a mate had a Tiger and whilst it was a great toy, you could see why they're about 2/3rds the price of a Westfield, another mate had a Dax and that was very well designed/engineered.
Great cars, I bought mine in 2008 aged 21, had a lot of fun with it over the years, still have it.
Fast road use, autosolo, autotesting, odd trackdays, weeks holiday to the ring with uni mates back in the day. Week in france with gf.
I have a 1991 narrowbody, live rear (So an original SE, not SEi or SEiW) which had a 1900cvh and now a 2ltr zetec blacktop. Quife ATB diff.
I am 6ft2, thin ish (80kg) and fit reasonable well with a slightly raised steering wheel and grp seats. Custom RAC style roll over hoop.
Before the roll hoop went on, the roof touched my head, but wasnt an issue.
The top of the screen is a bit close to by eyeline, but sometimes its nice to be able to look over in in wet conditions!
WSCC is a must, but equally happy to answer any questions here.
Daniel
Fast road use, autosolo, autotesting, odd trackdays, weeks holiday to the ring with uni mates back in the day. Week in france with gf.
I have a 1991 narrowbody, live rear (So an original SE, not SEi or SEiW) which had a 1900cvh and now a 2ltr zetec blacktop. Quife ATB diff.
I am 6ft2, thin ish (80kg) and fit reasonable well with a slightly raised steering wheel and grp seats. Custom RAC style roll over hoop.
Before the roll hoop went on, the roof touched my head, but wasnt an issue.
The top of the screen is a bit close to by eyeline, but sometimes its nice to be able to look over in in wet conditions!
WSCC is a must, but equally happy to answer any questions here.
Daniel
Cheers guys, hopefully a wide body will do the job. I’m not enormous so I doubt I’d need a jackamo Westfield 
Good point re the windscreen. The only time I’ve driven one, a few years ago, I did struggle with vision through the screen. Perhaps an aero screen might suit.
DHutch, thanks for the advice. I’m going to sign up tonight to have a mooch.
Good point re the windscreen. The only time I’ve driven one, a few years ago, I did struggle with vision through the screen. Perhaps an aero screen might suit.
DHutch, thanks for the advice. I’m going to sign up tonight to have a mooch.
I’ve owned a Dutton Pheaton, a Sylva Striker, an 1800 Westfield and a 2000 Westfield. The 2000cc Westy was great and with approx 180 bhp was quick enough. I now own a Sylva J15 which I purchased last year for the price of a cheap Westfield. It’s incredible, rare, quick and I love it.
I wouldnt go back to a Westy because I’ve got the t-shirt so to speak but I would recommend one. Make sure you do your home work and remember, build quality is everything and don’t go searching for big power. These cars don’t need more than 300bhp per tonne unless your either a very good driver or doing a lot of track days. Also look at other marques, there a lot of other options out there.
I wouldnt go back to a Westy because I’ve got the t-shirt so to speak but I would recommend one. Make sure you do your home work and remember, build quality is everything and don’t go searching for big power. These cars don’t need more than 300bhp per tonne unless your either a very good driver or doing a lot of track days. Also look at other marques, there a lot of other options out there.
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