About the Club

The Club was originally established in 1991 to support the then first group of Qld Westfield builders. Since then the number of variations and other kit manufacturers has increased, and in 2008, due to confusion between the Australian built Westfields and the imported UK built Westfields, the Australian manufacturer changed the name to Arrow Sports Cars.

Although the original club name remains, we are all about bringing clubman owners / builders together by providing a range of social events, technical advice, Motorsport Australia (formerly CAMS) affiliation, track days and a network of past and current builders with a wealth of knowledge. So it doesn’t matter if you are an owner of, or looking to build, a Westfield (Australian or UK built), Arrow, PRB, Birkin, Amaroo, Fraser, Caterham, Puma, Elfin, self-builds (locost) and any others we may have missed, become a member of the Westfield Car Club and join in the fun of owning one of these great cars.

Happy motoring!

A History of Eric, our Founding Member, and the Westfield Car Club Inc.

Dear People

I am humbled by the way my fellow club members hold me in such high regard about my efforts to achieve Clubman legal Registration in Queensland.

To Queensland Transport, the idea of such an animal being new, required to be proven to comply with all the Australian Design Rules to achieve this.

I loved Clubman’s from when I was seventeen and followed a Lotus on a trailer at Salisbury and I promised that I will have one someday.  I can still see it on its trailer.

I was in my Morris Minor utility with my upgraded Cortina GT engine and gearbox.

I spent most of my money on cars, as a nutcase does. 

I was conscripted for National Service during the Vietnam War. I was in the Royal Australian Engineers.  You build it and then you blow it up.

(After Nasho I had some further dealings with explosives, but I can’t talk about that without my Lawyer present.)

I studied for a Diploma and Degree in Engineering

After that, I was having a very hard time in the electricity industry with mainly politics being bandied about future expansion of generating capacity.

Stressed, I decided to review my life, as one does.  The adage is if you have a difficult job, have a good hobby to offset the situation.

Was I going to date a young blonde or build a hobby car.?

In retrospect to build a sports car has been much less expensive.

It took a mammoth job to start the progress for Compliance.

Queensland Transport had never had such a request. It was completely unknown, it entailed that I had to prove QT compliance, for EVERY part of the car, including structural testing of the chassis and road performance.

This was a mammoth undertaking which I had to be able to register a Westfield Clubman.

Certifying the components was a big task but the main hurdle was proving the chassis design.

The chassis was aligned with the Lotus Clubman formula design.

We did a 3-dimensional plane frame structural computer analysis, which was fine for the bending under various load cases.

The problem was that it did not pass torsional (bending) criteria.  These cars handle beautifully and had a good record of fine handling.  A check of other chassis in racing proved that the formula worked having low chassis torsional rigidity. 

How do you prove it??? There was very little literature about such.

Friend Engineer, Keith Batten and I had to do some very creative thinking, which resulted in empirical resonance testing of the various suspension components working in together and in unison for several load cases

This was a stalemate for months, until we gave a presentation to the QT vehicle modification section.

They accepted the results (probably not understanding) and we established a criterion which was lower, but valid.

The sister cars had fine handling properties with a much lower torsional rigidity. British common sports cars had dismal figures

I had to therefore stiffen the chassis which worked very well, except that critical struts had to be in the engine bay, and passenger void.   This meant that we would have to genetically modify a driver to have a hole in his body to pass the test (also, an engine with a recess inside the engine where the crank was.!)

Anyway, after a tortious compliance gambit, we proceeded with handling, braking, emissions, and reliability. (One of our designs to the formula did 200 000 km before it was T boned.) WE have had a few shunts without injuries.

Anyway a few of the 6 first Westfield cars that I complied had casual get togethers, and the Westfield club was born by C section.

I set meetings for once a month   (What could we talk about weekly, as some clubs do.?}

The first loose meeting was under way.

I set the official start date the club, was 01 August 1991, because it was the birthday of horses.

I have had to be a satellite member now as I had military issues.

Now after my lies, I will now tell it as the real thing.

The first bank account I called the Westfield bank account “” Westfield Playgroup”” and the bank thought we were a Kindy, which in reflection was an old buggers playgroup, which was closer to the mark.

I have superglued my T shirt to my chest 3 times.

I had a Beagle, Ernie, the club mascot (once seen never forgotten.) Those days dogs were allowed, and at Sprints Ernie got the lovely reception, and I was second fiddle.

I spent 24 years of weekend motorsport without a scratch, and walked out the yard, fell and had to have a craniotomy, detached part of the brain and bleed,

I showed Ernie at the Ekka Show once, He shat on the floor, peed on and bit the Judge, and I was awarded best of breed.

Our competition weekends were really a social event with having to drive now and again.

Once we had 10 Westfields in the pits.

I usually wear my T shirt back to front or the wrong way round, {The theory was that it would be correct next time.)

I am dyslectic with PUSH and PULL on doors, especially when there are lots of people around!

I burnt my leg on my Ferrari exhaust and felt no pain, although the burn was quite serious.  I considered a burn from a Ferrari was an honour to be had.

As I had military issues, the Warhorse is my distractive hobby. The Bella performance on the road did not disappoint, and is now out to stud, pending the upgrade of the computer set up.

I then had a supercharged T86 but had to sell it before I killed myself.

I have had several performance cars, but old age slowed me down. I am a worn out 74 yrs.

My latest current love is a 1979 BMW E24. It is the best riding car and touring car, with luxurious driving. I hope it will learn to love me,

From what I am used to, I felt that I had to get into my suit to drive it.

I haven’t met many new members in the Westfield club and hope to do so in the future.

I think that we may have about 105 cars. !