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In the spring of 1982 historic grand prix competitor and engineer, Chris Smith decided to design and build a replica of one of his all-time favorite race cars, the gorgeous 1956 Lotus XI Le Mans car. Such was the accuracy and beauty of the car he produced in his home garage at Westfield House, Armitage he was immediately inundated with requests from enthusiasts wanting one for themselves.

By the following Easter in 1983 the company Westfield Sportscars had been created. Further demand for the new Westfield XI replica kit meant bigger premises and staff were required and the fledgling sportscar company was under way.

From the outset Chris and business partner and wife, Eileen recognized the importance of constantly reinvesting in product development. Furthermore every aspect of the cars from the chassis to the seats and interior trim would all be designed and built entirely in-house to ensuring both high quality and value for money. This is an ethos that continues today and sets Westfield head and shoulders above any other product in the kit car industry.

After the introduction of a new car, the equally well received Westfield 7SE, a decision was taken to fade out the XI allowing the team to concentrate on production of the new kit. The company continued expanding rapidly to cope with ever growing demand, which became even stronger after the bodywork was redesigned and modernized. Westfield were now firmly established as a big player.

In 1991, Westfield again needed bigger premises and moved to the impressive factory and office block in Kingswinford where they are still manufacturing today. It was here that the incredible V8-powered SEIGHT first caused the earth to shake. With monster power and an incredible 0-60mph time of 3.6 seconds it was Westfield’s fastest machine thus far and received critical acclaim from the motoring press. It would be hard to follow a car like that but Westfield went on to become one of the first car manufacturers to harness bike power. The small, but very powerful and high revving machines enabled incredible feats of speed and agility and offered fantastic performance at a low price.

Since production on the XI ceased in 1986 there was always a constant flow of enquires and eventually Chris Smith bowed to pressure and reintroduced the car in October 2004. The XI has proved a massive hit all over again with an instantly full order book and rapturous praise from new owners.

n December 2006 ownership of Westfield Sportscars transferred to Potenza Sports Cars. Potenza are continuing the development and expansion of the business into new markets, with investment to meet ever stringent more legislation, Euro IV compliance, and research and development into exciting new products for the future.

Westfield have come full circle having sold over 8500 cars world wide since 1983 and currently produce over 400 cars a year for driving enthusiasts the world over. In an age of manufacturing imports Westfield are proud to boast high quality British craftsmanship in every aspect of production, and they build them right here in the heart of the United Kingdom.