Australian authorities this week gave Australian Design Rule compliance approval for the Elfin MS8 Streamliner, a classic sports car powered by Holden's V8 engine. This means production and customer deliveries of the purebred performance machine are now full steam ahead at Elfin Sports Cars’ factory in Braeside, Victoria. Elfin cars are not available in the States.

Elfin is planning to build an exclusive production run of 100 Steamliners, which was styled by former Holden Design Director and Elfin enthusiast, Mike Simcoe.

Hanging from a tubular space frame, the suspension has all the adjustability one would expect from a racecar, and 13.5" front brakes with six-pot calipers (the rears are an inch smaller and shy two pistons) promise fade-free performance during lap sessions. Far from being a stripped-down track-only device, though, the ES8 provides features such as cruise control, traction control, and ABS, and the interior appears to be livable enough to make setting the idea of setting the cruise somewhat plausible.

The Steamliner is powered by Holden’s Gen III 5.7-liter V8, producing 325 bhp of power, for unrivalled acceleration.

The design concept was revealed on the Holden stand at the 2004 Melbourne Motor Show. Since then, the model has been fully engineered for ADR compliance and refined for production readiness.

In the process, production efficiencies have driven down costs, meaning significant price reductions. The Streamliner, originally quoted at indicative price of $135,000 AUD ($97,500), has gone on sale for $119,475 AUD ($90,000).