Alexis Cars

Alexis Cars was a British constructor of racing cars. It was formed in 1959 by Alex Francis and Australian Bill Harris. They built cars for Formula Junior, F100, Formula Ford, Formula 3, Formula B, Formula Atlantic and Formula 2 racing classes.^[1]

IndustryAutomotive

GenreRacing cars

Founded1959

FounderAlex Francis
Bill Harris

Quick facts Industry, Genre ...

Alexis Cars

Alexis Mk.5 at Zolder
Industry	Automotive
Genre	Racing cars
Founded	1959
Founder	Alex Francis Bill Harris
Defunct	1976
Headquarters	Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire , England
Key people	Allan Taylor Doug Christie
Products	Single-seater racing cars

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Alex Francis, originally a building contractor, was a trials car builder. Bill Harris was a speedway rider, racing mechanic, and racing car designer from Australia. The company was established in Ward End, Birmingham, where Francis lived. When Bill Harris returned to Australia in 1965, Allan Taylor took his place. Alexis operation remained small, usually building a few racing cars for its own racing team and selling them at the end of the season, until the late 1960's when Formula Ford was born and became popular.

By winning the first Formula Ford championships in England and Scotland with Mk.11 in 1967, Alexis gained a reputation as a racing car constructor. Mk.15 (Formula Ford) and Mk.18 (Formula Ford and Formula 3) became a big success, firmly establishing the financial foundation.
Disliking running the larger-scale company, Alex Francis sold the ownership to Allan Taylor in 1968; and Doug Christie, who was responsible for the engine shop, joined Taylor as the co-director. In 1970, the company moved to Hallaughton Farm, an old cheese dairy in Sutton Coldfield, on the outskirts of Birmingham.^[2]