conceptcarz.com

1973 Lola T294

The Lola T280 and T290 were built to contest the 1972 season. The T280 was built to 3-liter specification while the T290 was the 2-liter contender. The T290 was successful in the sales room with 34 examples built, mostly sold through European representative Jo Bonnier. Bob Marston, assisted by John Barnard and Patrick Head, had been responsible for the design. It was given an aluminum monocoque chassis with outboard disc brakes and an independent suspension. Lightweight fiberglass was used for the body and a small wing at the back provided downforce.

The cars were delivered sans engine, leaving the decision to the customer and their various racing criteria's. Most were powered by either Cosworth FVC engines or the Chevrolet Vega based four-cylinder unit. Both engines were quick but both suffered from reliability issues, specifically the Chevy engine.

For the 1973 season, the T290 was further developed into the T292. Changes included a larger rear wing, redesigned front fascia, and inboard mounted rear disc brakes. Over two dozen examples were built and sold, and a few of the T290s were updated with the T292 bodywork. A BDG powered example driven by Chris Craft secured the European Two-Litre Sports Car championship and gave Lola the constructor's champion.

Further development resulted in the T294 for the 1974 season. Although quick, they were unable to outpace the works supported Alpines. The new Alpine A441-Renault won all nine races during the 1974 season. The following season, only two races were run before it was cancelled due to rising fuel costs. FISA began work on creating a World Championship for open-cockpit porotypes, combining the prototypes with larger engines which had previously contested in the World Championship for Makes, and the 2-liter entries from the European championship.


By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2020

Related Reading : Lola 29X History

In 1961 Eric Broadley formed the Lola Racing Car Company. The first cars were front-engined sports cars followed by Formula Junior racers. Soon, Lola was one of the top chassis suppliers in sports car racing. In 1965 the Lola Racing Cars Group introduced the T70. During its lifetime from 1965 through 1969 over 100 examples were produced in three versions. They were designed for endurance racing....
Continue Reading >>

Recent Vehicle Additions

Related Automotive News

The Winning Formula

The Winning Formula

On 21 May, the Canadian 1991 Grand Prix winning Benetton B-191-02 (€750,000-900,000) driven by Nelson Piquet and Michael Schumacher in the 1991 Grand Prix will return to the Spa Francorchamps circuit for the Bonhams Spa Classic sale on 21 May 2017. The...
Alfa Romeo 4C and 4C Spider Add More Personalization Options for 2016, Further Amplifying the Groundbreaking Theme of Advanced Technology, Race-inspired Performance and Seductive Italian Style

Alfa Romeo 4C and 4C Spider Add More Personalization Options for 2016, Further Amplifying the Groundbreaking Theme of Advanced Technology, Race-inspired Performance and Seductive Italian Style

New for 2016, Alfa Romeo is offering even more carbon fiber All-new carbon fiber halo offering elevates the 4C Spiders technical look, while hinting at its exclusive carbon-fiber monocoque chassis All-new Carbon Fiber Trim Package further prolif...
ALL-NEW 2015 ALFA ROMEO 4C SPIDER PRICING ANNOUNCED

ALL-NEW 2015 ALFA ROMEO 4C SPIDER PRICING ANNOUNCED

All-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Delivers Race-inspired Performance, Advanced Technologies, Seductive Italian Style, and Now an Even More Exhilarating Driving Experience With Open-air Freedom All-new Alfa Romeo 4C Spiders open-air performance ****...
World-premiere: All-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Delivers Race-inspired Performance, Advanced Technologies, Seductive Italian Style, and now an Even More Exhilarating Driving Experience With Open-air Freedom

World-premiere: All-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Delivers Race-inspired Performance, Advanced Technologies, Seductive Italian Style, and now an Even More Exhilarating Driving Experience With Open-air Freedom

Production version of the all-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, will arrive at dealerships this summer All-new 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Spiders open-air performance cockpit and mid-engine propo...
John Barnard's Finest: Some of the Greatest of Barnard's Design

John Barnard's Finest: Some of the Greatest of Barnard's Design

The latter-part of Barnards Formula One career would be filled with disappointments and disputes. However, there was no disputing the genius of the man from London. In fact, a couple of innovations that are mainstays in Formula One design were first...