1960 Lola MK1

It is believed that Lola produced approximately forty examples of the MK 1 between 1958 and 1962. It was the car that helped cement the company's reputation as a serious racing manufacturer and a contender to the prominent and established marques such as Lotus. The knowledge gained and the success it brought helped catapult founder Eric Broadley from a local garage owner into an eventual competitor in the Formula One arena. By 1966 Lola Cars Ltd was not only the world's largest manufacturer of specialist racing cars, but its products also won the Indianapolis 500 (with the American Red Ball Special Lola-Ford T90 driven by Graham Hill) and the inaugural CanAm sports-prototype Championship.

Lola Cars International Ltd. was founded in Bromley, England (then in Kent) before moving to new premises in Slough, Buckinghamshire and finally Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Operations began in 1958 and would continue through 2012. Their path took them down a road of building small front-engined sports cars before branching out into Formula Junior, Formula 3, Formula 2, various sporting vehicles including Can Am cars, and even Formula One. Their Lola MK.6 Coupe laid the foundation for the forthcoming Ford GT40 which captured outright victories at Le Mans on four occasions.

Eric Broadley was an avid racer who competed with Austin Seven Specials, later racing his own Special which he built, along with his cousin Graham, in the family garage in 1959. Known as the Broadley Special, it provided valuable knowledge into what would and would not work. As the legend goes, Graham provided more than just engineering expertise to the business. The title of a popular song of the period was 'Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets' by the Damn Yankees. Graham's version was 'Whatever Lola wanted, Eric got!'

Eric had no intention of building any race cars for sale and was doing this as a hobby, not a business opportunity. He eventually caved to the pressure from would-be customers, and built further cars for sale, initially for club racing and eventually for the global motor sporting scene. From the beginning, the Lola cars were aerodynamically sophisticated with attractively curved bodywork and complimented by feather-light construction. They would repeatedly set widely acknowledged new aesthetic standards, complimented by equally impressive mechanical prowess.

The Lotus XI had dominated its class in 1956 and 1957, however, the Broadley-built Lola Mark 1 was smaller and lighter and able to beat the Lotus XI. In response, Colin Chapman built the Lotus 17 in 1959 to be a 'Lola beater,' and although not very successful at first, it eventually was able to outpace the Lola MK1, prompting a response from Lola.

The MK1 was comprised of a lightweight multi-tubular spaceframe chassis which tipped the scales at a mere 27 kg. The suspension used a custom double-wishbone setup while all of the other running gear were from various British manufacturers. The 1098cc four-cylinder engine was a Coventry Climax FWA unit that offered just over 80 horsepower and weighed under 100kg. It was backed by an Austin four-speed gearbox and stopping power was via drum brakes from Triumph. The lightweight aluminum body was courtesy of Maurice Gomm. The complete package weighed under 400 kg. Cars built later in production received fiberglass bodies and a more potent Mark III version of the FWA engine.

Broadley drove the Mark 1 during the 1958 season but later gave up driving duties to focus on the business. Among his accolades with the Mark 1 included driving at Brands Hatch where he became the first man to lap the short circuit in under one minute.

The 'Works' team's inaugural outing was at the Easter Monday Goodwood Chichester Cup race for 1100cc sports cars in 1959 where three Coventry-Climax-powered Lola Mark 1s 'toed' the line. The works team drivers included Eric Broadley and Peter Ashdown along with private owner Michael Taylor. Taylor spun off at Woodcote during the race but was able to recover and finished third overall, completing the 1-2-3 victory for Lola. The top honors went to Ashdown who set a new 1,100cc sport car lap record in the process. A Lotus 11 finished in fourth driven by Dick Prior.

The Lola MKII that followed was the company's first single-seater built for Formula Junior competition. The MK2 was a front-engine racer followed by the mid-engined MK3. Then came the MK4, commissioned by Reg Parnell, and intended for Formula 1. In Grand Prix competition, its best finish was a second-place during the British Grand Prix at Aintree and German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring. The Lola company would endure for over five decades and become one of the largest manufacturers of racing cars in the world.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2022