1969 Lola T70 MK IIIB

Coupe

Lola Cars International Ltd. was a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. For more than fifty years, Lola was one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of purpose built race cars in the world. Lola Cars started by building small front-engine sports cars, and eventually branched out into Formula Junior race cars before diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles. The Lola T70 was developed by Lola Cars of Great Britain to compete in Sports Car Racing. Lola would build the chassis and the company would use different engine sources, usually American built V-8's. The T70's, like this car, was the more popular example with well over 100 being built.

It is said that the Lola T70 'embodied grace with performance, powered by a high horsepower American V8 that made a sound that Camaros and Corvettes could only hope to match.' The T70 was designed to accommodate any American V8 with a monocoque chassis constructed of a mix of aluminum and steel for additional reinforcement. The suspension was quite conventional, using double wishbones and coil springs over dampers. The 3b's were typically equipped with Chevy V8's that produced over 450 horsepower. Sadly, Lola struggled in the Sports Racing Class as most of its attention was in Indy Racing, Formula 1 and Can-Am.

Coupe

This Lola T70 MK IIIb Coupe was built in Huntingdon, England, and was the last remaining of a final five car continuation run. It was purchased from Eric Broadley by Ted Gildred. It came as a rolling chassis without engine or transaxle. The car was shipped via air-freight to Los Angeles, California and brought to Gildreds race facilities in Solana Beach.

Gildred campaigned the car over the next two decades in numerous events such as Willow Springs, Sears Point, Riverside Raceway and Laguna Seca.

In the late 1990s, the engine was replaced with a Chevy power-plant that was rated at 650 bhp. The engine had been sourced and prepared by Fischer Engineering of North Carolina.

In 2010, this car was offered for sale at the 2010 Pebble Beach auction presented by Gooding & Company. The car was estimated to sell for $650,000 - $850,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $495,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: SL76/149

SL76/149 was initially sold to Mike De Udy, of Bahamas Racing on March 7, 1969. The car was raced by De Udy and Frank Gardner. In their third outing, at Vila Real Portugal, Gardner set a Lap record of 104 MPH and finished second overall. That same year, the car posted three first place finishes and seven other podium finishes. They went on to win the Spring Box Championship in South Africa.

In the spring of 1970, the car was entered in the 12 Hours of Sebring, with De Udy and Mike 'The Bike' Hailwood driving. It retired with a blown engine and was leased to Solar Pictures for use in the movie 'Le Mans.'

The car participated in vintage events across the United States, driven by the current owner. It has been part of stables in both the United States and Australia.

Coupe
Chassis number: SL76/144

Chassis number SL76/144 was original owned by Trevor Taylor. It was actively campaigned during the 1969 and 1970 season before it was in an accident at the Brands Hatch 1000 kms race where its monocoque chassis was destroyed. The suspension and other mechanical parts were then used by Mick Hill for his racing endeavors in his Ford Capri car. The racer was later rebuilt and finished in Martini Silver with blue and red stripes with 'Team Elite' written on the side. It retains the original chassis plate. As much of the original car as possible was reused on the new car. It is currently owned by Johan Woerheide who actively campaigns the vehicle at many historic racing events.

by Dan Vaughan

The Lola Racing Cars Group introduced the T70 in 1965 and during its lifetime, from 1965 through 1969, over 100 examples were produced in three versions. They were designed for endurance racing, incorporating excellent aerodynamics and flowing lines. The chassis was an aluminum monocoque structure that was both lightweight and rigid. The project was undertaken by Eric Broadley of Lola Cars with assistance from F1 world champion John Surtees. Originally, Broadley had been considered by Ford to build a racer that could defeat Ferrari at LeMans. Colin Chapman of Lotus and Cooper were also considered. After some consideration, the project was given to Broadley of Lola. Ford had been impressed with the Lola Mark VI mid-engined racer which was powered by a Ford 4.2-liter engine and produced around 350 horsepower. The sleek body had been created by John Frayling and utilized some of the most exotic materials available. By 1965 Ford had their Ferrari slayer and Broadley was ready to again work under his own supervision. He was not fond of how the GT40 had progressed and felt that it had gone in too many directions with each decision being analyzed by a committee. Work began on the T70 which would share many similarities to the GT40. In a sense, the Lola T70 was a result of Enzo Ferrari, since the GT40 had been created to defeat Ferrari at Le Mans. The first version was the MKII open-roofed version. The second version was the MKIII Coupe-version followed by the MK IIIB.

The straight back end soon gave it the nickname of 'breadvan' as it resembled delivery trucks of that era. The rear body shape was the result of lessons learned from the GT40 project and its handling on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans. It was designed to eliminate some of the lift created at high speeds. The GT40 created 300 kg of lift at speed while the Lola T70 only created 200 kg of downforce though it did increase drag.

Though designed for endurance racing, the T70 proved most potent on the short sprint races where its lightweight body and superior handling made it very competitive. Reliability issues plagued the car on races of more than three hours. The Chevrolet small-block power-plant was unsuitable for utilizing the high-octane fuels that powered other racers. The engine was unable to fully utilize European fuels and as such, did not perform as well as intended in international competition.

The T70 MKII was entered in the competitive and newly formed CanAm series, where it dominated at nearly every race it entered, winning five of the six rounds. John Surtees won the title after winning three of those races in a factory car. The cars were also successful in Group 7 racing until the series came to a halt in 1966. 1966 was the final year for a successful season for the Lola T70s in CanAm racing as McLaren would dominate the following year. The T70 would win only one CanAm race in 1967. The powerful McLaren M6 racers easily overpowered the T70. In retaliation, the T70 IIIB was introduced which improved power and performance. The front was improved to separate the airflow between the bottom and top of the car, thus, minimizing pressure underneath the vehicle. Power came from a 327 small-block Chevrolet engine which was later upgraded to a 350 cubic-inch unit. It would go on to win many international endurance races. One of the most famous of its victories was the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours driven by Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons. The demise of the racer occurred when rule changes that limited the size of the engine made it obsolete. This benefited the Ferrari 312 and Porsche 917 as their F1 engines were appropriate and highly tuned.

By 1968, a new car was needed; Lola introduced the T160 which was lighter and more powerful than its predecessor.

The Lola T70 was important for sports racing for many reasons with the most recognizable being the importance of downforce at a cost of extra drag. The cars won many important victories during the close of the 1960's and have continued in competition to this day, with many racing in historic racing events.

by Dan Vaughan