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1965 Lola T70 MKI

Roadster
Chassis number: SL-70-09

This Lola T-70 MKI features a monocoque chassis. It was raced by owner John 'Buck' Fulp at:

6/27/1965 Watkins Glen, Qualified 5th - DNF Trans broke while in 2nd place.

9/19/1965 Bridgehampton Double 500, qualified second, ran on high as second behind Hap Sharp (Chaparral) before the steering came loose, the car bumped the wall entering the pits. Walt Haragen was waiting to take over the car to gain points after his T-70 failed.

12/3/1965 Nassau Governors Trophy two races, DNF

This car has been owned by David Pozzi since 1974. It has been restored and vintage Raced by David Pozzi since 1978.

Roadster
Chassis number: SL70/15

This Lola T70, chassis number SL70/15, is currently owned by Brian Johnson, the lead singer of AC/DC. It is the last MK. I built.

The car was delivered on August 12th of 1965 to Haskell Wexler of Haskell Automotive in Hollywood, California. It came equipped with a Ford 289 cubic-inch engine and two gearboxes - LG500-15 and LG500-16. The lead driver was Ronnie Bucknum who was also a factory Ford driver in the GT40 program. When Bucknum was unable to drive, those duties were handled by Davey Jordan.

The car, finished in medium blue and white, was sponsored by Russkit, a maker of slot cars at the time. Unique features to this car include knock-off wheels from Schroder, which are still fitted to the car.

It was hoped the car would be ready to race at the 1965 Monterey Grand Prix at Laguna Seca, CA, but it would have to wait as the car was not ready in time. The next race was at the LA Times GP at Riverside, but unfortunately mechanical problems resulted in a non-start. So its first official start was at the next race, at Las Vegas on the Stardust Raceway where Bucknum finished 4th.

The car competed during the 1966 season, but was often plagued by problems. The only recorded finish for the team was at the Laguna Seca USRRC event where Davey Jordan finished 4th. During the 1966 season, the car was repainted white and fitted with a MK.III style nose but without the headlamps.

After the 1966 season, the car was put up for sale and purchased by Brian O'Neil of American Racing Motors. O'Neil had back-to-back second place finishes at Fernandina and Savannah, and a victory at West Palm Beach and Osceola during 1967.

The car was later sold to Bob Bondurant for use as a camera car in the film 'Winning' starring Paul Newman. After the film, the car went to William Fuller who raced the car in minor SCCA events during the 1971, 1972, and 1973 season.

The next recorded owner was Dr. Gilles St. Pierre of Quebec, Canada, who sold the car on to Curtis Jackson of Atlanta, GA in September of 1987 as a coupe. During this time period, the car may have been used as a road car.

In 1998, the car was sold to Skip Shattuck with the coupe body still installed. Skip removed the coupe body, purchased a new set of bodywork from the original suppliers in England and stayed in this condition until recently sold to its present owner, Brian Johnson. The car, at the time, was a chassis with new bodywork in white gel coat and the suspension, brakes and most other mechanical components in boxes.

The car was given a complete restoration and now competing at many historic races and circuits throughout Europe and the United States.

Powering the car is a period Ford 341 cubic-inch engine and tuned to produce in excess of 640 horsepower. There is an original LG500 4-speed gearbox.

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