1969 Lola T70 Mk3B

This was one of the competitors in the Classic Gold Pre-1974 Le Mans Cars race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's Portugese driver Carlos Barbot's 1969 Lola T70 Mk3B with a 5 litre Chevrolet engine. It seems that it is chassis SL76/136 (a chassis number that was not issued in the 1960s) that was apparently built up in 1984 using parts from Jo Bonnier’s car, SL76/145, which was wrecked in a crash in the 1969 B.O.A.C. 500 race at Brands Hatch. Production of the Lola T70 started in 1965 and over 100 examples were built, usually powered by large American V8 engines, and the cars were more successful in the USA than in Europe, John Surtees and Mark Donohue finishing first and second in the 1966 Can Am Series. They were not so successful in that series in 1967, and in 1968 were replaced by the Lola T160. The cars took part in endurance racing, competing at Le Mans but never making a mark there, although they did manage first and second places in the 1969 Daytona 24 Hour race.

1969 Lola T70 Mk3B

This car competed in the European Sports Prototype Trophy race at the Silverstone Historic Tribute meeting in June 2004 and is seen in the pit lane during a practice session.

It's shown in the programme of the event as Portugese driver Carlos Barbot's 1969 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Mk3B with a 5 litre engine. It seems that it is chassis SL76/136 which is actually a continuation model and was built in 1984. Production of the Lola T70 started in 1965 and over 100 examples were built, usually powered by large American V8 engines, and the cars were more successful in the USA than in Europe, John Surtees and Mark Donohue finishing first and second in the 1966 Can Am Series. They were not so successful in that series in 1967, and in 1968 were replaced by the Lola T160. The cars took part in endurance racing, competing at Le Mans but never making a mark there, although they did manage first and second places in the 1969 Daytona 24 Hour race.

Lola T70

This car took part in the RJB Mining Championship Race at the Historic Sports Car Club's Summer Race Meeting at Oulton Park in July 1995.

It's the 1967 Lola T70 of Richard Dodkins which the programme of the event says has a 5,700cc engine. The Lola T70 was powered by a variety of engines but this seems to suggest that it has the Chevrolet small-block 350 cu in unit, and it appears to be the Lola T70 Mk3, chassis SL73/109, that was offered for sale here by Hemmings. The car is pictured above at Lodge Corner during the race.

Lola T70 Spyder

On 24 April 2016 I showed photographs of a Lola T70 Spyder that took part in the Sports Racing Masters race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2006. Here are photographs of another Lola T70 Spyder that took part in the same race.

It's the 1966 car of Marshall Bailey with what the programme of the event says is a 5.7 litre engine, presumably the 350 cu in V8 Chevrolet engine that was fitted to many of these cars. Next to it are four cars that competed in the BRDC Historic Sports Car Race, the 3.4 litre Jaguar D-Type of Benjamin Eastick, and three Listers that aren't mentioned in the programme of the event. On the extreme left is the Cooper Maserati T51 of Andrew Garner that was driven in the HGPCA Pre-1966 GP Cars Race by Gary Pearson.

Here's Marshall Bailey at Redgate corner during the race.

Lola T70 Spyder

This car took part in the 1960s World Endurance Cars Italy v Rest of the World race at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It's Colin Parry-Williams' car, listed in the programme of the event as a 1965 Lola-Chevrolet T70 Spyder with a 5,700cc engine. It appears to be the ex-John Mecom Racing chassis SL70/13, originally fitted with a 4.7 litre Ford V8 engine. The car later passed through various hands before being bought by Colin Parry-Williams in 1981, being restored and fitted with the Chevrolet engine in 1997.

I showed photographs of two other Lola T70 Spyders on 24 April 2016 and 12 March 2017.

Lola-Aston Martin T70

This car took part in the HSCC Atlantic Computers Historic GT Championship race at the HSCC's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1987.

It's a 1967 Lola-Aston Martin T70, one of two cars built to compete in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hour race, although both cars retired very early in that race. The car was entered in the Oulton Park race by Peter Millward and driven by Mike Wilde.

Here's Mike Wilde at Old Hall Corner during the morning practice session, followed by the 1969 McLaren M8C of Ted Williams.

On 6 October 2015 I showed a photograph of a Lola-Aston Martin T70 at the 1996 Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone, but I don't know if it's the same car as this one, or the sister car.

Lola T70

This car competed in the 1 hour long Historic Motor Racing News Gentlemen Drivers Sports Racing Challenge race at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in August 2005.

It's the 1965 Lola T70 Mk1 driven in the race by Frank Sytner and Simon Hadfield, and a note in the programme of the event says this about the car:

Debuted, unpainted, by David Hobbs at Goodwood in 1965, chassis SLXX/4 was also raced by Monte Shallet and road registered by a later owner. Reimported from the USA by Frank Sytner in 2003, it is probably the earliest T70 still racing. Chevrolet V8 engine packs a big punch in Eric Broadley-designed monocoque chassis.

The car that David Hobbs drove at Goodwood in 1965, though, was that of Harold Young Racing, which was chassis SL70/2. Chassis SL70/4 was returned to the factory soon after delivery to Hugh Dibley and the car was rebuilt using chassis SL70/7. The history of SL70/2 is told in this Bonhams auction offering.

Here's the car during the race at Britten's chicane leading the 1965 Elva Mk8 of David Clark and the 1963 Elva Mk7S of Ivan Scotti.

Lola T70 Spyder

Here's a car that took part in the 1 hour long Sports Racing Masters race at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2006.

It's the 5.7 litre Chevrolet-engined 1964 Lola T70 Spyder shared by Chris Chiles jnr and Paul Ingram. Developed for Can-Am racing, the Lola T70 won the first series in 1966 in the hands of John Surtees.

Here's the car at Redgate corner during the race leading the 1963 Cooper Monaco T49 of Ted Williams & Chris Clarkson.

Lola T70

This car took part in the HSCC Atlantic Computers Historic GT Championship race at the HSCC's Spring Historic Race Meeting at Oulton Park in May 1987.

It's Stuart Graham's 1968 Lola T70 GT, and you can read about the T70 here.

On looking for information about this car I discovered from a short pen-picture of Stuart Graham that he was born the day after I was born. If you read this, Happy Birthday for this Saturday Graham!