1969 | Lola T70

Highlights

A unique and authentic T70 MKIIIB built by Lola to celebrate its 50th anniversary

Road-registered in the United Kingdom

Fresh from a comprehensive rebuild to full FIA competition specification undertaken at a cost of almost £50,000

Valid Historic Technical Passport until 2033

An eligible and competitive car with which to contest a plethora of historic motorsport events, from the Le Mans Classic to the Modena Cento Ore

Accompanied by a small spares package, including its original road-oriented leather interior and air-conditioning system

Driven by the late Formula 1 World Champion John Surtees during Lola’s 50th-anniversary celebration event held in the history-steeped marque’s home town of Huntingdon

What is it?

We’ll let you in on a secret. Whenever we’re in the enviable position of being at a circuit when the coolest crop of Group 5 prototypes, those from the late 1960s and early 1970s, are hammering around, there’s always one we’d rather be steering than any of the others: the Lola T70 MKIIIB.

Yup, that’s right. You can keep your Porsche 917s and your Ferrari 512s. The big bruiser from Huntingdon is undoubtedly the design wunderkind Eric Broadley’s most beautiful creation – inside and out. Beneath that wind-cheating waist-height bodywork you’ll find a tough, lightweight aluminium monocoque chassis harnessing a commandingly powerful five-litre Chevrolet V8 engine.

The recipe for the Anglo-American sportscar had been pioneered by Carroll Shelby and his world-beating Cobra. Thanks to Broadley and the knowledge he had gleaned from his involvement in the Ford GT40 programme, the T70 took the game on several lengths further.

Was it successful in period?
Yes, and versatile. Notable results on the T70’s competition résumé include victories in the 1966 Can-Am Challenge Cup, the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours and the subsequent Monza and Spa rounds of the 1969 World Sportscar Championship.

What’s the story with this particular T70?

Chassis number HU76/164 is unique in that it is the only continuation MKIIIB built by Lola to celebrate the marque’s 50th anniversary in 2008. Only seven of these factory continuation cars were built in total, using the original drawings, tooling and moulds to accurately and authentically recreate all aspects of the legendary Group 5 sports-racing prototype. This car differed slightly in that it was originally built to road specification, with a bespoke leather interior and air-conditioning.

In October of 2008, with its dark-green paint barely dried, this MKIIIB was driven by the late Formula 1 World Champion John Surtees during Lola’s Golden anniversary celebration in Huntingdon. Surtees was the driver most closely associated with Lola and was in fact instrumental in the development of the T70 – a car he described as ‘The perfect customer sports car’. Amazingly, thanks to its bespoke road-oriented two-seater interior, Surtees was able to take a passenger for the parade. And he took none other than Lola’s founder Eric Broadley, the pair delighting the crowd of 10,000 enthusiastic onlookers.

In what condition is the car today?
Grade A, having been comprehensively rebuilt, crack-tested and race prepared by Wolfe Engineering. The brief for the renowned specialist, which is coincidentally based in Huntingdon, was to make chassis number historic race ready. That meant removing the road-biased leather interior and air-conditioning (they remain with the car), fitting new ‘lifed’ parts such as the FIA-specification fuel tank and fuel extinguisher, and applying for a new FIA historic technical passport (which remains valid until 3033). Perhaps more importantly, the five-litre Chevrolet V8 engine was completely rebuilt to ‘zero-hour’ condition, along with the Hewland gearbox. Since then, this Lola has only been driven once, and that was for our photography to market the car. As we said: Grade A.

What can I do with it?
There’s a lot you can do with a Lola T70. Both Peter Auto and Masters Historic Racing have wide-ranging and competitive series across Europe for which this MKIIIB is eligible. Though entry is by invitation, Peter Auto’s Classic Endurance Racing (CER) series is crowned by the biennial Le Mans Classic. In the United Kingdom, the Historic Sports Car Club’s Thundersports series encompasses all the nation’s historic circuits. What’s more, being road registered in the United Kingdom, this Lola could be a potential frontrunner in both the Tour Auto and Modena Cento Ore.

What’s it like to drive?
Move past the intimidation that sweeps over you when you clamber inside that low cabin and fire the thunderous engine, and you’ll be rewarded with a remarkably approachable, surprisingly ‘light’ and devastatingly quick car to drive and enjoy – and on the road, to boot.

Sell it to me in a sentence…
It’s a beautiful ‘box-fresh’ Lola T70 MKIIIB with an attached value that defies the diverse spread of prestigious historic motoring events for which it’s eligible, both on the road and the racetrack.

Price Upon Application