► Lola returns
► Road car and race car shown
► Well under 1000kg…
The legendary Lola T70 racing car has been revived for the road with a 500bhp Chevrolet V8 engine and bodywork made from 100% natural fibres. There’s also a lighter, faster 530bhp competition version that’s eligible for Historic racing. Both versions weigh well under 1000kg, so performance is… significant.
What’s the Lola T70, then?
One of the most successful mid-engined sports racing cars of the 1960s. It first raced – and won – in 1965, becoming the car to beat in the bonkers Can-Am series. Dozens of wins and several championships followed, but it was the final Mk.IIIB coupe version that made the T70 iconic.
The big departure is in the type of composite used to make the body. Dubbed Lola Natural Composite System (LNCS), the fibre element is taken from agricultural waste and basalt rock, while the resin is plant-based. Lola claims LNCS is stronger than glassfibre reinforced polyester (GRP) and reduces noise, vibration and harshness. CO2 emissions from production are massively, reduced as well.
What’s performance like?
Huge. The road-going T70S GT is powered by a 6.2-litre Chevy V8 producing 500hp driving the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox that can be switched between H-pattern and sequential shifting. With a mere 890kg to shift, it catapults from 0-62mph in just 2.9 seconds, and 0-124mph in 9.3 seconds, before reaching 200mph flat-out. Without traction control or anti-lock brakes, even power steering.
The racing T70S is even faster. To comply with FIA regs it has a period-correct 5.0-litre Chevy V8 producing 530bhp, connected to an equally period five-speed Hewland LG 600 gearbox. Without the GT’s aircon, it weighs 860kg. That translates to 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds – the same as a current Porsche 911 Turbo S – 0-124mph in 8.9 seconds and 203mph.