Behind Lola is an Englishman: Eric Broadley. Born in 1928 in Bromley, he quickly developed a passion for motor sport. Like other ‘geniuses’ of the time, such as Colin Chapman and the Costin brothers, he modified Austin Sevens to turn them into racing cars. In 1956, his Broadley Special stood out for its performance and became a commercial success. Competing with the Lotus XI, the car, based on a tubular chassis and powered by a Coventry Climax engine, was very high-performing.
Faced with performance levels that were far too high for him and growing demand, he decided to found his own brand, which he named Lola, in reference to the song Whatever Lola Wants. The company was born in 1958 and would go on to produce 35 examples of this Lola Mk1 in four years. Development also involved Formula Junior single-seaters... in Formula 1!

Lola had the wind in its sails. Broadley embarked on a GT project, a closed car powered by a Ford V8, the Lola Mk6. If the car is not very well known, it is mainly because production did not reach the threshold sufficient for it to be entered in GT racing. On the other hand, it caught Ford's eye and would ultimately be the basis for the GT40!
Broadley threw himself into the adventure, but the first version of the GT40 was disappointing, and when Ford entrusted the complete development of the car to Shelby in 1964, he decided to return to his first love with an open car.

The Lola T70!
If the T70 is not best known in the form of a spider, that is exactly how it came into being!
Broadley saw an interesting commercial opportunity in Group 7 cars. Somewhat in the shadows in continental Europe, this class of car is almost unlimited and most of those entered in American and English races do so with tinkered cars equipped with American big blocks packed with horsepower. Along with Chapparal and McLaren, Lola was to build its sports car for these races.

The Lola T70 was launched. Its monocoque structure was a small evolution of that of the Mk6 and used steel for strength and aluminium for lightness. The independent suspension used double wishbones and combined spring-shock absorbers. The only real original feature was the mounting of the front brakes almost ‘inboard’ to allow more air. On top of this, he installed a simple and slim aluminium body, which met the only mandatory criterion of Group 7: an open body. Designed to be sold to various customers, its engine bay was wide enough for them to install American V8s, whether Ford, Chevrolet or Oldsmobile.
The car was ready at the very beginning of 1965 and presented at the Racing Car Show in January. Fifteen Lola T70s were built in 1965 and they quickly made their mark in racing.

The Lola T70 on the track
The car's development driver, John Surtees, was one of the first to take it out on the track. With an Oldsmobile V8 at the back, he was at the start of the Silverstone Senior Service in March 1965 and competed against two other Lola T70s. He achieved the best result, finishing second behind Jim Clark in a Lotus, but was credited with the fastest lap in the race.

Mecom Racing acquired one and, one week after its launch, it was at the start of the Sebring 12 Hours (but did not finish).
Racing in Sports or Free Formula, it accumulates entries in races that could be described as secondary since they are not in the world championship. These races, which enliven weekends without F1 and major endurance events, nevertheless attract renowned drivers.
Thus, in 1965 alone, the Lola T70s saw Surtees, but also Walt Hansgen, David Hobbs, Jackie Stewart, Richard Atwood, Bob Bondurant and Mario Andretti being entered by teams such as Mecom, Surtees and Stirling Moss Racing to reap successes and podium finishes across the USA and England. Although we are a long way from the glamour of the world championship, the new Lola was a success.

The Lola T70 MkII
At the end of 1965, Team Surtees, which was practically the factory team, unveiled an evolution of the Lola T70, simply called the MkII. It was still an open car that could be fitted with American V8s. In fact, the evolution is slight and only concerns the aluminium used in greater quantities in order to reduce the weight of the cars by about 45 kilos. Surtees has also switched to the Chevrolet engine, which will gradually establish itself as the engine of the Lola T70s.
In addition to the previous year's Lola T70s, 33 new cars were entered, again by a variety of teams and again in ‘club’ races. Victories and podium places followed one after the other throughout the season.

Above all, at the end of the year, a new series was created especially for Group 7 cars, with no other category on the track. This was the birth of the Can-Am, with six events scheduled in two months. The Lola T70s will obviously be there with several teams:
Penske, with Chevrolet engines and Donohue at the wheel.
All American Racers, with a Ford engine for Dan Gurney
Mecom with a Ford engine, then Chevrolet with George Follmer
Epstein with a Chevrolet engine for Paul Hawkins
Surtees with a Chevrolet engine for Surtees and Graham Hill

They would face the Chaparral of Phil Hill and Jim Hall and the ‘kiwis’ McLaren and Amon in their McLaren Mk1Bs, both equipped with Chevrolet engines.
Surtees only finished three times, but each time he was the winner, at Mont-Tremblant for the inaugural round and then at Riverside and Spring Valley for the last two rounds. With this result, he won the first Can-Am series title, which was also the first official title for a Lola T70, Dan Gurney having also won the Bridgehampton round and Donohue the Mosport round.

The Lola T70 MkIII arrives
The year 1967 also brought new developments for the Lola T70. But this time things were stepped up a gear with the MkIII. Broadley was actually faced with a dilemma. While Group 7 was enjoying success in the United States with the Can-Am series, in England, racing was banned, mainly because of the growing popularity of this series, which could overshadow F1.

To avoid losing out on opportunities, he therefore created a Lola T70 MkIII that would have several strings to its bow with two distinct versions. The base was modified and the suspension and running gear were revised in relation to the MkII to accommodate wider wheels and bigger brakes. Above all, a new closed body with roof and windscreen is proposed, which is interchangeable with the open body already seen on the two previous versions. The closed version, designed with Tony Southgate and tested in a wind tunnel, considerably reduces drag and the high rear guarantees good stability at high speeds.
Thus equipped, the Lola T70 MkIII can race in Group 6 and, when the 50 cars have been completed, in Group 4. The endurance world championship and its flagship race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, are thus targeted!

Most of the cars are entered with 5.7 litre Chevrolet engines, but it will be a while before they make their mark in the World Endurance Championship, where the Ferrari and Ford MkIVs are still the queens of the track... and where the GT40s, also accepted in Group 4 because of their large production run. The only result that will count towards the championship will be Hawkins and Epstein's 4th place in the Spa 1000 km.
The Lola T70 MKIII will also enable Lola to return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a factory programme! In fact, it is Aston Martin that wants to make a comeback and battle it out with Ford and Ferrari. The brand is developing a new V8 and will rely on Team Surtees to bring this project to fruition. The problem is that the Lola T70 MkIII, with this engine, is restricted to Group 6. What's more, the engine is still in development and the adventure comes to an abrupt end with two retirements at Le Mans, which already spells the end of the programme.

In open version, the Lola T70 MkIII (and the MkII for that matter) continue to animate the American grids, particularly in USRRC where they always shine.
The end of 1967 brings its share of changes on the regulatory side. Thus, for 1968, Group 6 would be limited to just 3 litres, while Group 4, the sports car category, would require 50 cars and a 5-litre limit. However, Broadley negotiated well and the Lola T70s would be able to race in Group 4 despite the fact that this version had not yet been produced in sufficient numbers. Nevertheless, the announcement led to the cancellation of many orders.
Lola stopped developing the T70 in earnest as its replacement, the T160, arrived on the scene and was aiming for the Can-Am championship. In sprint races, the Lola T70 was still competitive. But when it came to the world championship, the 5-litre Chevrolet engine was too unreliable and Lola scored just one small point.

The Lola T70 MkIIIB: ‘this is a revolution’
Despite this somewhat dark transitional year, the T70 came back with a vengeance with the MkIIIB presented at the Racing Car Show in December 1968. The tour de force was enormous.

In fact, this new version is no longer an evolution. The MkIIIB is an all-aluminium monocoque and is not derived from the MkIII but rather from the T160. The bodywork has also been revised to preserve the high-speed stability that made the previous version so popular, while generating more downforce. Made entirely of fibre, it is particularly noticeable with its very low front end featuring four Perspex headlights instead of the previous two. On the engine side, the 5-litre Chevrolet V8 is still used, but it is now fuel-injected and the Hewland gearbox has five gears.
In fact, it is a new car. But Eric Broadley will succeed in arguing his case well enough for the Lola T70 MkIIIB to be seen by the sporting authorities as an evolution of the MkIII. In fact, the number of cars produced is sufficient for the car to be eligible for the Sports category, the number of which has been reduced to 25 cars instead of 50.

With Surtees having switched to Formula 5000, there is no longer really a semi-works team to enter the car, which will make its debut with Penske-Sunoco and Sportscars Unlimited Switzerland at the Daytona 24 Hours. In fact, this first round of the championship ‘only’ featured Porsche 908s (the 917s were not yet approved) and no Ferraris. And it was Donohue and Parsons' Lola T70 MKIIIB Sunoco that won, ahead of Leslie and Motschenbacher's “old” MkIII.
This success was the perfect start to the season and orders poured in! Although the results are not there at Sebring, the Lola T70 MkIIIBs are well represented in the British sports car championship where they are performing well. In the championship, at Brand Hatch, Monza, Spa and the Nürburgring, the new cars are content with places of honour, while the Porsche 908s are unbeatable... until the 917s find the right settings.

Before these races, at the Le Mans 24-hour tests, it was Lola Cars who entered a car for Paul Hawkins, who took a fine 3rd place. Several teams were preparing to tackle the Le Mans classic but the adventure was to be cut short. First of all, Paul Hawkins was killed at the Tourist Trophy. Then Penske, who was due to make the trip, had his equipment stolen. In the end, only the Scuderia Filipinetti car, entered for Bonnier and Gregory, took the start (from a disappointing 11th place) before retiring at 3:15 in the morning following engine failure.
The same car would make up for it by achieving the best result of the year in the championship, during the final round in Austria, when Bonnier and Müller clinched 2nd place, enabling Lola to finish ahead of Ferrari and Matra and take 3rd place in the constructors' championship.
The Lola T70 MkIIIB was not accepted in Can-Am but shone at the end of the year on the South African tour with three victories (including a one-two) and two other podium finishes.

The Lola T70 MkIIIBs were again entered in the world championship in 1970, with the last cars being manufactured in January. But that year, the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 were finally up to speed and Lola stopped development, contenting itself with supplying parts.
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the V.D.S Racing Team entered a car for Pilette and Gosselin, who only started 28th and retired after 10 hours.
A few victories and podium places were recorded in minor races at the end of the year, but also in 1971. The Belgians would try their luck again at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year, but would still not see the finish.
The career of the Lola T70 MkIIIB was then limited to a few national races, particularly in France, but they would not be seen at the top again... until a few years later!

Today, the Lola T70 is enjoying a second, very active life in historic races.
They are the centrepiece of sports car events such as Classic Endurance Racing and the Masters races. Its lines remain an unmistakable signature and it delivers high performance. It is a very popular choice with the fastest drivers.
Our car was delivered new in March 1966 to Phil Scragg in the form of a T70 spider MkII, equipped with a Ford V8 289 cid (4.7 litre) engine. Entered in hill climbs in the British RAC championship, it was an immediate success, winning at Craigantlet in Northern Ireland and at Prescott, Phil winning his class twelve times out of thirteen starts that year.

In 1967, it underwent a profound transformation by Williams and Pritchard, receiving a unique ultralight spider body with profiled wings, as well as modifications to the chassis and suspension by Felday Engineering. In this new configuration, Scragg again dominated his category from 1967 to 1969, accumulating 36 victories in 40 races, with notable successes at Prescott (1967) and Scarborough (1968). In 1970, the car passed into the hands of Tony Harrison, who in turn won several victories, notably at the RAC events at Perton and Blackpool.

Subsequently, it had several owners, including David Preece and Terry Smith, the latter fitting it with a 5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine and a Mk IIIB coupe body in 1986. After being in the possession of French collector Yvan Mahé, it was acquired in 1998 by Dennis Galland, who continues to enter our car in European historic races. It changes hands again in France, and will be fully restored on a new chassis to its current configuration as a Lola T70 MK III, original chassis deliver by side.

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