Lola T70 Spyders

Today, I’m starting the process of trying to sort out the histories of ALL the T70 Spyders.

Although I've been collecting history on T70s for some sixteen years now, there are still some big gaps out there. I’ve spoken to quite a few ex-owners, mechanics etc; and studied contemporary magazine descriptions of the various races to come up with these histories.

One area I'm lacking in is period photos. What photos I had have been kept by my English publisher, Veloce, who, to date and despite repeated requests, have not returned them to me.

Of course, where the cars delivered to the U.S.A. are concerned, we're in the most ignorance; John Mecom, the Lola agent, did not keep records of who the cars were sold to and so "dead" reckoning has been used to work out SOME identities.

In the coming weeks, I intend to put up on this website one car per week (Webmistress permitting!). It may be that some people reading these descriptions will remember something about each particular car and will contact me with their observations. Please feel free to do so. I still think there may be one or two Spyders still languishing out there somewhere....

SL70/1

Sold to J. Burke of Eastleigh, Hants. on March 20th.
Team Lola/Surtees bought the car for John Surtees, Jackie Stewart and Tony Maggs.

SL70/1 was painted in Team Surtees colors, red with longitudinal green stripes. The engine was gradually enlarged with first a 4.5 Traco Oldsmobile then a 4.5 Chevrolet then a 5.9 Traco Chevrolet engine (366 cubic inches). It then raced on March 20th, 1965 at Silverstone.

1965:
20/3: BARC Senior Service 200 at Silverstone. 25 laps. #1.
Practiced 2nd fastest to Jim Clark in a Lotus 30. The race was held in pouring rain and stopped after eighteen laps out of twenty-five. Surtees led after Clark spun but then spun himself and Clark took over the lead again. J. Surtees; 2nd.

01/5: Tourist Trophy, Oulton Park: J. Surtees, #1; DNF. Steering. Red with Green stripe outlined in yellow. Pole.

This car is distinguished by slots in the sides of the bodywork, behind the front wheels in the cockpit area. Only SL70/1, of the 1965 Team Surtees cars, had these features.
15/5: Silverstone: J. Surtees #34; DNF. Lost a wheel.
05/6: Players 200, Mosport: J. Surtees, #11; 1st OA. (Headlights in nose.)
29/6: John Surtees broke the lap record at Silverstone whilst testing with Firestone tires. 1:28.3 (McLaren 1:31.6). 9.20 x 15 Fr, 12 x 15 R wheels.
24/7: Martini Trophy, Silverstone: J. Surtees; DNF.
30/8: Guards International Trophy, Brands Hatch: J. Stewart; 3rd. (Surtees 1st in SL71/16.)
19/9: Mont Tremblant-St. Jovite. Players Quebec race: J. Surtees, #2; 1st. (Headlight covers fitted.)
25/9: Mosport: J. Stewart; Withdrawn from Pepsi 100 after Surtees crash in practice with SL71/16.
30/10: Times G.P. Riverside: J. Stewart, #25; 2nd. Engine blew in consolation race. DNF.

Sold to John Mecom. Ford engine from Hansgen’s car (SL70/6) installed.
According to documentation (“Lola Can-Am and Endurance race cars” D. Friedman, MBI Publishers), the “other” T70 was sold by Team Surtees to John Mecom in November, 1965: “After Walt (Hansgen–Ed) crashed our T70 in Las Vegas, 1965, we spent all day Saturday putting the engine from Walt’s wrecked car (SL70/6–Ed) into the factory car that Jackie Stewart had run at Riverside. MECOM HAD BOUGHT THE CAR FROM TEAM SURTEES AFTER THE RIVERSIDE RACE.”

14/11: Stardust G.P. Las Vegas: W. Hansgen; 2nd.

Engine removed. Car stayed at Mecom’s shop in 1966.

1966:
November: Sold to John Poland.
12/1/67: George Squire, Poland’s mechanic, drove to Mecom’s shop in Dallas, where he picked the car up. The next day, he fitted an ex-Penske new Traco-Chevrolet engine. He remembered the car was a dull red.

George said that the T70 was not a new car, did not appear to have been raced much but was described to him by Mecom’s people as “an experimental car used by John Surtees”.

When George installed the Traco Chevrolet engine (that came from Roger Penske Racing in 11/66), he commented that the oil and fuel lines seemed to show that the car had previously had several different engine installations. He further noted that the car had twin radiators and a spare wheel in the nose, a definite Mark I fitting as, by the Mark II, a single radiator was used, mounted in a nose box attached to the chassis and the spare wheel was deleted. George further stated that bladder (bag) tanks were in the car, a Mark II spec. (but most Mark Is probably had them retrospectively fitted, as the original steel tanks leaked). George also stated that the tub was: “partially steel” and that the chassis plate stated: “Mark IIB”, although he cannot now remember the actual chassis number.

21/5: USRRC Bridgehampton: J. Poland; DNF. (Oil cooler.)
August: Advertised in “Competition Press” as: “Ex-Surtees, only two races in U.S., fitted with Mk. II rear suspension.”
December: Sold to Bob Leitzinger of College, PA/New York. He remembered it as being: “pretty beaten up”.

1968: Sold to Tom Shorall, an attorney in Pittsburgh.
1968/9: Raced by Dave Wolin of Buffalo for Tom Shorall. He was always told that the car was “chassis #1”.

Wolin: “I am sure it was identified as chassis #1 on the ID plate;
my friends were impressed with that” and: “John Poland offered me the car in 1967. The following year or so (1968), he offered it to me again, less motor, as he apparently had scared himself in it. So I bought this poorly repaired T70 for $2500 of Tom Shorall’s money, I think.”

Harewood Hills: D. Wolin; 1st.

1969: Sold to and raced by John Krause who raced the car with a big block engine (Chevy XL1) installed. It was painted gold at this time.
1977: Sold to Larry Elting of Columbus, Ohio, with minor frontal crash damage.
1981: Sold to Chuck Haines.
1983: Sold to Dave Hankin of California, U.S.A. Original Mk. I tub.
The car had a Mark II rear suspension plus a 366 cubic inch fuel injected Chevrolet engine. It also had a cooling slot behind each front wheel, which was only seen on the Team Surtees cars (and SL70/2!).
Armstrong dampers fitted in June 1965, which were made to special order for Team Surtees. (Confirming letter from Armstrong with the documentation with the car.)
2004: Sold to Brad Kraus.
2005: Restored by Hudson Historics.
2006: Feb. HSR Sebring.
2006: April: To Europe for sale. FIA papers.
2007: Sold to present owner.