In the decades behind us, Lola Cars has been very successful as a manufacturer in almost every branch of motorsport. From the Formula Ford to the Formula 1. Some remarkable facts at a glance.
The first Lola monoposto, the Formula Junior Mk2 saw the light of day in 1960; barely two years later, with the Formula 1 car, Lola could be found in front of the team of Reg Parnell's Bowmaker Racing. John Surtees and Roy Salvadori were the drivers. Surtees was sometimes also active in Lola's second Formula 1 team, the RA300 'Hondola' with which he won the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza in 1967. More such projects followed, such as Graham Hill's Embassy-sponsored team and the American Carl Haas team.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the small British brand was also successful. In 1966, Lola achieved her first success with the victory in the Indy 500. In 1997 they received a comeback in Formula 1 with the support of Mastercard, but that was not a success due to a lack of good sponsorship. The T97 / 30 was not competitive enough and did not qualify at the first race - in Australia. This project almost cost the company the head. The Irish businessman and Le Mans veteran Martin Birraine saved the day and then concentrated on the Sportscars. A right choice, because from the first B98 / 10 and B2K / 40, the Lola MG project, everything yielded the intended result and restored confidence. From 2000, Lola won the LMP2 class five times in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2010 they wanted to return to Formula 1, but that was rejected by the umbrella organization. A list of Lola's most successful racing cars: the Ford GT40 (designed and built by Eric Broadley), the Lola T70 MkIII, the Honda RA300 'Hondola' (a design by Lola), the T332 Formula 5000, the T90 Champ Car. Lola's biggest wins: the victory - with Graham Hill - in the Indy 500 of 1966, the Formula 5000 in the United States in 1974 and 1976, 181 (!) US Champ Cars victories, the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza of 1967 with John Surtees at the helm, the victory in 1969 in the Daytona 24 hour race with Mark Donohue / Chuck Parsons. In addition, Lola has been champion in the CanAm championship in 1966 (John Surtees), 1977 (Patrick Tambay), 1978 (Alan Jones), 1979 (Jacky Ickx), 1980 (Tambay) and 1981 (Geoff Brabham).
At the photo: The Lola T70 Coupé is the most beautiful and successful Lola ever. Up to the present day!