The insperation for the Ford G.T.

related video

Thanks Reaper.

Great video, beautiful car.
Thanks for posting it.

Hum? This Lola really isn't the inspiration for the GT40, it is the GT40, 1.0.

I suppose a lot of this is just semantics? It certainly isn't the GT40 that won at LeMans. It certainly isn't the Mark II or the 427 Mark II-B?

For that matter when John Wyer took over the program in 1968, installed a Boss 302 and went winning again, you couldn't call it a Ford.

It became a Gulf?

Anyway, which came first? The chicken or the egg?

This LOLA is the great great Gran Daddy at least philosophically of a lot of other cars like the Pantera.

The literal definition of the word pedigree, is something or someone that has a know family tree. A tree of success after success. Not one like mine that I hang a tire on a rope from. A real family story of accomplishment.

At least I know what a pedigree is? At least that is something.

It is very satisfying that it survives and survives well. Gratifying for me to see that.

It all really started there with this Lola and there in lies a tale.

In race trim

The inspiration for the GT Ford was a Pantera powered by a V6 Dogde turbo engine. Shelby drives with it 30 years ago ...

I think Peter is pulling our leg. You know how the germans (of which I am one) are famous for their sense of humor.


Here is some real, first-hand information on the Lola Mk6 GT shown in the The Reaper's video - check the picture at 6:20 taken at Yeovil Road, with John Wyer....

From John Horsman:

quote:

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the info on the Lola Mk6.

That picture was taken in 1963. JW and Eric Broadley outside the Yeovil Rd premises with the Lola Mk6 — why, I don’t know!

I recall seeing it in a corner, in pieces, as though it was going to the junk yard, when I first arrived at FAV (Ford Advanced Vehicles) in June of 1964. But then Jerry Grant stepped in and bought it, which is just as well as he has done a great job in restoring it.

Regards,

JHH.

I still want to know who was the secretary peeking out of the window in the background! She appears to be quite well-endowed!

John didn't mention her!

He needs more practice to keep up with me I think?

What amazes me about this car is how different in appearance the final version was.

It's influence even to this day is remarkable and still seems to be the "target" of many?

It is very difficult not to define the concept as genious?

Lola influence was also in the MK4 GT40

T70, big block

And definitely the precursor for the Lola T70 Mk3 GT like my racer, here at Laguna Seca in 1972.........

And here for sale in France in 2009...........

WOW! Very nice. What is the size of the Chevy motor? Car is beautiful. Racing it must have been exceptional.

The 1967 FIA mandated 5 liters for GT cars was achieved by sleeving a Chevy 327 block down to 305 c.i.
With Webers, a wild cam, those big/swoopy/chromed/LOUD headers, and a Hewland transaxle twisting those big sticky Goodyears, racing it was an absolute BLAST!...

I was hoping for that shot.

What a beauty!

I knew someone who was driving one on the street here. Must have been about 1982 or so? It was a 350 but on the street, run what you want to?

Lola's are very cool cars. Mid engine cars are one time when you do want the distributor in the back of the engine.

Lola T70's do not have a great cabin. The GT40 is better.


I don't know about sleeving down the bore of a sb, but a 302 is a 327 with a 283 crank. You are allowed a .030 overbore by the rules. It's a Z28 engine basically.

I was never that sure on the motor's internals, but I knew that it was a 327 block because we were always ready to pull motor parts off of our '62 327 Chevy station wagon tow vehicle if/when needed to compete.
Drag racer Eddie Hill had a street T70 which ironically was driven by the late Ed Leslie at Daytona and Sebring, who also drove my T70 in the 1968 Laguna Seca, Riverside and Las Vegas Can-Ams.
Eddie's Lola was also one of the T70s used/wrecked during the filming of the movie THX 1138...........

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/...x-1138-real-or-fake/

I have driven GT40s as well and I have to agree with you on the cabin appointments.
I took this shot of Bob Bondurant's GT40 while visiting his Chandler museum and it clearly shows the carefully finished arraingnment of the gauges and switches on the dash...........

Whereas The T70 interior seems to be more racing purposeful and raw by comparison, and note the "horny" button in it's arraingnment at bottom right!
I have cherished/irreplaceable memories of driving both marques, and they were my primary reasons for acquiring my Pantera when I sold my last racer in 1976

Great pics.

One of the great things is that SEEMINGLY Chevy parts are Chevy parts.

The GT40 engine parts are all "special" versions of the 289hp.

I do know a story of a private 289 Cobra racer that had a 66 GT350H. He blew the Cobra engine in practice and pulled the Hertz cars engine out and ran that in the race.

This was in 66 and the Shelby was rented from Hertz. Hertz was none the wiser.

This is an "old" story. I think it comes from Rick Kopec and I think it was about Mel Wentzel's 289 comp car?

They definitely had put a trailer hitch on that car and were towing the Cobra with it.

GT40 castings are beefed up. Heads have revised ports.



Both the Lola and the GT40 present a lot of "vision" problems when running them on the street.

Throw the rear view mirrors away. "What is behind you is not important!".

Kelly, were you at Laguna Seca in the mid-'70s? Judy and I saw one dark green T-70 coupe lose a halfshaft & wind up on its roof in turn 1, one year....Sad sight for such a beautiful car.

I raced, but never rolled mine at Laguna Seca, and sold it in early 1973 to a racer in San Diego, and
the accident free history of #SL73/111 has been really well documented since then.
I'm really glad that it's still an active/beautiful racer instead of a static museum piece.

Ron...........

quote:

!Q.jpg (91 Kb, 4 downloads) Lola Laguna Seca

Most beautiful car in the world...