Lola T70 Mk3B

History

Eric Broadley conceived the T70 in 1965 after his bruising GT40 partnership with Ford: a customer sports-racer with an aluminium monocoque, mid-mounted American V8 and prices privateers could reach. The open Spyder won the inaugural 1966 Can-Am title with John Surtees; the closed coupé arrived for 1967 endurance racing, and the Mk3B of 1969 perfected it — revised aero, wider track, better brakes under Peter Jackson's timeless glassfibre shape.

Its headline result came immediately: Penske's Sunoco Mk3B won the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours with Mark Donohue and Chuck Parsons. Against the factory Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s the customer Lola was outgunned over 24 hours, but everywhere else — Interserie, national championships in Britain, Europe and South Africa, non-championship enduros — T70s won constantly through 1971.

Around 100 T70s of all types were built. In historic racing the model became an institution: FIA Masters and Peter Auto grids run rich with them, Lola's drawings supported sanctioned continuation builds, and the V8-plus-Hewland running gear makes it among the most practical big historic sports cars to actually race. Genuine Mk3Bs with period history sit in the low millions and climbing.

Palmarès

Daytona 24 Hours winner 1969; Can-Am champion 1966 (Spyder lineage); wins across Interserie, RAC/British sports car events, Springbok series and European non-championship enduros through 1971; and five decades of front-running historic results — including multiple Le Mans Classic and Spa Classic grid wins.