Lola T280

[phdm]

In other words it is the car of Yvan Mahé.

[Michael Oliver]

Originally Posted by Chris Fox

I know this post is a bit late!
But I have some more info on the T280 chassis saga.
Is there any one out there?
We have T280-5 which was supplied to the Bonnier team after La Fosse crashed the car (280-2) at Kyalami. However the car was not badly damaged acording to an eyewitness.
So it is logical to assume that Bonnier died in 280-1, however I know someone in the states who claims he has that car!
As far as the Blaton cars, he had chassis 282-6 ex La Fosse and another car which was a total replica, built up as a spare car, and the chassis plate with the no 286-7 as shown in the photo's is not an original Lola (1972) plate.
I have some more information but I need to check it out with some of the old workers at the factory in 1972.

Hi Chris

I think from our work analysing the roll-hoops of the two works 72 cars, we have concluded that Bonnier definitely died in HU02. So it is entirely possible that your gent in the US claiming to have HU01 does indeed have that car, e.g. ex-Rouveyran/Broman (see the rather long, drawn-out analysis of our research on Allen's site!).

I think also that the car crashed by Lafosse in Kyalami was HU05 but that is may have carried the HU02 chassis plate (for carnet purposes). Do you know if it was repaired post-Kyalami or if the tub was too badly damaged and just replaced?

Cheers

Michael Oliver

[Michael Oliver]

Originally Posted by Alain HACHE

hello
about Y Mahé car I did'nt see chassis plate but Y van show me FIA agrement to race with all technicals infos , so I confirm chassis number T280 / 4 HU02 .This car was not by LOLA factory builded but in H Mader factory for H Schultess .I own pictures of LM 1974 the car was #28 ,the roll over hoop bar seem to bee exactly the same than Y Mahé car ....
About C Fox car maybe its a replica ? chassis T280 HU02 was destroyed after Jo Bonnier accident ....
IMPOSSIBLE TO ME TO ATTACH PICTURES !!!

Hi Alain

In view of what Chris Fox has said about this car being a 'total replica' and phdm's last two posts, what do you think about this? It cannot be T280/4 HU02! It certainly looks like the replica built for Blaton in the photo on the Equipe Europe site...

BTW, nice work phdm. I'm sure I looked before and couldn't find a photo or mention of the car!

Regards

Michael

[Chris Fox]

The car in Equipe Europe is definitely the Blaton replica, chassis 286-7 is I think the Burt Skidmore car.
Also the 286 is quite different to the 280 and 282.

I think that 280-2 was the car which went to Kyalami because the chassis register (factory) records that 280-5 "used to rebuild chassis 280/2" and although there is no date the timing fits for it to be late in the year.
Frank Sytner told me that he was one of the first on the scene of the LaFosse accident at Kyalami, and that although LaFosse was taken to hospital the car was only lightly damaged and was in fact towed back to the pits on its wheels which suggests light damage certainly not a write off as implied in Autosport.
So perhaps this was a ins claim! it is a fact that the team was struggling for money. Heine won't talk about the incident so it is hard to be certain.
My sources from Lola at the time confirm that 280-5 was the first car to have a factory symmetrical roll hoop as per the later 282.
However the photo of the cars in the race at LeMans shows full roll hoops, however they are not the the same shape as the factory 280-5 and subsequent 282.

The bonnier team also had a very large stock of parts which included several new chassis, so they could easily have repaired the bonnier crash car or just have switched plates, there is no way the chassis plate would have been left with the wreck.
Mechanics who worked for the team say that the car would have been cannibalized for all parts which were usable.
Heine says that the car was not touched and that it had the smell of death, his words.
I have also spoken with Reine Wissel recently about that time and he cannot remember which chassis were which.

The chassis register confirms that 280-3 went to Japan and has always been there.
And that 280-4 was delivered to Gaspar and this car is the car which is in the Rosso Bianco collection, not sure what happened in between!
There is also one other thing to upset the apple cart my factory sources tell me that there were two new cars delivered to Gaspar! sorry guys.

So where does this leave us?

Chris.

[phdm]

If you want to see the car of Y Mahé, you can check the www.orwell-supersportscup.com/Ossc_uk.htm website.
Click on Photos and go to "Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix 2004
06.-08.08.2004".
The car is n° 91.
Bodywork is not the same as when owned by Blaton.
The car was also raced in the 2004 Le Mans Classic race in th esame confuguration.

phdm

[Chris Fox]

You are right this is not the same body as used by Blaton.

But the body's are interchangable (and available) and it looks like the Blaton roll hoop, which was extended for safety.
You can see a picture of one the Blaton chassis on our web pages:-

http://homepage.mac.com/foxmotorsport/PhotoAlbum19.html

I remember the team having at one point a 290 chassis which was converted by Heine Mader to DFV.
This car was advertised in Autosport 5 ish years ago as a T280, I went to see the car at Empress racing.
It was in a very original condition but definatly not a 280, also the chassis plate was an original Lola plate which had been stamped by Mader, So it was not unusual for Lola to give plates to Mader!

CF

[Michael Oliver]

Originally Posted by Chris Fox

There is also one other thing to upset the apple cart my factory sources tell me that there were two new cars delivered to Gaspar! sorry guys.

So where does this leave us?

Chris.

Maybe they are getting confused with the following year, when Gaspar bought two 2-litre cars? This would not be the first time, as a while back they told me that they sold a blue T286 to a guy who used in in the European Hillclimb Championship, and it turned out to be a 2-litre car!

[fausto]

Hello all!

These days I'm finally going through some Autosprint magazines, so I'll take the opportunity to look for infos about the Italian Lola T28xs.

However, if someone is interested, I can scan the pictures I find, since they are subject to copyright I cannot post them, but I think it's possible for me to send to everyone may need them.

So please let me know by e-mail via 10/10ths......

[Alain HACHE]

hello to everybody on this thread ,
really a strange story for the Lola T280.....
During hollidays I read again all this forum , many things seem to be clear , but also so many unclear : If we start again from the source HU01, HU02 ,03,04 are 90% right ; T280/2 or T282 HU 05 need to be objectively
investigate , that's a first question . Second question is :from T282 HU06 out from Lola factory the 04 January 1973 to HU 07 at the 11 March 1976 no car was builded , but a T284 or T280/4 enterred many races since 24 March 1974.From where came this car ?
Chris , about the T290 with DFV engine I heard some things like a chassis number HU 001 . Do you Agree ?
Fausto : A very usefull picture is the winning car of Monza 1000 kms 1979 do you own one ?
to everybody my e-mail is : AHACHE@wanadoo.fr

CORDIALES SALUTATIONS A TOUS
Alain

[Chris Fox]

Alain,

I can't remember, but i don't think it was 290-001.
I took some pictures of the 290 DFV which i think included the chassis plate, i will try to find them.

Chris

[Alain HACHE]

thanks Chris for answer,
an other T290 with Ford engine was entered at 1973 Dijon 1000kms but that was an Capri 6 cylinder....( Autosprint #17 of April 1973 ) ....Perhaps a source of confusion for T280 and T290 story.....
best regards
Alain

[mshalett]

I bought the Lola T280 from Sweden in 1989, IIRC with two DFV's and the dry break refuelling rig and lots of spares.

At the time, I was satisfied that Ulf Boman (not Broman) was in possession of chassis 1. It was well before anyone had any interest in the Lola's or knew what they were. As I had purchased Mike Kettlewell's entire collection of Autosport, I was able to research it and decided to buy the car.

Ulf said, IIRC, that he bought the car from Heine Mader. I don't recall any history post-Ecurie Bonnier being discussed except his vintage stints (one of which convinced him the car was too much for him), only the race history of the car during its Bonnier Team history. I do recall that HU2 was supposedly in the possession (what remained of it) of Jo's wife.

Monte

[Alain HACHE]

hello mshalett
Post Bonnier team users was M Casoni, D Rouveyran , M Degoumois,J Belin, P Behard and some others . Did H Mader rent the car to this drivers ? I don't know.....
Its sure that this chassis was in the entry list of LM 1975 with # 8 . F Migault was approched to drive the car .
HU 02 is the crashed car in Jo Bo's accident and supposed destroy .
best regards
Alain
AHACHE@wanadoo.fr

[driftwood]

Mr Hallett
do u still own the t280 car apologies if ive missed the plot here what is the #

[Wolfgang]

Originally Posted by coyotes

Hello !
We just saw that you were talking about LM Classic. Here are the Lola's chassis numbers we've got, we do have some pictures of the chassis plates... (One of them has been removed by the owner as he does not want it to be stolen)
Grid - Race Number - Type - year - Chassis number
6 15 LOLA T290 1972 HU 22
6 24 LOLA T292 1973 HU 54
6 30 LOLA T286 1976 HU 286-7
6 33 LOLA T296 1974 FIA 78 01
6 38 LOLA T290 1972 HU 17
6 53 LOLA T294 1974 HU 66
6 57 LOLA T280 1972 ??
6 61 LOLA T290 1972 ??
6 62 LOLA T294 1974 HU 70
You'll notice that, for a meeting supposed to accept only historic cars, one of them was a complete recreation builded in... 2004!

6 61 LOLA T290 1972 ??

I race the car in Le mans Classic 2004, the cassis-number ist HU 002