History of a Lola T492 Sports 2000 chassis?

[Tim Barry]

Graham

Think I have an address and phone number for Trevor Stiles. Will look them out tonight and PM you!

[911thillclimber]

Got the address Tim, thank you.
Will see if I can get a number and call it.
Everything crossed.

[Clive Brown]

Now a pukka BDH, as opposed to a common-or-garden 1300 BDA, runs on Lucas mechanical injection. Such a motor uses three fuel pumps:

(i) Low pressure electric, to prime the fuel collector pot.

(ii) High pressure electric, to charge the fuel circuit prior to start up.

(iii) High pressure mechanical, to charge the metering unit once the motor has fired.

(i) and (ii) are likely to have been installed near the fuel tank, and would also have been required for any other motor (such as a 420R) that used Lucas mechanical injection.

This might explain the redundant spare holes in the floor in the fuel tank area.

[911thillclimber]

The Farm that Len and Dennis bought the car from is definitely NOT Trevor Stiles' place as he knows him well today!
So; that is that lead put to bed.

As you say Clive all those pumps are in the Tony H pics behind a removable cover behind the seat.

[Andy Turnock]

Found this advert in one of my 1988 Autosport magazines which confirms that Chris Alford said:-
"He has no recollection of an orange 492 only Golden Yellow that was owned by Doug Moseley in '86 and we know that is not my car as Alan Humberstone had it by then!"
Although Doug is not mentioned in the advert.

[911thillclimber]

Thanks Andy, always good to actually see these adverts/descriptions.
Wish I could see one from the USA advertising the HU 42 car!!

[911thillclimber]

Might have found the name of the man who sold the Lola to Dennis and Len.
Need to check some more details first.
Hopefully a step further to the truth of the chassis number.

[911thillclimber]

The clubmans car sold with the Lola Len thinks was a DRW

Found a picture of one (they were rare then), but was an Imp engined special.

http://www.imps4ever.info/specials/drwarwick/side1.jpg

[Tim Barry]

Graham

Can remember a Jack Murrells racing a DRW in Clubmans in the '70's. Might be worth contacting their club or the 750MC?

[RickT]

If you need any info on DRWs try Roger Lund, he is a marque expert who has done a lot of research on them. I will PM you his details.

Cheers
Richard

[Unit 2 Racing]

Found an entry in the F1200 race for a P Clark in a DRW MkB At Snetterton in July 73 (a race I was also in). Looking at the 750MC Yearbook for 73 this was his only race in 73.

I think this is Peter Clark from Bedford, how race a Centaur Mk14 in 1974.

A DRW Clubmans chassis would be a bit old by 1985 & not easy to sell.

[911thillclimber]

Thank you to you all!
The DRW might lead to confirmation of the seller of the Lola/DRW and the rest.
Len said the Clubmans sold v quickly in 85..

I have a good idea who the seller is now from the Brighton Buildings and have called him before, a long time ago in this search and he said he had no recollection of any Lola he had sold, but 85 was a long time ago esp if you are dealing in race cars I guess.
I have a number for him at his work, so will try to contact him tomorrow if he is there.

At best, if the seller remembers who he got the car from then we are much closer to the conclusion. He may though have simply been storing it and things get foggy.

[911thillclimber]

Time to take a rest and see what other leads I can find!!

Just spoken to a very obliging Chris Alford.
I spoke to Chris about 18 months ago and I'm no further forward.

The seller was not Chris!
Chris did not trade in race cars until about 1988 and was selling BGT's etc in 85.

The only other gent he could think of who may have been selling race cars then was Roger Hurst near Dover, but Roger is dead , so no route there sadly.

Really, really not sure what to do now.

One line not fully explored is the idea it could be a 496 (1300 Cosworth) or a 497 (2 litre Cosworth) and not a 492. My only glance at this is the long range tank and the weather shields on the front lower wishbones which look very factory made/fitted.
I have in the back of my head someone telling me the engine was swapped over and mentioned (I think) one of the nice Cosworth engines, but I may have that wrong because of the Hart engine from Tony D's Skoda.

Finding details of 496/7 is very rare, even Lola and Racecars web sites have almost nothing of the chassis naked.
I think I can get in touch with another USA web site which might un fold something.

Feeling grumpy now, so will rest a while.
Just been quoted £1023 for a set of hillclimb slicks, so VERY grumpy now!

If this 496/7 were the case the whole HU42/USA thing evaporates.
Chris thought this could be a possibility....

Oh dear.

[911thillclimber]

Just had an email from Dennis and he cannot recall the sellers name when he went with Len.

However, just had another email from Roger Lund, expert on the DRW clubman racers.
Would you believe he knows of the car! (DRW) and feels he knows who the seller was!! The car with the Lola has an interesting story too it seems.

He is getting permission to give me a contact number.

[Clive Brown]

Where there any Lola T496/7/8s that originally left Huntingdon with orange bodywork?

Against my idea that the car might not be a T492 is the fact that Den & Len seemed to recall that the car came with a Pinto engine, which would suggest an S2000 car. Have you thought of asking Alan Humberstone if he can recall what motor the car came with?

[911thillclimber]

Yes, that had occurred to me and if the DRW link comes to nothing i will call him. Just 'might' be making a niusence of myself, so a bit wary of this.

Len thought the engine has a Pinto and was 'modified'. I presume this was from conversation with the seller (who he said at the time was not a racing buff) or an advert, but he thought it had twin carbs (ie side draft webers) and or 2.1L.

They paid about £3K for all the cars and bits in 85.

I have no sales records of the 496/7 series of cars but only about 10 or 12 were sold, most to the USA.
I think Lola will tell me when I ask.

[Clive Brown]

If your car went to Alan Humberstone with the engine I think it did, then it was a Pinto fitted with the twin 44(?) downdraft Webers that were homologated (ha!) for the Group 1 (spit!) Mk. 1 RS2000.

Doubtless someone on this Forum will be able to remember the exact model alphanumeric of the carburettors in question.

[911thillclimber]

We might have to wait just a little longer!
The link to the DRW is bearing fruit.
Just had an email about the man who sold the Lola/DRW/FF chassis. He is willing to talk to me and the news 'could be good' (quote)

No number yet but his first name is Paul.

Just maybe on the home stretch of this little adventure?

Len said it had twin carbs but not their orientation.

[Clive Brown]

Originally Posted by 911thillclimber

Len said it had twin carbs but not their orientation.

Not a problem; we don't discriminate on this Forum.

[911thillclimber]

Just somehow I knew that was a bad thing to type before Mrs hillclimber took me to the pub!

[Clive Brown]

Things might really have headed downhill fast had you typed it after Mrs hillclimber took you to the pub....

[911thillclimber]

Thank goodness for the internet.

The contact with DRW specialist Roger Lund has certainly paid off with so much detail, but not (yet) the chassis number, but read on!

Roger had the name and contact of the man who sold the Lola/DRW/FF chassis to Len and Dennis.

I have just had a most pleasant chat with him! Here is what we now know, and it is detailed. I hope Clive and Driftwood have a good clear head on!

The man is Paul Wilkins, a property developer form the Brighton area and he bought the farm, the famous place where Len and Dennis went. He remembers Len's visit well.

On this farm were a set of farm building that he rented to a Pat Hanson, an Aussie who was famous for FF engines.

An English man, Owen Macintosh worked for Pat.

Paul bought the Lola from someone who he cannot (yet) remember, but believes he is dead, died racing or testing an Austin Healey; and this is the story:

The Lola was a Sports 2000 with a Pinto (that Paul still has) and it was in a sorry state, the whole car.
Paul fancied Thundersports so he had Owen rebuild the car with a Pinto with twin down draught webers.

The car was restored and the REAR body was salvaged, and the front replaced with the very last ORANGE front nose from Lola. The rear was sprayed orange to match. He fitted new side pods and the chassis plate was on the car.
The original nose has front side winglets.

Paul somewhere has a before/after picture. When found I can copy it.

The original rear was dark red and the car had something like 'Royal Caribbean Airways' on it, the front was dark red.

(sponsor or race series sponsor??)

I can drive down and have the original front nose (you bet I will have it)

Paul thinks he was given the car's data sheet with gear ratios etc (and could have the chassis number on it too...) with the car and will try to find it.

Good grief, that would be good!

So, what a change in facts for this little car. Paul is obviously a car nut, and I hope will take the time to find the pictures but I do hope that data sheet!


PS
I need that engine number because all the Lolas with engines supplied are numbered against the HU chassis number so that IS KEY!

[RickT]

Hi Graham

Glad Roger was able to help, I thought he might know some of the story if there was a DRW involved !

It sounds like you are almost there with your search now !

Cheers
Richard

[Clive Brown]

Now this all makes rather more sense than the HU42 scenario, but as ever, raises more questions.

(i) I thought Dennis bought a complete car, not just a roller, yet you write that Paul still has the Pinto motor with which the car came to him. The two are mutually exclusive, so which is true?

(ii) When Paul says that the original car was dark red, was that Lola gelcoat red, or had it been sprayed, perhaps to suit the Royal Caribbean sponsorship? If the former, a rescrutiny of the T492 sales ledger would seem appropriate!

(iii)Speaking of Royal Caribbean, that sponsorship should make the car immeasurably easier to trace back through old race reports, timing sheets, and articles in Motor Racing Beano and Dandy.

Is it possible that you/we could be getting there?

[911thillclimber]

Yes, significant progress here.

The original knackerd Pinto is in Paul's barn along side the original nose .
The engine should have a number and i have the list of HU XX and engine numbers.
This would fix the HUXX for sure.

Similarly the data sheet would be good!

interestingly, the data sheet Mike found and sent to me was the data sheet of the Keith Messer car!
This car is now ex hillclimb car/track car known to me.

There are no dark red Lola cars, but lots of red ones!

I need to get down to Paul's to get the front shell and read/take the engine number.

I've Googled the Caribbean words but no leads yet.

Just need Paul to find the paper and let me come down to him soon!