Lola T280

[Michael Oliver]

Hi Alain

I have found several new photos of the Takahara car and two more of the Gaspar car, also spoken to Jeremy Lord re his car that he raced in 1974 in the UK. He sold this in mid- to late-1976 to a guy who raced in the Interserie. This may or may not be Jorg Zaborowski, who appeared in the Mainz-Finthen round of the Interserie in October 1976 and, IIRC, finished 10th.

I have been discussing this with Jeremy Jackson and we have a feeling that this car was HU03, which appears to have returned to Ecurie Bonnier (who were European Lola agents at the time) from Gaspar (either directly or via Takahara for 3 races in Japan - not sure at present) for the 1973 season.

We think that Rouveyran bought HU01, also from Ecurie Bonnier (e.g. the de Fierlandt/Larousse 72 Le Mans car) early in 1973 but are not sure exactly where it went from there. Rouveyran died in July 1973 and the next time a T280 turns up in international competition (apart from the Lord car) was 06/04/75 Dijon 1000kms and this was the car of Michel Degoumois/Jean Belin. As we know Lord still owned his car, this suggests it must have been HU01, unless there was an HU04... In the Autosport report of the race, it was described as 'tatty' which might be a good description of a car which had been in storage for 18 months to two years!

Do you have any way of contacting Rouveyran's family? The only people of that name I can find run Rouveyran's Tyres which sounds right as I know that Daniel R. was a garage proprietor. It would be really interesting to know what happened to the Lola after he died. Maybe Francois Migault might know, as he appears to have known Rouveyran, as he drove his March 721G in late 72 and then co-drove with him at Dijon in 73. Does anybody know how to contact him?

Any comments?

Cheers

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

Michael, having just read your correspondence with Peter Morley on TNF... it wouls seem we might have a convergence of paths with this particular chassis.

I'll try and be patient to see if Zabrowski and/or Malcolm Johnstone can be found to shed any light on this.

[Alain HACHE]

HELLO MICHAEL
Interessants options you sended.
This week end I had an meeting with G Larousse in the Le Mans Story event.
The man is not easy to dialogue but I could get some littles things : He never seen more than 2 T280 in Bonnier
team during sportscar championship 72 and the 2 cars had many kms when they raced Le Mans . Bonnier would order a third car but , G Larousse don't know if he could before LM fatal accident . Bonnier's wife decide to continue team and the car winner of Paris 1000 Kms was new and without practice before the race....After he let the team to Matra and he only think that the car HU01 and T280/2 contested 73 championship. He remember that the car was very fast and easy to drive " we turned arroud Ferrari and Alfa in Buenos Aires but gearboxes was fragiles . In Le Mans on the Hunaudières our cars was very faster than Matra etc....
I could not get more infos and the man is gone.......
I wait pictures if you can send me
all the best
Alain

[Alain HACHE]

I will try to contact again D Rouveyran nephew to get more infos . And will inform you soon after OK ?

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Alain HACHE
I will try to contact again D Rouveyran nephew to get more infos . And will inform you soon after OK ?

Hi Alain

Sounds like you have been busy. Mr Larousse probably finds it difficult to remember individual cars - that is something that affects most drivers After all, I suppose it was a long time ago... Good luck with Rouveyran's nephew.

In the meantime, I will email you some pics of the Takahara car. The Lord car was advertised for sale (no chassis number mentioned in the ad unfortunately ) in Autosport 07/10/76, and Jorg Zaborowski drove a Lola T280 for the first time in Mainz-Finthen Interserie round 24/10/76 - seems like too much of a co-incidence, so likely he is the guy who bought the car...

Best regards

Michael Oliver

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Jeremy Jackson
Michael, having just read your correspondence with Peter Morley on TNF... it wouls seem we might have a convergence of paths with this particular chassis.

I'll try and be patient to see if Zabrowski and/or Malcolm Johnstone can be found to shed any light on this.

Jeremy

Indeed, it seems too much of a coincidence, doesn't it? Talk about incredible timing too, with Peter's posting... I'll continue to try and track down Johnstone, although I suspect Zaborowski might be a tad more difficult...

Cheers

Michael

[Alain HACHE]

Michael
I just reed on an other forum that Jean Blaton was owner
of the T280 Bonnier / Switzerland . If thats right what
that for a good news to follow the story but I think the
man make a mistake . In the end of 2000 Jean Bla-
ton "BEURLYS" sold in bid gallery LE POULAIN in Paris an
T282 car ( sn T282/6 ) builded in 1973 .
Maybe the man confuse the cars ? Or did J Blaton owned
two cars ?
nice evenning
Alain

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Alain HACHE
Michael
I just reed on an other forum that Jean Blaton was owner
of the T280 Bonnier / Switzerland . If thats right what
that for a good news to follow the story but I think the
man make a mistake . In the end of 2000 Jean Bla-
ton "BEURLYS" sold in bid gallery LE POULAIN in Paris an
T282 car ( sn T282/6 ) builded in 1973 .
Maybe the man confuse the cars ? Or did J Blaton owned
two cars ?
nice evenning
Alain

Hi Alain

Which forum was this - an English or French one? I don't see how this could be possible, unless it was the surviving 72 Le Mans car that Blaton bought, maybe after Rouveyran died, or after it had finished racing in 75/76 (e.g. Degoumois/Belin, Cuynet/Belin etc.)?

On another forum, a friend of mine mentioned that he remembered having seen what he was told was one of the 'Swiss Cheese' Lolas being prepared by Willie Widar in Belgium, and he thought it might then have gone to Jean Blaton. Certainly he remembered that it was yellow but I don't know if he was sure that it was a T280 or not.

I guess that it is likely to be a T282 as you said, particularly if this is what Blaton sold a few years ago. I know someone who knows Blaton, so I guess it might be worth trying to find out for sure?

Cheers

Michael

[Dan Rear]

Slightly OT, but what about the 1975 Gp6 Lolas, the T380 and T390. Are any still left ?

I know de Cadenet had a T380 that raced at Le Mans in 75 & 76, before it got transformed into the "de Cadenet LM". I recall Edwards and Martin Raymond had T390s in '75, whatever became of them.

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Dan Rear
Slightly OT, but what about the 1975 Gp6 Lolas, the T380 and T390. Are any still left ?

I know de Cadenet had a T380 that raced at Le Mans in 75 & 76, before it got transformed into the "de Cadenet LM". I recall Edwards and Martin Raymond had T390s in '75, whatever became of them.

Hi Dan

Yes, that's a good point. I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with these cars - was the T380 a 3-litre and the T390 a 2-litre? The original Duckhams Special campaigned by Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft was also in some way Lola-derived, IIRC, although it used some running gear from a Brabham BT33. Also, Gordon Murray was involved somehow as the designer...

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

Dan,

There weren't a lot of T390s built, estimates are between 2 and 5! I certainly haven't seen any for years. de Cadenet's 75-77 T380 was sold for 1978, and that was the car that Martin Raymond drove occasionally in Fisons colours. Raymond did drive a T390, at Spa in 1975 (although Autosport called it a T294), but after struggling with it at Silverstone and this Spa race, it seems he reverted to his trusty Chevron.

I think the T390 was generally dumped by it's users. The collapse of the European 2-litre championship after 2 races in 1975 didn't help sales, I suppose.

Apaprt from de Cadenet's T380, the only other one I knew about was a Jolly Club chassis (quoted as HU2 by Autosport) used at the 1975 Nurburgring 1000ks.

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy/Michael

Re the 75 Lolas, I think you're right they seemed to be dumped fairly early. I think a chap called Richard Bond raced presumably the ex de Cad DFV car in British 1000Ks races in the late 70s, when Gp6 were allowed to enter Gp5 races, was John Cooper also involved here? The later De Cadenet car raced in these aswell occasionally IIRC. Who built that.

I think a German called Roland Binder raced one of the 2 litres in Germany/Interseries later in the 70s, or am I getting this car mixed up with the F2 T450 he also had, another 70s Lola 'cock-up' !!

Dan

[Jeremy Jackson]

Bond only drive the 75-76 Lola once or twice, as far as my records tell me, in an Interserie race, although he would ghave raced it at LM in 1977, if it had qualified.

The 77 de Cadenet was raced by John Cooper/Pete Lovett in 78/79, and by Richard Jones & Nick Faure in 1980

Binder did indeed race a T390, during 1979-80. Since it wasn't great when it was new, he was a hero (or crazy?)to be wrestling with one 4-5 years later!

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy

Agreed re Roland Binder, and twice so for taking on a T450, though he did that in the year when it should have been at its best (!)76. I presume it was an ex-ATS car. I also remember Adrian Russell had one of these things, ex-Mallock I think.

[Nordic]

[
The 77 de Cadenet was raced by John Cooper/Pete Lovett in 78/79, and by Richard Jones & Nick Faure in 1980


There is a member on this fourm called GFM who may be able to help. He was a driver on the team that run a De Cadenet.