Lola T280

[Kojima_KE007]

Originally posted by Michael Oliver
Well, apparently, Fox Motorsports have T280 chassis numbers 2 & 5 for sale in this month's Motor Sport. This is a remarkable feat since I understand that it was chassis 2 that Bonnier crashed at Le Mans in 1972, while I have always believed that only four T280s were built... Oh well, I'm prepared to be proved wrong - no doubt Fox can provide a detailed race-by-race history to prove the provenance of the cars they have for sale.

Michael,

That is very interesting.

Fox Motorsports currently owns two T280s, No.02 and No.05 and we have No.03. If they are correct, then the one in Rosso Bianco must be No.04...

[Jeremy Jackson]

The references in LM yearbooks to the ADA 01 being de Cadenet-based are apparently somehat wide of the mark.
It was apparently based on a "1974 Group 6 Lola showcar" (2-litre I think), without any previous race history. It used the side "pontoons" from the Lola chassis, the rest of the monocoque being fabricted by Marchant & Cox.

It was sold to Yugoslavia, may have been the "Lola-Mazda" used in Interserie by Fredy Jerancic (and w-o early in 1989)

Motor Sport has just arrived to-day, so I'll be interested to see the T280 advert...

[Nordic]

All the cars sported Gulf sponsorship, the three liters being probably white (b/w pictures) while, if memory doesn't fail me, the 2 litre was Gulf blue.

Just come across this rather scruffy picture of a Gulf Lola.

"1974 Group 6 Lola showcar" (2-litre I think)

Would such a car have existed? why would lola build a show car?

[fausto]

It's one of the Italian Lola, the track is Monza (main straight chicane), Rondini was the northern Italy Gulf distributor that used to be a motor racing sponsor. Drivers were possibly Ghislotti and Camathias (the father of Joel), I'll check. More, eventually, later....

[fausto]

At Monza in 1977 Pianta and Lella Lombardi drove a T282 Lola, the car pictured doesn't have a snorkel (so it could be a 2 litre), the helmet seems to be Lella Lombardi's though....

[Dan Rear]

Just got my MS. The pictures of the Lolas in the Fox advert don't look like T280s to me. Are we sure they are real 3-litre Lolas, without wishing to doubt what Fox is saying of course...

[Michael Oliver]

Fausto/Nordic

In the 1977 Monza 1000kms, Lombardi/Pianta drove car no 15, described as a Lola T282, so I think here is our answer...

Very few of the DFVs ran a 'snorkel'/airbox apart from the Bonnier car in Austria 72 (maybe Watkins Glen, can't remember) and the same car when it ran in the hands of Daniel Rouveyran in 1973, so I don't think the lack of an airbox would point to it being a 2-litre car.

Here's a point to throw into the ring. Very early on in the thread, Alain Hache said that his notes said the car which appeared at Rouen in Oct 72 (described as the prototype T282 in the Autosport report) could well have carried the chassis number T280/2. This could be interpreted in two ways: firstly that it was an interim car (e.g. with the T280 body but some subtle modifications under the skin, which is what was implied in the AS report) or, secondly, that this was the car's actual chassis number and that it had utilised the chassis number from JoBo's Le Mans car.

The reason I suggest this is that it was quite common in those days because team's needed to have customs carnets to transport cars around, so if they had the carnet for a particular chassis (in this case T280/2 or HU02, whatever you want to call it) they would build a new car but put a chassis plate on to match the paperwork.

Supposing this was true? The car was then shipped to South Africa, where Jean-Louis Lafosse rolled it in practice and damaged it enough to prevent it being repaired for the race at Kyalami. But by all accounts, it doesn't seem like it was that badly damaged and anyway the race report says that it was insured. It was very rare to throw away a car in those days (even it was insured) so I am almost sure it would have been repaird and sold on. Whether or not it was sold on with the same chassis plate as the Kyalami car, given that it had been the subject of an insurance claim is another matter entirely, of course!

Supposing this car was rebuilt during the winter of 1972/1973 and sold to a customer? Reading through the thread again, I note that a second T282 run by Jolly Club appeared at Dijon 73, running a 3-litre Capri V6 engine - could this be the same car? Perhaps it was later refitted with a DFV and is the one which is being advertised by Fox Motorsports in this month's Motor Sport? Might it also be the car that was reported to be in Italy by Kojima_KE007?

The only problem with this theory is that I am sure Alain has told me that T282 HU06 was built in Jan 1973 and that this was the car run by Filipinetti with Gitanes sponsorship on behalf of the works that season. In which case, which car is HU05 (also advertised this month by Fox!)??? The Schulthess car, perhaps?

Also, I have been told (to support something someone said in an earlier post) that the car Blaton owned was T282 HU06, so this would seem to be the ex-works Gitanes car. However, I believe it at one time had a chassis plate saying it was a T286 and it was only when it came to a well-known UK restorer that it was correctly identified and the FIA papers were changed.

I believe a while back in this thread that PHDM suggested that there was a question mark over the other car Blaton owned, which is apparently owned now by someone in France called Ivan Maier/Meyer/Mayer. For obvious reasons I couldn't possibly comment on that statement but I thought I'd bring it to your attention once more.

Apparently, the 'Broman car' (which we believe to be HU01) has been sold the US.

Right, that's my lot - over to you!

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

Just to add a little confusion, and partly answer Dan's query... the car pictured in the MS advert as 05 (i.e the silver one) was raced in some of the 1999 RJB Thundersports(by Chris Fox I think), and entered as... a T284. Which, scarily, would fit Michael's hypothesis above about the Schulthess car!

[Jeremy Jackson]

Here's a photo of said Lola, courtesy Autosport (I think)

[phdm]

Michael,

Originally posted by Michael Oliver

Also, I have been told (to support something someone said in an earlier post) that the car Blaton owned was T282 HU06, so this would seem to be the ex-works Gitanes car. However, I believe it at one time had a chassis plate saying it was a T286 and it was only when it came to a well-known UK restorer that it was correctly identified and the FIA papers were changed.

When entered in the Poulain auction the car was described as a T282.

Originally posted by Michael Oliver

I believe a while back in this thread that PHDM suggested that there was a question mark over the other car Blaton owned, which is apparently owned now by someone in France called Ivan Maier/Meyer/Mayer. For obvious reasons I couldn't possibly comment on that statement but I thought I'd bring it to your attention once more.

The suspect car was indeed T286/7.
I also heard it went to France.
You probably mean Yvan Mahé (www.equipeeurope.com).

[Michael Oliver]

PHDM

Re the T282, yes, I guess the Poulain auction took place after it had been 'reclassified'.

T286/7 - is that the other car entered in the auction? I remember seeing some photos from the auction (perhaps of both cars, even?) that somebody posted but I'm blowed if I can find them anywhere in this thread - any ideas anyone?

I did indeed mean Yvan Mahe - my pathetic phonetic attempt at writing down his name was obviously some way wide of the mark but at least someone understood who I meant!

Can't find any mention of the car on his site, though...

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

The ex-Lapeyre T286 is now racing in HSR events in the USA, as of last year, any thoughts where this came from?

[Michael Oliver]

The ex-Lapeyre T286 is now racing in HSR events in the USA, as of last year, any thoughts where this came from?

Which chassis did Lapeyre drive - HU08 or HU09?

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

I'd given it 08 in my database, ONLY because I felt the need to assign reference nos to these devices (and for no other reason - i.e I've no facts to back up the number assignment!). So I'm willing to be proved wrong.

I guess we'll need another summary soon...

[Michael Oliver]

Jeremy

I know what you mean about needing another summary - I've even confused myself now!

Is there any reason why the Lapeyre car couldn't have been HU07? After all, wasn't it the first T286 to appear, or was it just the first T286 to race at Le Mans?

Michael