strange lola

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strange lola

Postby aboutco » Tue Nov 07, 2006 12:08 pm

can anybody help please? I have been offered a pile of parts, a spaceframe chassis with a body sitting on top of it . I am told it is a ff2000 lola.
The chassis is made up of square section tubes-is this correct and where should I look for a chassis identification?. The bodywork looks very similar to a photo i found on www.f3history.co.uk of a 1973 t360 with a sharp nose and side scoopes-would this have been a spaceframe model?
would anyone be so kind as to suggest what this strange mixture might be? Any comment would be most appreciated.
Many thanks and rgds to all.
Marc Burns-Italy[/b]
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Postby Gerald Swan » Tue Nov 07, 2006 10:56 pm

Hello Marc, what an excellent site that f3history is, I wonder who the hard working webmaster is..... wait a minute that would be me :lol:.

In answer to your question, the T360 never appeared in that design shown in the photograph, by the time it appeared in 1974 it used a front radiator. Additionally it was a monocoque design, other than F Ford 1600 and 2000 all Lolas were monocoques from the mid-1960s.

As far as I know (if I haven't missed any) Lola only had three F Ford 2000 cars, the T580, T582 and T680.

Image
T580

Image
T582

Image
T680

As you can see they were all front radiator models.

Of course it is quite possible somebody converted one of these to side radiator or converted a US spec F Ford 1600 (which was designed for slicks) to F Ford 2000. Many of the Lola F Ford 1600 models used side radiators.

Ideally there should be a Lola chassis plate attached somewhere on the car. Sometimes Lola had their chassis built outside the factory by Arch Motors and I think it was normal for Arch Motors to stamp a serial number on the frame somewhere but accident repairs might mean that no longer exists.

Can you either post some pictures of everything on the Forum or email them to me at gerald@lolaheritage.co.uk and I'll make some more enquiries for you.

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strange lola

Postby aboutco » Wed Nov 08, 2006 12:12 pm

DEAR GERALD,
CONGRATULATIONSON YOUR F3 HISTORY SITE-IT ACTUALLY IS REALLY GOOD.
MANY THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION AND PICTURES YOU HAVE COME BACK TO ME WITH.- I DID HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAD BEEN OFFERED A MIXTURE OF PARTS MOST PROBABLY FROM DIFFERENT CARS AND YOUR COMMENTS DEFINITELY CONFIRM MY DOUBTS REGARDING THE AUTHENTICITY OF THIS PROJECT.

UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES OF THE PILE OF PARTS/CHASSIS/ BODY WHICH IS ALL LOCKED UP IN A GARAGE NEAR MONZA WITH A LOAD OF OTHER JUNK.

MANY MANY THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND TROUBLE,

MARC-MONZA -ITALY
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Postby Seamus » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:51 pm

According to the Historic FF2000 Association website there was an earlier model from 1975/6 the T344 although I have never come accross one in over 20 years of FF2000 racing. I assume that it was a variation on the T342 which had a pointed nose. Incidentally the spaceframe of my T580 is made of a combination of round, square and rectangular tubes.
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Postby Gerald Swan » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:37 am

Hi Seamus, there is no record of a T344 on the Lola Production List but there again it's not the most accurate document in the world :?.

I'll see if the Lola chassis records show if any cars were built using this number.

I'm currently researching all the type numbers to prepare a (hopefully) definitive list of all the types and I'm finding there were a number of projected models that were never built. I had never realised until I started on the Lola Archives that it is necessary to get RAC approval of the roll hoop design of any new car and when Lola submitted a design for, say, a F3 car they would also include a type number for a F Atlantic so that had approval too but the Atlantic car would not be built so this could be a source for a type number that never saw the light of day. It may also be that Lola announced a T344 but if no serious customers were forthcoming nothing further happened, I know of at least one Super Vee that Lola (and Carl Haas) anounced but no cars were ever built.

Anyway let's see what the chassis record say.

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Postby Gerald Swan » Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:48 pm

Hi Seamus, just to confirm Glyn Jones has had a look at the Lola chassis logs and there is no record of a T344 having been built so it looks like it's either an urban myth or an announcement that never went any further :).

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Postby Seamus » Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:19 pm

Hi Gerald,

The reference to the T344 has been removed from the Historic FF2000 website, I don't wan't to perpetuate any myths!

Also can you please email me the photo of the T582 and confirm when they were built? I have guessed at 1981.

.

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Postby Robin » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:11 pm

Gerald:
The Lola Heritage Chassis Registry shows an "outline" of a T480. By the Lola numbering system this should be another space-frame 2 Liter car. If so, how many of these were built and were any exported to the Americas?
Robin
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Postby Gerald Swan » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:04 pm

Hello Robin, there isn't much in the Lola Archive about the T480 except for a spec sheet which says it was a Formula C design with a BDJ engine, Hewland Mk9 with LSD and 8" and 10" wheels.

I'll see what the chassis records have to say.

Seamus, I've emailed you the T582 picture.


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Postby Mallory Dan » Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:38 pm

Gerald/etc

Something called a T344 DID exist. I saw it at Mallory Park, March 1976, entered by TDC and driven by Mike Ford. It qualified 18th out of 20 for the FF2000 final that day. Sorry no real other recollections of it, or photos, I guess it was based on the T340/342 1600 car.
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Postby Gerald Swan » Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:27 pm

Dan, I would guess that it was either a misprint in the programme or somebody had carried out some of their own modifications to the car and decided to give it their own designation. Of course if a T344 turns up with a Lola chassis plate on it then I'm going to look very silly :D.

Robin, I've had a look at the T480 log and there were 4 built. All are listed as Formula C and there are no details for chassis one but the other three were shipped to Carl Haas.

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Postby Pat Buckley » Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:02 am

Gerald Swan wrote:Hello Robin, there isn't much in the Lola Archive about the T480 except for a spec sheet which says it was a Formula C design with a BDJ engine, Hewland Mk9 with LSD and 8" and 10" wheels.

I'll see what the chassis records have to say.

Seamus, I've emailed you the T582 picture.


Gerald.


Hi Gerald,

I raced a Lola T480 in 1977 for Brooks Stevens. The car was a space frame (contrary to what I have read elsewhere on this site). It was based on the T440 Formula Ford.

The only other one that I knew of was raced by a gentleman out of Ohio - I will check my records for his name.

I later modified a T360 to accept the BDJ (along with all the fuel pumps) and we raced it once at Moroso Motorsports Park as a FC setting a new track record. I unofficially called it a T380 as it was a combination of 360 and 480!

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Postby Johan » Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:54 pm

Pat, welcome to Lola Heritage !
Maybe this mystery car is your old car ?
I understand you are about to go vintage racing with the Sports 2000
crowd. They better keep on their toes.
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Postby Pat Buckley » Tue Dec 12, 2006 12:40 am

Johan wrote:Pat, welcome to Lola Heritage !
Maybe this mystery car is your old car ?
I understand you are about to go vintage racing with the Sports 2000
crowd. They better keep on their toes.


Thanks Johan.
I look forward to reading all the posts here.
Actually, the only thing vintage about my racing plans is me as I plan on doing SCCA Nationals next year.
Pat
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Postby Gerald Swan » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:24 pm

Hello Pat, welcome to the Forum.

Thanks for the details about the T480, I've amended the Type list to show it as a spaceframe, my excuse was the Lola Production List shows it as a monocoque :?.

If you have any pictures of it I can add to the Heritage database that would be great.

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