THE LOLA T506 - T506B
All pictures copyright Lola Heritage unless otherwise stated.
The T506 at the Lola factory.
The T506/T506B was one of Lola's largest production runs yet least recognisable models, it's probable that a lot of people in the US have had a lot of fun driving these mini racing-cars without realising that they were designed and built by Lola.
The T506 design was instigated by David B. Lockton, President of Indy Raceways of California, in conjunction with Carl Haas, who approached Eric Broadley with a request for Lola to design and build a car suitable for go-kart tracks that looked like a mini F1/Indycar. The result was the T506 and the full specifications can be seen below while the articles from Car and Driver and Road & Track describe driving one. There seem to have been grand plans to have franchises in Japan and the Middle East as well as the US (and presumably Europe) with Lola building 240 cars a year but, for whatever reason, this never came to pass.
The first 41 cars, the T506, used a 294cc Sachs single rotor Wankel engine. The next 80 cars, the T506B, used either a 294cc Sachs single rotor Wankel engine (the first 26 T506B’s) or a 440 cc Rotax Type 440 twin cylinder two-stroke engine (the next 42 T506B’s). The final 12 T506B’s were supplied without engines.
Year(s) of Construction: 1977-1984
Total Built: 41 (T506) - 80 (T506B) Total 121
LOLA T506 SPECIFICATION
DIMENSIONS
Height: 39” (99.06 cm.)
Wheelbase: 72" (182.88 cm.)
Track Front: 44” (111.76 cm.)
Rear: 45" (114.30 cm.)
Weight: 650 lbs. (242.45 kg.)
POWERPLANT
Engine Type and Displacement: Sachs single rotor Wankel, 294 cc.
Compression Ratio: 8.5 to 1.
Horsepower: 28 at 6000 R.P.M.
Carburetor: Tillotson/M.G.P.
Exhaust: Tuned, silenced to E. P.A. regulations.
DRIVE LINE
Transmission: Salisbury/M.G.P. Torque - Sensitive variable ratio drive.
Rear Axle: Chassis-Mounted specialized Lola designed step down gears and differential, universally jointed drive shafts.
Final Drive Ratio: 8.0-1 (variable for each track)
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
Frame: Fully triangulated, tubular space frame.
Front Suspension: Fully independent double wishbone, anti-roll bar, coaxial coil springs and dampers.
Rear Suspension: Fully independent wishbone, top link and radius rod, with integral anti roll bar and coaxial coil springs and dampers.
Steering: High ratio Lola rack and pinion.
Fuel System: Steel Saddle tank.
BRAKING SYSTEM
Type: Girling hydraulic front and rear drums (twin leading shoe front, trailing and leading shoe rear.)
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Steel bolt-on.
Front Tires: Racing Slick 18-9.50 x 10.
Rear Tires: Racing Slick.
PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY
Open Straightaway: 72 M.P.H.
Closed Course: 40-45 M.P.H.
Maintenance Manual for the T506. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).
Maintenance Manual for the T506. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).
Details of the Service Pack offered. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).
The T506 brochure. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).
A Car and Driver article on the T506. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).
A Road & Track article on the T506. (Click the picture to download the full version in Zip format).