THE LOLA T492
All pictures copyright Lola Heritage unless otherwise stated.

The T492 at the Lola factory.
Sports 2000 had proven very popular in its first year in the UK and with the T490 dominating the season, winning nineteen out of twenty rounds, it's hardly surprising Lola's new offering for 1978 would be very popular. This was indeed the case and with other countries adopting the formula, Lola produced ninety-one T492s over the next two years, forty-six went to the US, thirty to the UK, eleven to Holland, seven to Sweden and one each to France, Switzerland and Denmark.
The new car was virtually identical to the T490 except that the single water radiator was moved from the front of the car to twin radiators, one either side of the tub just in front of the rear wheels. This change was offered to T490 owners as an update kit and many of them took advantage of the opportunity.
Once again, in the UK SodaStream Championship, the Lola's dominated with the T492 taking eleven rounds and with the T490 winning eight more nothing could stop the Huntingdon cars, in fact the top ten in the Championship were all Lola mounted. The T492 was similarly a winner in the US and Europe.
Year(s) of Construction: 1978-1979
Total Built: 91
The T492 under construction.
T492 CHAMPIONSHIP WINS
YEAR |
CHAMPIONSHIP |
WINNER(S) |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship | Frank Sytner | Lola T492-Ford |
1979 | Mid-Am Championship Sports 2000 | Rick Galles | Lola T492-Ford |
1981 | Mid-Am Championship Sports 2000 | Tom Lamm | Lola T492-Ford |
1982 | Mid-Am Championship Sports 2000 | Glen Snapp | Lola T492-Ford |
1983 | Mid-Am Championship Sports 2000 | Glen Snapp | Lola T492-Ford |
1984 | Mid-Am Championship Sports 2000 | Glen Snapp | Lola T492-Ford |
1996 | Castle Combe Special GT Championship (Overall and Class C) | Keith Messer | Lola T492-Ford |
1997 | Castle Combe Special GT Championship (Class C) | Keith Messer | Lola T492-Ford |
2917 | Sports 2000 Historic Pinto Championship | Colin Feyerabend | Lola T492-Ford |

T492 SIGNIFICANT RACE WINS
1978
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
12th March | Thruxton - BARC Championship Meeting | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 2 |
24th March | Oulton Park | John Brindley | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 3 |
27th March | Silverstone | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 4 |
9th April | Donington Park - BRSCC Midland Centre | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 5 |
16th April | Snetterton - BRSCC | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 6 |
18th June | Thruxton - BARC | Ian Taylor | Marsh Bros/SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 11 |
25th June | Brands Hatch - BRSCC | Frank Sytner | Arthur Cooper/SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 12 |
22nd July | Oulton Park - BARC Co-Driver Races | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 15 |
6th August | Brands Hatch | John Brindley | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 16 |
13th August | Mallory Park - BRDC | Paul Haywood-Halfpenny | Peter Dominic/SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 17 |
20th August | Thruxton - BARC | Nick Adams | Roberts Off-Licence/SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 18 |
3rd September | Donington Park - Donington Racing Club | Nick Adams | Sports 2000 race |
10th September | Mallory Park - BARC | Frank Sytner | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 19 |
? September | Jyllands-Ringen | Thorkild Thyrring | Sports 2000 - Winner Heat 3 |
8th October | Snetterton - BARC | Wayne Wainwright | SodaStream Sports 2000 Championship - Round 20 |

1979
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
25th March | Silverstone | Jeremy Rossiter | Chequered Flag Sports 2000 Championship - Round 2 |
3rd June | Donington Park - Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Day | Frank Sytner | Howitt Printing Group Trophy for Sports 2000 Cars |
30th June | Oulton Park | Desiré Wilson | Chequered Flag Sports 2000 Championship - Round 12 |

T492s to the fore at Brands Hatch, Wayne Wainwright leads Nick Adams and John Trevelyan.
1980
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
16th March | Brands Hatch – 6 Hours | John Sheldon/John Brindley/Juliette Slaughter | First in S2000 class (9th overall) in round of World Championship for Make |
1981
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
3rd October | Castle Combe BRSCC (SW) | Peter Hall | Formule Libre and Sports 2000 Race - Winner Sports 2000 Class |
1983
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
14th May | Oulton Park - BARC (NW) |
Peter Hall | Round of the Grand Prix International British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Class |
26th June | Silverstone - AMOC | David Ellison | PAS Mobile Allcomers Scratch Race - Saloon, Sports and GT Cars Class Winner |
3rd September | Oulton Park - BRSCC (NW) | Peter Hall | Round of the Grand Prix International British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Class |
11th September | Silverstone - BRDC | Alan Rollinson | Round of the Grand Prix International British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Class |
18th September | Snetterton - BARC | Peter Hall | Round of the Grand Prix International British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Class |
1984
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
12th May | Lydden | Mike Smith | Round 2 of the Warecrete Britsh Sprint Championship - Class Winner |
14th October | Brands Hatch - BRSCC | Keith Messer | Round of the British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Challenge Class |
21st October | Mallory Park - BARC | Keith Messer | Round of the British Sports 2000 Championship - Winner Pre '80 Challenge Class |
4th November | Brands Hatch - BRSCC | Martyn Lane | Sports 2000 World Cup Race - Winner Pre '80 Class' |
1985
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
31st August | Silverstone - 8 Clubs | Martyn Lane | Formula 1300 Race (Entered as a Lola T492M) |
2012
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
30th June | Brands Hatch - Superprix | Keith Norris | Martini Trophy with Supersports - Race 1 - Winner Class D |
1st July | Brands Hatch - Superprix | Keith Norris | Martini Trophy with Supersports - Race 2 - Winner Class D |
2015
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
12th July | Brands Hatch Superprix | P. Stevenson/N. Stevenson | Pre 80 Endurance Series - Winner Class S20 |
2016
DATE |
VENUE/MEETING |
DRIVER |
NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
2nd July | 'Legends of Brands Hatch' Historic Race Meeting | Neal Stevenson | Pre 80 Endurance Challenge Series - Winner Class SP20 |
9th October | Motorscup-Dijon | P. Stevenson/N. Stevenson | 200km de Dijon - Race 1 - and Winner Class S20 |
9th October | Motorscup-Dijon | P. Stevenson/N. Stevenson | 200km de Dijon - Race 2 - and Winner Class S20 |

Steve Haessley's car is HU18. (Picture courtesy of Steve Haessley)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessley)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessley)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessley)

Former McLaren, March, Tecno, Ferrari and WilliamsF1 driver Nanni Galli at the 2015 Mugello Classic. (Picture courtesy of Peter Collins)

HU66 is owned by Paul Fox. (Picture courtesy of Paul Fox)

Graham Briggs at the 2017 Silverstone HSCC Finals. (Picture courtesy of Peter Collins)

Markus Deutsch on the track with HU68. (Picture courtesy of Markus Deutsch)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessly)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessly)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessly)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessly)

(Picture courtesy of Steve Haessly)