THE LOLA T496
All pictures copyright Lola Heritage unless otherwise stated.
The Kohler-engined T496 at Elkhart Lake in 2007....
C Sports Racer (CSR) is a popular class of racing in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America), it permits open top prototype style cars with a maximum engine size of 1615 cc, in a 2-valve crossflow engine, with a minimum weight of 1300lbs - 5990 kgs (including the driver). Two-stroke or 4-valve engines between 850 cc and 1300 cc are also allowed with a minimum weight of 1200lbs - 544 kgs. Over the years Lola have built cars for this formula when they had a suitable chassis that could be modified without too much difficulty.
The T496 was virtually identical to the Sports 2000 T490 except that it was powered by, usually but not always (see below), a 1300cc BDH Cosworth engine and used a 5-speed Hewland Mk9 gearbox with a limited-slip differential and were permitted to run a rear wing.
Year(s) of Construction: 1977
Total Built: 4
....and again in 2008.
T496 CHAMPIONSHIP WINS
YEAR |
CHAMPIONSHIP |
WINNER(S) |
NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | SCCA C Sports Racing Championship | Fred Schilplin | Lola T496-Cosworth |
| 1981 | SCCA D Sports Racing Championship | Jeff Miller | Lola T496-Kohler |
Six exhaust pipes is not something you see every day....
....and the reason is....
....the Kohler engine is a six-cylinder two-stroke!
The Kohler T496 on the track at Elkhart Lake in 2007....
....and again in 2008.
T496 HU1 is owned by Piero Lottini. (Picture courtesy of Piero Lottini)
(Picture courtesy of Piero Lottini)
(Picture courtesy of Piero Lottini)
(Picture courtesy of Piero Lottini)