1967 Lola T70 MkIIIB Spyder
In 1967 Lola made a lightweight version of their T70 chassis that was internally known as the Type 75. Spyder versions of the type 75 chassis were used in the CanAm season by owners John Surtees, Roger Penske and Dan Gurney.
When Lola took extensive measures to lighten their chassis it had an effect on rigidity which caused Surtees to abandon the car after only three races. The new car also had completely different suspension pickup points to accommodate the slick tires that were become increasingly popular in top level racing.
The was characterized by its short nose, simple front spoiler, large rear spoiler. Furthermore the body had no provision for headlights in the front nose.
The first MKIIIbs appeared half way through the 1967 Can-Am championship and contributed to Penske’s championship title that year. This made the 1968 Can-Am season look very promising for Penske with Mark Donohue driving. Unfortunately, the arrival of the new McLaren M6A rendered the T70 obsolete from the first race.
The rest of the season was dominated by McLaren with typical 1-2s at each round. Surtees abandoned his new car in favor of his MkII.
Despite the relative failure of the T70 in the 1968 Can-Am, it was still one of the superior cars in SCCA and USSRC races.
Only three original T75 tubs were built with Spyder bodywork: SL75/122, SL75/123 and SL75/124. Other cars with hybrid chassis with T75 features included SL73/120, SL75/125 and SL73/126.
In Detail
| tags | canam, group 7, mk3 |
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| type | Racing Car |
| built at | Slough, England |
| body stylist | Jim Clark |
| coachbuilder | Specialized Mouldings |
| engineers | Eric Broadley |
| production | 3 |
| engine | Chevrolet V8 |
| position | Mid, Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| block material | Cast Iron |
| fuel feed | Downdraught Weber Carburetors |
| displacement | 5457 cc / 333 in³ |
| bore | 102.62 mm / 4.04 in |
| stroke | 82.55 mm / 3.25 in |
| power | 343.0 kw / 460 bhp @ 6200 rpm |
| specific output | 84.3 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 675.48 bhp per tonne |
| body / frame | GRP body over Aluminum Tube-Frame Chassis w/Sheet Steel |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| front brakes | Ventilated Discs w/Girling BR Calipers |
| rear brakes | Ventilated Discs w/Girling BR Calipers |
| front wheels | F 38.1 x 20.3 cm / 15 x 8 in |
| rear wheels | R 38.1 x 26.9 cm / 15 x 10.6 in |
| steering | BMC Rack & Pinion |
| f suspension | Double Wishbones w/Coil Springs over Amstrong Dampers |
| r suspension | Inverted Wishbones w/Twin Radius Rods, Coil Springs over Amstrong Dampers |
| curb weight | 681 kg / 1500 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2413 mm / 95 in |
| front track | 1473 mm / 58 in |
| rear track | 1473 mm / 58 in |
| transmission | Hewland LG 500 4-Speed Manual |
| tran clutch | Single Plate |
