New Lola T70S and GT revive a Le Mans legend for an analogue alternative to modern supercars
Naturally aspirated V8, weighing under a ton but with natural fibre bodywork and eco-friendly magnesium components, Lola has built a road car
If modern turbocharged, hybridised, computer-assisted supercars leave you a little cold and £5million for a used GMA T.50 is a bit pricey, Lola may have the answer. Reviving its T70 Le Mans racer for the road, the firm has revealed this, the T70S, available also in road-focused T70 GT spec.
It’s described as ‘a vehicle that preserves the unmistakable characteristics of the T70, while benefiting from modern advancements in materials science, manufacturing and quality control’. The T70S is an FIA passport-carrying racer but the T70S GT very much has our attention, as the version designed to be usable on the road.
It features a 6.2-litre Chevrolet small block V8 good for 500bhp and 455lb ft. It’s estimated to slingshot from 0 to 62mph in 2.9sec on the way to a 200mph top speed – performance to bother most modern supercars. It manages so much with so (relatively) little due to its low weight – there is no battery and no automatic or dual-clutch transmission. Weighing just 890kg, the T70S GT has a 560bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio – just 40bhp/ton shy of the McLaren P1.
What it does have is composite bodywork made of plant and basalt fibres, set in resin derived from sugar cane processing waste. This ‘100 per cent natural’ bodywork system, totally free of petrochemicals, makes the car what Lola calls ‘the world’s first sustainable classic’. The material is claimed to be more structurally sturdy than traditional glassfibre, but more resistant to damage than carbonfibre.
Lola claims a 54 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional manufacturing benchmarks, as verified by independent assessments. It’s also claimed that the magnesium components, made using metal extracted from seawater using solar-powered electrolysis, are 80 per cent cleaner in terms of CO2 compared with traditionally made magnesium parts. An unlikely candidate for Zack Polanski’s company car, then?
Inside, the T70S GT is a more nicely, neatly-appointed device than the 1960s racer that it closely mimics, though it still looks relatively sparse in terms of creature comforts. No, it does not have CarPlay or heated seats, though that GM small block should keep the cabin nice and toasty.
If you get too hot, climate control is included, along with ‘limited storage solutions’. Sounds like you’ll need to pack light but then, that’s also the case in the boot-less Ferrari 849 Testarossa and the new Aston Martin Valhalla.
The T70S GT also has damping tuned for road use, while the engine and Hewland six-speed transmission’s manners have been refined for not always going flat-out, as you would in a racer. Nonetheless, Lola claims these refinements have been ‘executed with restraint’, so it’s still going to be a full-on machine.
Just 16 Lola T70Ss are set to be built with buyers having the option of either the racer or the GT-spec road car. Prices and when the T70S is expected to go into production and be delivered are to be announced.
