Origin

LOLA T70 Mk.3b-Chevy 5.0 ( 4991cc ) Chassis SL76-144

This particular Group 4 sports car first appeared in March 1969 for Team Elite and driver Trevor Taylor and did a fairly full season of racing in variuos sports car events during the season. Painted a bluey turquoise it had a run of failures until winning the Tourist Trophy race outright at Oulton Park in May and later raced in some European events. The car reappeared in early 1970 in Argentina now listed under Sid Taylor's team ,he had already had success with previous Lola T70s. Then in April at a wet BOAC 1000kms at Brands Hatch the car was wrecked at the start...

Autosport wrote ' the Sid Taylor Lola ,which Barrie Smith had to start with dry weather tyres on the back because of last-minute tyre panics in the paddock aquaplaned along the top straight onto the grass and took flight. For amoment it looked as though the Lola would entre the press box ( and leave the world withouit any reports of the race !) ,but the Armco barrier collected it and it rolled over, scattering itself in all directions and landing back on its wheels in the road. Smith was unhurt...'

Simon Taylor ( the Journalist ) took up the story in July 1971 'the idea came driving to work one morning,when Mick passed a garage with a crashed Capri parked outside. It had hit a lampost and the whole front up to the windscreen was completely wrecked."It occured to me that I could do something with that..."Then Mick stumbled across one of Sid Taylor's garage clear-outs ; remember the Lola that Sid entered in the 1970 BOAC ? Barrie Smith tried to drive into the press box..."It was just a heap of bits - but they were nice bits: big ventilated disc brakes with four-pot calipers, wheels and tires, uprights, wishbones, steering and even things like gauges and a steering wheel. We agreed a price and I took it all away. It was a good way to start".