The Lola T70 that miraculously survived racing’s hardest chargers

Were this car a battle-hardened soldier, it would have been the type on which fortune inexplicably smiled, the type who could zig-zag through a minefield without setting anything off, or whose tin helmet would be just lightly grazed by a bullet. Why? Because, despite having spent most of its 56 years on track, it has emerged unscathed to present as possibly the most genuine, original and storied of the 16 T70 Mk3Bs to leave Lola’s Slough factory at the close of the ’60s.

Its survival is all the more remarkable given the fact that it was driven, in its early years, by some of the most hard-charging racers on the grid, including Gerry Marshall, Richard Bond, Ray Mallock, David Piper and Richard Attwood.

That said, it was a case of ‘third time lucky’ for its gearbox and 5-litre Chevrolet engine, both of which previously powered a pair of earlier Mk3Bs supplied to Swede Picko Troberg’s team: the first was heavily crashed by Björn Rothstein at the Nürburgring, the second written-off by Ronnie Peterson at the Österreichring a month later.

The engine, gearbox and any salvageable parts were re-used in the building of this car, which would also have been destined for Troberg had he not failed to, er, pay for it.

Instead, it was bought direct from Lola by Kent-based photographer and privateer racer Barrie Smith who took delivery in late 1969 and spent the next 14 months campaigning it around the world.

As Mitchell Curated founder Ben Mitchell observes, this was an era when it was possible for amateur drivers to pursue a dream of competition and break even, thanks to the availability of start money, prize money, sponsorship, travel support and even free fuel – an era that, by 1972, had come to an end.

Smith certainly made the most of the good times, racing the Lola as far afield as Buenos Aires and Kyalami as well as more ‘local’ European venues that included Zandvoort, Montlhéry, and Hockenheim as well as Dublin’s Phoenix Park and London’s Crystal Palace (where, ironically, he enjoyed his best results with two outright wins).

After using the car for more than 20 races, Smith sold it in 1970 to one John Farley who kept it for four years – during which he registered it for road use with the number UKT 66H that it retains today.

It was subsequently bought by Bond who owned it until 1976, when it passed to plant hire boss Geoffrey Marsh who occasionally put Bond back behind the wheel, along with Mallock and the legendary Marshall.

Piper and Attwood subsequently owned the car between 1985 and 2003, after which it joined the impressive stable of French collector Jean Guikas before being acquired by current owner Chris Beighton.

Offered for sale in race-ready condition, it will be sold with an extensive spares package that includes an additional Chevrolet V8, new nose and tail sections as well as other body panels and multiple sets of wheels.

Now, finished in its exact original livery, all it needs is a new owner to get out there and ‘make like Barrie’.

1969 Lola T70 MK3B

On sale with Mitchell Curated, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, £POA. mitchellcurated.com

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