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In 1965 the immortal Lola T70 sports-racing car was introduced byLola Cars’ creator and mastermind Eric Broadley. Its SpecialisedMouldings-produced glass-fibre bodywork was so exquisitely wellproportioned– and (by the standards of the time) aerodynamicallyeffective – that the T70 was widely acclaimed as being the mostbeautiful sports-racing car ever created. In essence, if the AstonMartin DBR1 was as gorgeous a front-engined shape as Britishconstructors have ever produced, then the Lola T70 must take thecorresponding rear-engined prize.The T70 was produced to compete in the International Group 7 classof ‘anything goes’ so-called’ big-banger’ sports car competition. Ineffect this was Mr Broadley’s gesture of liberation from the straitjacketof Ford Advanced Vehicles and the steel-monocoque FordGT programme to which he had been contracted through 1963-64. There he had argued long and hard for the Ford GT to employa largely aluminium-panelled lightweight monocoque chassis, butaluminium was not a then a material of structural appeal to themasters of America’s mass-production motor industry.From 1965 forward aluminium-hulled sports and GT productionwould follow the Lola T70 lead.This splendidly presented example is, most notably, accompaniedby an impeccably detailed history dossier, compiled for whatis rapidly being recognized as the leading independent Britishauthority, oldracingcars.com, by the late, much-respected,enthusiast researcher David McKinney. His dossier forewordexplains: “This chassis number identifies the first of many famousLola T70 sports cars, the semi-works car raced by John Surteesin 1965.It was subsequently re-tubbed before resale, retainingmost other parts from the original car, including the body and theall-important identifying chassis plate. Following this, the car hada short but successful racing career in Japan, being restored thereand in the UK after 30 years of virtual neglect. The original chassismay have survived and been built up as a separate car but itsexistence does not detract from the authenticity of the car featuredin this dossier”. Another Lola T70 bearing the chassis no. SL70/1does exist and it may be that Mecom sold, in period, two Lola T70sdesignated SL70/1.When Lola T70 chassis ‘SL70/1’ originated, John Surtees had justbecome the first man ever to add the four-wheeled Formula 1 WorldChampionship title to his seven achieved upon two wheels in themotor-cycling arena.2Motor Cars | 223