1963 Lola Mk 6 GT

1963 Lola Mk 6 GT
High Bid $1,200,000
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014
Chassis no. LGT-2
530 hp, 5,700 cc Chevrolet V-8 engine with four Weber 48DCOE carburetors, four-speed manual Colotti Type 37 transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers, and four-wheel Girling hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 92.8 in.
•The last of three examples produced
•Winner of the 1963 Nassau Tourist Trophy
•Piloted by American racing legends Augie Pabst and Walt Hansgen
•Groundbreaking development basis for the celebrated Ford GT40
•Recently restored by Hall and Hall, of England
•Accompanied by a MSA Historic Technical Passport
THE LOLA MK 6 GT
By the dawn of the 1960s, the concept of a mid-rear engine sports car was nothing new, with Porsche’s racing spyders and Ferrari’s Dino prototypes being some of the more successful examples of the design. Although the layout proved quite effective for competition cars in the small-displacement classes, engineers struggled to pair the design with larger, more powerful engines. Large-displacement V-8 and V-12 motors generally developed too much torque for the transaxles, which were key to any sports-racing car’s success.
Englishman Eric Broadley, whose Lola race car company had made a name for itself since 1958 with a steady development of club racers and Formula Junior cars, was the first designer to successfully package a large-bore engine into the mid-rear position of a GT race car. Broadley’s key ingredient was the latest four-speed Type 37 transaxle from Colotti, a unit that had proven its durability with Ferrari’s front-engine V-12s. Once coupling the Colotti transaxle with a Ford Fairlane V-8, Broadley found a winning drivetrain combination for his latest chassis, an aluminum monocoque. This cell was then clothed in sinewy fiberglass coachwork, which was designed by John Frayling in a style that became an archetype for numerous mid-rear engine production sports cars to come, including the Lamborghini Miura, DeTomaso Mangusta, and the Maserati Bora, but most of all the Ford GT40.
Broadley introduced a non-running prototype of the yet to be named Mk 6 GT at the Olympia Racing Car Show in January 1963, and the groundbreaking racer did not go unnoticed. Two fully running examples were soon assembled and prepared for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 1963, where Dickie Attwood and David Hobbs drove the first car, chassis LGT-1, 151 laps, running from behind up to 9th place OA, before an accident knocked them of the race. As Attwood later recalled, “When I drove the Lola Mk 6 at Le Mans in 1963, it was a very revolutionary car. That sort of mid-rear-engine GT car had never been done before, and it was really exciting to be on the ground floor of something so special.”
Intrigued by the promising start at Le Mans, Ford soon stepped in and offered engines and development financing to the cash-starved Lola enterprise in exchange for their expertise in building a collaborative race car based on the Mk 6. The industry giant was intent on proving its mettle in prototype endurance racing not only to drum up publicity for sales but also to usurp the dominance of Ferrari, which had recently rebuffed Dearborn’s overtures at a possible acquisition.
The Mk 6 show car prototype, still without a drivetrain, and the example campaigned at Le Mans were soon purchased by Ford’s design team for evaluation and testing, eventually becoming test mules and the aesthetic basis for the forthcoming GT40. As the grandfather of the legendary GT40, the Lola Mk 6 GT is obviously a highly influential model, and it is noted by some experts to be the first mid-rear engine GT race car. Its bold combination of handsome styling, cutting-edge engineering, historical significance, and overall rarity makes the Mk 6 one of the most important sports-racing prototypes of the 1960s.
JOHN MECOM ORDERS A CHEVY V-8
As finances were always a challenge for Lola, Eric Broadley welcomed an inquiry by Texan team owner John Mecom regarding the purchase of an Mk 6 (which came to his attention during a honeymoon trip to Europe). The second functional Mk 6, chassis number LGT-2, was sold to Mecom and officially entered at the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of Broadley’s contingent. However, the Lola never left the transporter and instead served as a spares source for LGT-1 during the weekend.
Mecom next entered LGT-2 in the International Guard’s Trophy at Brands Hatch in August 1963, and prior to the race, Broadley gave a harrowing demonstration of the car to famed driver Augie Pabst, who later said the ride was one of the few times he feared for his life. Pabst, starting from the back of the grid on race day, managed only four laps before an oil pressure issue forced the car to retire, but the Ford V-8’s shortcomings would soon be addressed.