OVERVIEW
1966 Lola T70 Mk.2
VIN: SL71/36
Privately raced in Can-Am in 1967
The last factory-built Mk.2 Spyder of a total 67
First imported by John Mecom
Impressive historic race results
First in Class at 2011 Amelia Island Concours
5.7 liter Chevrolet V8 with 550+ horsepower
Hewland 4-speed manual transmission
High power and low weight was the mantra of the Can-Am days, with the British company Lola taking this to heart with their Lola T70 Mk.2. A fiberglass body covering an aluminum chassis, with an American Chevrolet V8 and Hewland manual transmission strapped to it. Even though their cars were small in stature, they would prove themselves in Can-Am as a formidable threat to the big players.
SL71/36 began its life with John Mecom, the official Lola importer for the United States in 1966. Mecom would then sell the car to Rich Galloway of Colorado Plastics, who became the car's first owner along with the car's designated driver, New Zealand native Ross Greenville, who was a successful racer in the Can-Am series in his own right before driving for Galloway.
The spyder attended the first two races of the Can-Am season, consisting of Road America and Bridgehampton. After taking 15th place at Road America, the car ended up crashing during practice at Bridgehampton which concluded its 1967 season run. Galloway decided that he would trade SL71/36 to Carl Haas, the subsequent U.S. distributor for Lola Cars, for a Mk.2 spyder replacement.
Haas would then repair the car properly before selling it on June 14th, 1973, to Colorado Club racer John McDonald. McDonald would race the Lola in a few SCCA regional events, and then passed it onto known Lola restorer and enthusiast Mac McClendon, based in Santa Ana, California, on September 23rd, 1979. Having bought all of Lola's tooling equipment in the '70s, McClendon was the most qualified person to restore Lola racecars and able to complete even the smallest details on SL71/36.
In 2008, the Mk.2 would find a new owner in Archie Urciuoli, who would keep and race the car for a total of 6 years. Archie would amass an impressive vintage race history under his belt with the Lola, including one first overall finish, four first in class finishes, and two second in class finishes. He then took the Lola to Bobby Rahal's 2010 Legends of Motorsports show and took USRRC Champion, and also Best in Class for 60's race cars at the 2011 Amelia Island Concours.
In 2014 the Lola would be put up for auction and would be acquired by a collector on the East Coast. In 2015, the Lola's mighty 5.7 liter Chevrolet V8 would be completely rebuilt by Marcovicci-Wenz Inc. to the tune of more than $13,000. Since the engine was rebuilt, less than an estimated 8 hours of track time have been put on the engine, leaving it in pristine condition.
Arriving at Canepa in late 2017, the car was looked over thoroughly and examined. As far as race cars go, the Lola is in exceptional condition. The fiberglass bodywork was removed to access all of the aluminum panels, hand cleaning each and every surface and every crevice. The engine bay and interior were also hand cleaned. Once finished, the car was reassembled and the dark blue paint with red striping was given a concours-level polish job to finish off the complete Canepa Difference detail process.
Now ready for sale and its next vintage racing legacy, and just in time for this year's Spring Classic and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Big on power and small in stature, this Lola T70 Mk.2 is complete Can-Am monster in sheep's clothing and a force to be reckoned with that will even give bigger McLarens a run for their money.
Historic Race History
2008
New Jersey Motorsports Park, August- 1st OA
Lime Rock, September- Retired
Road Atlanta, October- 3rd in class, 8th OA
Daytona, November- 1st in class, 2nd OA
Sebring, December- 1st in class, 6th OA
2009
Sebring, March- Retired
Summit Point, May- 1st OA
Watkins Glen, June- 8th OA
Laguna Seca, August- 22nd OA
Lime Rock, September- 7th OA
Watkins Glen, September- 3rd OA
Sebring, December- 4th OA
2010
Watkins Glen, June- 3rd OA
Mt. Tremblant, July- 1st in class, 4th OA
Lime Rock, September- 2nd in class, 3rd OA
Watkins Glen, September- 2nd in class, 3rd OA
Sebring, December- 1st in class
2010 Legends of Motorsports- USRRC Champion
Concours Awards
2011 Amelia Island Concours- Best in Class, 60's race cars
