It was only right then, that Motor Sport took the opportunity in this month’s magazine to reunite the sports car ace with the rebuilt machine when given the chance at Silverstone.
Beautiful though the car is, Oliver’s first reaction to it back in 1970 wasn’t exactly one of enthusiasm when he got behind the wheel in South America.
“I didn’t know that it was an early morning start for the [1970 Buenos Aires] 1000Kms,” he remembers.
“I ended up eating breakfast in the taxi on the way to the track, and unfortunately the breakfast came up in the Lola.
“It was warm by the time Carlos was taking over and when he opened the door the smell wasn’t very good. He wasn’t too happy to get in, but the team insisted.”
Despite that slight hiccup, the pair got it home to the finish in the 1000Kms before clocking a fourth in a corresponding 200-mile endurance race on the same circuit a week later.
Lola has its big moment in Le Mans
The car was then bought by movie production company Solar and was smashed to pieces in the name of cinematic art. It was restored years later and then purchased by historic racers Grahame and Ollie Bryant. SL76/141 has since flourished.
“T70s are just fantastic to drive, with a great balance, good power, good brakes and plenty of grip,” Bryant tells Motor Sport.
“The gearbox takes a bit of getting used to. You have to make sure you match the revs on the up and down shifts to be smooth. But we’ve enjoyed a lot of success with it over 18 years.
“Of course the modern-day prototype is way up the road, but this is a proper race car. They are very rewarding and fun to race.”
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Jackie Oliver reunited with Lola T70• Back in 1970, Jackie Oliver tried a privateer Lola T70 for size down in Buenos Aires. Fifty-five years later we reunite him with the car and its starry history, as Damien Smith reports Read the exclusive track test and interview in the latest issue of Motor Sport |