Cult Sports Cars, based in New Zealand, currently specialises in Lola sports and racing cars but the company is about to change direction. A new venture involving the designers and development team of the McLaren F1 GTR car means that Cult Sports Cars’ enviable collection of Lolas is now up for sale.
“We would like to think the entire collection will be bought by a single enthusiast,” says Managing Director David Harvey, “but we’re certainly willing to consider offers for the cars individually.”
The history of Lola, and founder Eric Broadley, is of course inextricably linked with the history of the Ford GT40: it was Broadley who initially headed the Ford-sponsored GT40 project. Over the past four years, Cult Sports Cars has restored chassis number SL70/05, a Ford-based MkI which boasts a long documented history including a substantial racing history in South Africa. “The car was owned by Stirling Moss’s company for a period,” says Harvey, “and has since been completely restored to the original US specification, including the original Hewland LG500 transmission. It was known as the T70/140, as late in its South African history it was disassembled, and the parts used for a T140 Formula A.”
 1965 Lola T70 Mk.I - SL70/05 |
 1970 CanAm Lola T163 - SL160/10 |
Another car in the collection is chassis number SL73/130 – a MkIII with a MkII Spyder body, sold originally to Fuji Corporation in Japan and raced in the 1968 Japan GP (it didn’t finish). The car was completely rebuilt in the US, with a re-skinned monocoque and uprated 4-pot brakes, and road-registered in California and Florida with a Lola VIN plate. In 2005, David Harvey fitted a ZF five-speed gearbox and a 425bhp 6276cc Chevy engine, after which he and his wife Jill competed in the Gumball 3000, London to Monaco F1 Rally. They came 77th out of 115 starters. A coupé body is also available for this car. Developed at the same time as the MkIIIB, the T160 underwent rapid development resulting in the T165. The outcome was a MkIIIB-style chassis, with aerodynamically enhanced body and optional spoiler wing. Cult Cars’ T163 has been completely disassembled and restored to its original specification.
A recent restoration is the multi-award-winning Lola T165/70 Custom which traces its heritage back to the legendary ‘Banzai Runners’ days, when a band of rich renegades formed a rather special club. Entry to the club was by pulling a verified 200mph on the Los Angeles freeways at 3am. The only cars to qualify, apparently, were the Lolas and GT40s. Custom-built as a one-off concours car, this T165 has a widened T70 MkIII gullwing body, 7571cc big-block Chevrolet engine, Inglese Webers, magneto timing, ZF DS25-2 transmission, air-conditioning, magnesium wheels (17-inch rears and 12-inch fronts) and Lola 3B Le Mans-style brakes. All its many awards and trophies accompany the sale of the T165.
Finally, Cult Sports Cars has a 1969 Lola T142 F5000 – chassis number 42 – as purchased from Larry Detrich in the US (who holds the world speed record for sedans) and a T70 road-registerable car built in New Zealand.
Please click HERE to see all Cult Sports Cars' cars for sale in the Classic Driver car database.
For further information on Cult Sports Cars, please visit www.cultsportscars.com.
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Cult Sports Cars
Nelson New Zealand Tel: +64 3 546 6667 Fax: +64 7 578 5128 Email: [email protected] |
Text: Classic Driver
Photos: Cult Sports Cars
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