Front view of a 1960 Lola Mk1 in the International Paddock, at the 2017 Silverstone Classic
The Mk 1 was an elegant design comprising a multi-tubular chassis constructed from bronze-welded 20-gauge square steel tubing, it weighed only 60 lbs (27 kg). The front suspension consisted of wide-based fabricated double wishbones with Morris Minor uprights and a BMC steering rack. At the rear the driveshaft acted as the transverse link which together with a trailing arm gave the effect of an upper wishbone whilst the lower wishbone was fabricated from three tubes and the use of eccentric joints allowed for adjustments to both camber and toe in/out. 15" Cooper wheels were used whilst Triumph TR2 drum brakes fitted with Alfin drums were utilised front and rear with the rear inboard to take care of stopping the Mk1. Finally an Austin A30 gearbox with Lotus close-ratio gears and a BMC :1 differential were fitted. Maurice Gomm built an attractive aluminium body to clothe the chassis, a Climax FWA unit was purchased for £250 and in July 1958 the first true Lola was registered as 600 DKJ and was ready to race. Construction of the car took place in the Bromley garage of a friend of Eric's Rob Rushbrook who had some of the machining facilities necessary in the construction of the car. On completion of the car Rob became a frequent helper at the race meetings where Eric was racing the new Mk1. Right from the start the Mk1 proved an immediate success with Eric finishing second at Snetterton in only the Mk1's second race and a win followed immediately when Eric won his heat in a sportscar race at Brands Hatch by some 24 seconds and the Mk1 became the first sportscar to lap the Club Circuit in less than a minute. To further underline the promise of the new car on the same day Eric finished fourth in the race for sportscars up to 1500cc despite starting from the back of the grid. It wasn't long before the requests to buy a MK1 began and using the proceeds of selling the first car and a loan of £1000 from his father Eric founded Lola Cars Limited.
Size: 4657px × 3468px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -quarter, 1220cc, 1958-1962, 61, 1960, 2017, aerodynamic, air, anti-rollbar, autisport, automotive, black, bonnet, british, broadley, car, cars, circuit, classic, cockpit, competition, drivers, eric, front, headlights, intake, international, lola, meeting, mirror, mk1, moss, motosport, multi-tubular, paddock, pre, race, racer, seat, silverstone, spaceframe, sports, steering, stirling, stirlingh, trophy, vehicle, view, wheel, wing
