Fantasy Junction

Description

1977 Lola T297
s/n HU92
Period Gitanes Livery

Introduced in 1978, Lola’s T297 was the latest in a long line of 2-litre sports cars that Lola had begun with the T210 in 1970. Thanks to their light weight and nearly magical balance, the cars were very successful, winning several European championships. They were also exceptionally handsome cars, and with around 300hp from the injected 2 liter engines, they remain impressive performers. The cars have excellent handling and grip, and offer a more protection than open wheeled cars from the same period, making them a pleasurable and slightly more sensible way to go very fast while vintage racing.

This particular car was the last T297 built and was originally powered by a Cosworth engine. It was raced actively in Interserie events in Europe from 1978 to 1981, including numerous outings at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim. The car was driven primarily during Eugen Grupp and proved to be a competitive example that usually finished in the top ten.

Period results include:
1978
9 October 1978, Interserie Nurburgring, 9th Place driven by Norbert Przybilla

1979
27 May 1979, Interserie Wunstorf, 6th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
3 June 1979, 1000km Nurburgring, 23rd Place driven by Eugen Grupp and Jorg Zaborowski
3 June 1979, Interserie Nurburgring, 6th Place driven by Eugen Grupp and Jorg Zaborowski
1 July 1979, Erding, Group 6, 3rd Place driven by Eugen Grupp
12 August 1979, Interserie Most, 8th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
26 August 1979, Interserie Ulm, 8th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
2 September 1979, Interserie Hockenheim, DNF
7 October 1979, Interserie Kassel-Calden, 8th Place driven by Eugen Grupp

1980
25 May 1980, 1000km Nurburgring, 18th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
25 May 1980, Interserie Nurburgring, 12th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
29 June 1980, Erding, DNS
20 July 1980, Interserie Zeltweg, 10th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
31 August 1980, Interserie Most, 7th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
7 September 1980, Interserie Hockenheim, 4th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
5 October 1980, Interserie Kassel-Calden, 5th Place driven by Eugen Grupp

1981
24 May 1981, Interserie Nurburgring, 6th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
24 May 1981, 1000km Nurburgring, 20th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
29 May 1981, Interserie Nurburgring, 8th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
8 July 1981, Interserie Nurburgring, 5th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
26 July 1981, Interserie Nurburgring, 4th Place driven by Eugen Grupp
16 August 1981, Interserie Most, 2nd Place driven by Eugen Grupp
20 September 1981, Interserie Nurburgring, 3rd Place driven by Eugen Grupp
11 October 1981, Interserie Zolder, 4th Place Driven by Eugen Grupp




The car found its way to the United States in more recent years, having been separated from its powerplant, and was eventually purchased by Dave Vegher, owner of the highly regarded Veloce Motors West, who sourced a Kugelfischer injected BMW M12/7 powerplant for this car from a March 802 Formula 2 car. These twin cam BMW engines are exceptional powerplants whose heyday lasted into the mid 80’s. The turbocharged 1.5 liter variant produced as much as 1400hp, and in restricted form, powered Nelson Piquet’s Formula 1 championship-winning Benetton in 1983.

This Lola was comprehensively restored and prepared by Vegher, and was completed in the first half of 2009 in time for its first test day in June of 2009. The restoration included every major system of the car. The tub is original and was restored and refurbished as necessary, the suspension restored and replaced as necessary, and new Koni 28 series shocks fitted. The plumbing and wiring were replaced as well, as was the bodywork. An extended front splitter was fitted to provide additional downforce. The car ran at the Monterey Historics in 2009 and since then, it hands of a seasoned race car driver who has exercised the car extensively and maintained it regardless of cost with Veloce Motors West. The motor has been most recently rebuilt in 2013 and has two weekends on it, the pre-historics and the Monterey Historics. The fuel cells were gone through at that time as well. Various other work has been performed in the last few years, including new rear outer stub axles, rebuilt shift linkage in titanium, new front uprights in 2012 from Fox Racing in the United Kingdom, and rebuilt brake calipers.

The car remains in beautiful condition following its restoration to Vegher’s famously high standards. The chassis, suspension, and engine are all exceptionally clean, well-prepared, and detailed. The interior is also very nice, having been redone at the time of the restoration. The car has full instrumentation, and all requisite safety equipment. The battery is housed in a special compartment and has a quick disconnect wiring harness to expedite battery swaps. The bodywork faithfully replicates the Gitanes livery of the T297 that raced at Le Mans in 1978, and is in good condition, although there are some chips to the paintwork and some stress cracks in evidence, mostly on the front clip.

The car comes with a thoughtfully assembled spares package that includes an extra set of wheels and tires, a radiator, a new combination temperature/pressure gauge, a pair of wheel nuts, shift linkage, springs, the original headers, numerous gear sets, a starter, an A arm, a pair of rotor hats, an upright, new and used brake pads, and various other miscellaneous parts.

This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a superbly-prepared, fast, and rare 2 liter sports racer. These 2 liter cars are fast and competitive cars on the track, but they are also imminently drivable. Short of Group C, Can Am, and Formula 1, it would be harder to go faster while vintage racing than in a 2 liter sports racer. Coupled with running costs that are far less than any of the other three categories, 2 liter cars exist at an ideal intersection of racing in which it is possible to drive a genuinely fast and sophisticated dedicated race car with more manageable operating costs. This particular car has seen truly exceptional preparation and attention to detail, and is presently in turnkey condition, and it would be difficult to imagine a more thoroughly or thoughtfully prepared example.

The above vehicle information is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time it is posted to this website. Corrections or additional information is always appreciated. All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicles are subject to prior sale. All advertised to be true but not guaranteed. We assume no liability for errors or omissions.

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Fantasy Junction  •  510-653-7555  •  1145 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608