The Lola T210, and its evolution the T212, were Group 6 sports prototypes designed for the newly created European 2-Litre sports car racing championship of 1970. Light, simple and powered by the Cosworth FVC, the T210 gave Jo Bonnier the first European title in the series.
Lola T210 at a glance
| Maker | Lola, Britain |
|---|---|
| Year | 1970 |
| Series | European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship, Group 6 |
| Evolution | Lola T212 |
| Engine | Cosworth FVC, 1.8 litre |
| Power | 245 hp (180 kW) |
| Body | aluminium |
| Front suspension | double wishbones joined to the monocoque |
| Rear | steel frame carrying engine, gearbox and suspension |
| Chassis built | 16 |
| First race | Paul Ricard 300 km, 1970 |
| Last win | Moçâmedes, Angola, 1975 |
based on one source (English Wikipedia).
History of the Lola T210
The T210 was built for a championship that had just been created: the European 2-Litre sports car racing series, run to Group 6 rules. Its aluminium body sat on a chassis with double wishbones at the front, connected directly to the monocoque, while the rear used a steel frame to carry the engine, gearbox and suspension. Lola produced 16 chassis in all, most of them sold to private teams.
Power came from the Cosworth FVC, a 1.8-litre four with half its block derived from the Cosworth DFV, developing 245 hp. The T210 made its debut at the Paul Ricard 300 km, the first race of the new championship, where Jo Bonnier finished second overall, three laps behind Brian Redman in a Chevron B16. Bonnier then took the car’s first win at the Silverstone International later in 1970 and ended the season as the first European Sports Car champion, with two T210s.
The cars were driven by a long list of well-known names, among them Ronnie Peterson, who took a T210 to the Interserie in 1970, Mike Hailwood, David Hobbs, Karl von Wendt, Willi Kauhsen and Emerson Fittipaldi. Claude Swietlik won the French sports car championship in 1971 with a T210, while Alain de Cadenet had a severe accident at the Targa Florio that year. In 139 races between 1970 and 1975 the T210 took 29 overall victories and seven class wins; the last of them came in 1975, when the Portuguese driver Jorge Pego won a race at Moçâmedes in Angola.
Design and features
- Championship-winning start: Jo Bonnier won the first European 2-litre title with two T210s in 1970.
- Cosworth FVC power: a 1.8-litre engine derived from the DFV, giving 245 hp.
- Simple construction: an aluminium body, a monocoque with double wishbones and a steel rear frame.
- Customer car: 16 chassis built, most of them sold to private teams.
- Long record: 29 overall wins and seven class wins in 139 races up to 1975.
Lola T210 versions
- T210 (1970): the original Group 6 car.
- T212: the evolution of the T210.
The T210 was followed by the T290 two-litre prototype, and it shared the customer-racing approach of Lola’s T160 Can-Am car. More in the Lola collection.
Sources
- Lola T210, English Wikipedia: design, engine, chassis numbers, race record
