Article: Lola T260

[Steve Holmes]

But for 1971, Lola returned with another all-new car, with which the Haas team would tackle Can-Am, and McLaren. Like the T220 had been, their new challenger, the stubby T260 was a complete departure from the previous years design. Designed by Bob Marston, under the guidance of Eric Broadley, the T260 appeared quite unconventional in its design. At just 139” its overall length was significantly less than the new McLaren M8F, as was its width, although it shared the same 98” wheelbase. The T260 appeared to be built for low-drag, and superior straight line speed, to slice a smaller hole through the air than its rivals. It featured a very short beak, which was itself quite blunt, and completely different to the long swept nose on the McLaren and most other designs. The only additional downforce aid at the front was a small splitter at the bottom edge. However, large cut-aways behind the front wheels, and a series of small holes in the top central bodywork just above them suggested an attempt at downforce by drawing air from beneath the car at low pressure points through the top and sides. At the rear an adjustable wing was fitted.

Another departure from the norm was the removal of the radiator from the nose, and placed in the flanks, along with the oil-cooler. Furthermore, front shocks and springs were mounted horizontally. In pre-season testing back in England, the rear a wing sat just above the bodywork, slightly forward of the rear wheels, and directly behind the engine. However, as the season progressed, and the need for more downforce became paramount, so the position of the wing continued rearward, and would eventually be mounted right out behind the rear bodywork. Meanwhile, up front, the blunt nose also came under attention; the splitter grew, tabs were added to the sides, and a complete redesign appeared for the Edmonton race late in the season. For the two final events at Laguna Seca and Riverside, a large wing was mounted out in front of the body, attached via four pieces of alloy tubing.

Underneath the T260 featured a full-length alloy monocoque, in which sat an alloy 495ci big block Chevy with a nice big torque range, built by George Foltz. It appeared the T260 was designed to be fitted with front inboard-mounted brakes, but the car only ever raced outboard brakes. Rear suspension design was carried over from the previous years T220 model, but almost everything else was new. During initial testing in the UK, 13” diameter wheels were fitted up front, but by the time the car appeared for the opening Can-Am race, they’d grown to 15”, along with a ‘hump’ in the bodywork to allow for the extra height.

The other big change for Haas Racing was the organic matter piloting the car. Peter Revson had left Lola at the end of the 1970 season to join McLaren, alongside Hulme, while Haas drafted in double World Formula 1 Champion (at least, he would be by midway through the Can-Am season) Jackie Stewart. Although the T260 underwent pre-season testing in the UK prior to being sent out to the US, much of this was undertaken by Frank Gardner. Stewart drove the car just once prior to the opening Can-Am race, a single test at a very soggy Silverstone. Round 1 of the 1971 Can-Am was to be held at Mosport, where Stewart drove the T260 for only the second time in a private test session on the Thursday prior to the event. The car was fast, but Stewart wasn’t overjoyed by the handling. The car suffered severe understeer, while the rear suspension wasn’t coping with the bumps at all well. Stewart may have been a little unhappy with the wayward handling of the new car, but its lap times were competitive with those of the McLarens.

Round 1: Mosport Park

With so many teams having departed following the conclusion of the 1970 Can-Am, including Chaparral, March, and BRM, 1971 looked to be shaping up as another McLaren parade. But then, along came Jackie Stewart and the stubby little white Lola T260, who swept the McLarens aside, and claimed pole position at Mosport. And, suddenly, for the neutral at least (and anyone else wanting to be entertained), the season ahead held much promise. Light rain and oil on the track meant Jackie’s pole time was nearly a second slower than Dan Gurney had achieved here a year earlier, in his short time with the factory McLaren team, and it appeared there was plenty left in the new M8F’s. Hulme would sit alongside Stewart for the rolling start, ahead of Revson, and the privateer McLarens of John Cordts (M8C), and the two-car Lothar Motschenbacher team, of Lothar himself and Bob Bondurant. Motschenbacher was aboard one of the factory M8Ds from the previous season, while Bondurants car was a sparkly new customer M8E. On the fourth row were Bobby Brown in the ex-Dan Gurney McLaren M6B ‘McLeagle’, while alongside him was Jim Adams, in the Doane Spencer tweaked, rebuilt and modified ex-Chris Amon Ferrari 612P, from 1969, although now fitted with a 5 litre motor. Rounding out the top 10 were Hiroshi Kazato in a Lola T222 (with technical input from Carl Haas Racing), and Milt Minter in the old Jo Siffert 1969 Porsche 917PA, although its 5 litre motor was giving enough trouble the team withdrew prior to the race.

In the race morning practice session, Stewart struggled with a mal-adjusted throttle linkage, relating to an engine swap done overnight.

There were rumours of a new collaboration between Roger Penske and Porsche, the might of which could rival McLaren, but these were only rumours, and besides, right now McLaren had plenty to keep them busy with Stewart in the flying white brick, and after three pace laps, the field of bellowing monsters were sent on their way, and Denny planted his big right boot hard to surge around the Lola through the sweeping right-hand Mosport turn 1.

Hulme quickly pulled out a 5 second margin over Stewart, who spent the first five laps adjusting to his difficult throttle, before setting off after the Bear. On lap ten, Denny suddenly found the blunt white nose of the Lola right under his rear wing as he was slowed by lapped traffic, and a few corners later, when he was balked again, the Lola driver darted through. Now we had a race on our hands!

Over the following laps, Stewart began to pull out a small gap, but Hulme wasn’t putting up a fight. He could see splatters of oil appearing on his visor, and knew the little white car was in trouble. On lap 19, a plume of blue smoke erupted from the rear of the Lola, and Stewart pulled off the track and stopped. The oil Denny could see was coming from the transaxle, which eventually ran dry and seized.

Hulme went on to win, untroubled, followed by his team mate and the two red privateer McLarens of Motschenbacher and Bondurant.