Hello All,
I'm Chip, A long time lurker, first time poster.
I am posting this thread to document and show progress as I build my project car, a Lola T496.
I said build as opposed to restore as I do not have a wreck, barnfind or donor car.
So, how did I get to this point? I have worked in construction management my entire career and like to build all sorts of things.
Step one: choose a car to replicate/continue/build. In my case, I had several criteria:
1. I wanted a Lola
2. I wanted a sports racer
3. 70s-ish vintage seemed right
4. I really wanted a Cosworth BD motor
When you boil it down by these criteria, you come up with a list that is pretty short:
1. Lola T290 series
2. Lola T496/7
The T290 series would be my first choice, but is wayyyyyy too expensive for me.
The T496 seemed much more doable. It shares many parts with the T492.
Step 2 was finding documentation for the build and there I had a major stroke of luck. I live in the Twin Cities Metro area in Minnesota. And it just so happened that a gentleman in the same metro area was restoring a T496. Not just restoring, but also committing the entire chassis to CAD. We met and came to to a meeting of the minds, I would buy the plans from him and also the tub panels already laser-cut and mostly folded. Oh, and a body as well.
Since then, I have sourced the Cosworth BDH (1300cc, approx 170hp) I had the engine built with twin Weber 45 DCOEs as opposed to the original Lucas fuel injection system.
So that is how I started this process. I know the obvious flaw in the plan is that when I am done, I will have an exact replica, but no chassis plate. This car will never have the value of an original car, but Lola only made somewhere around 10-12 total of the T496/T497 models, so maybe that rarity works in my favor.
I have been documenting everything to date with photos and will include as many as I can.
I hope that this process and documentation is some interest to people, but the other big reason for posting is that I want to be able to tap into the huge knowledge base that is Apexspeed. So, let's start with some pictures of the very beginning and see what happens...
Building the shop in my basement (feel free to comment and/or mock me). This has the advantage of being warm in the Minnesota winters and close to hand. The intent is build up the chassis and then transfer to the garage (which is NOT heated) at some point.
I am further along than this progress would indicate as I have built up a backlog of photos and progress. I will spread out the next updates in the coming weeks and then, hopefully stay on steady progress.
I designed and built the work tables you see and tried to utilize space as efficiently as possible. Now let's see if this thread uploads......