One of only three Lola Mk 6 sports cars, used as the development prototype for the Ford GT40 program, will go up for sale at H&H Classic Auction’s upcoming Dec. 6, 2000 auction in England. The car to be offered is Chassis #1, though it is considered to be the second Mk6 built by Lola.
Completed in the Spring of 1963, Chassis #1 was run in the GT class at Le Mans that year by David Hobbs and Dickie Attwood. During the race, it had a minor accident in the 13th hour and retired. It was later sold to Ford for the GT 40 program. The car underwent a great deal of subsequent development at Ford, including installation of a special anti-dive/squat suspension, which was ultimately used on the production GT 40s. After more testing and development by test driver Bruce McLaren at Monza and Brands Hatch, the car was sent to Alf Francis in Italy for sorting of the Colotti gearbox. After encountering difficulty in exporting the car back to the UK, Francis acquired the car and took it with him when he moved to the United States.
After several American owners, the car was sold to a Mr. G. Benzon of Vancouver, Canada. During his first outing in the car, Benzon rolled the Mk6 at Westwood Raceway in British Columbia. The car then underwent a complete restoration of its tub, engine, gearbox, suspension and bodywork. However, prior to finishing the restoration, Benzon lost interest and the car was subsequently stored in a trailer for the next 18 years until recently being unearthed and shipped back to England for sale. For more details contact Simon Hope of H&H Classic Auctions at (UK) 01925 730630 or go to their web site www.classic-auctions.co.uk
