• Log In
  • Become A Subscriber
  • News
  • Features
    • Special Features
    • Moss Special
    • Photography
    • Featured Editorials
    • Racecar Features
    • Roadcar Features
  • Race
    • Racecar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
      • Racecar Gallery
    • Columns
      • First Turn
      • Fast Lines
      • Fabulous Fifties
      • Heroes
      • Legends Speak
      • Stirling Speaks
      • Greatest Racecars
      • Last Lap
    • Profiles
      • Grand Prix History
      • Can-Am Racing
      • Grand Prix Cars
      • Mille Miglia
      • Race Profiles
      • Racecar Profiles
      • Driver Profiles
    • More
      • Art History
      • Fast Exposure
      • Hidden Treasure
      • Hot Laps
      • Time Capsule
      • Market Guide
      • The Golden Age
      • Hard Drive
  • Road
    • Roadcar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
    • Columns
      • From The Editor
      • By Design
      • Driven
      • Flashback
      • Roadcar Gallery
      • Roadcar Video
    • More
      • Roadcar Articles
      • Roadcar Features
      • Roadcar Interviews
      • Roadcar News
      • Roadcar Profiles
  • Brands
    • A to C
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Alpine
      • Auburn
      • Audi
      • Austin
      • Aston Martin
      • Bentley
      • BMW
      • Bugatti
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • Chrysler
    • D to L
      • Dodge
      • Duesenberg
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Ford
      • Hispano Suiza
      • Honda
      • Koenigsegg
      • Jaguar
      • Lagonda
      • Lamborghini
      • Lancia
      • Lexus
      • Lincoln
      • Lola
      • Lotus
    • K to R
      • Maserati
      • Mazda
      • McLaren
      • Mercedes
      • MG
      • Mini
      • Mitsubishi
      • Morgan
      • Nissan
      • Packard
      • Pagani
      • Porsche
      • Renault
      • Rimac
      • Rolls-Royce
    • S to Z
      • SCG
      • Shelby
      • Spyker
      • Subaru
      • Sunbeam
      • Toyota
      • Triumph
      • Vauxhall
      • Volkswagen
      • Volvo
  • Events
  • Cars
    • Iconic Cars
    • SCD Car Profiles
    • VRR Car Profiles
    • Car Profiles
    • Garage & Collection Profiles
    • People Profiles
  • Market
    • Auctions Hub
    • Buyer Guides
    • Cars for Sale
  • For Sale
    • Cars for Sale
    • Dealer Showcase
  • Members
    • Become Member
    • Premium Content
    • Member Help
    • Free Newsletter
Reading
Eric Broadley (1928-2017)
ShareTweet
Racecar Articles

Eric Broadley (1928-2017)

Avatar photoVR Staff

 Eric BroadleyLola Cars founder Eric Broadley has passed away at the age of 88. Broadley was one of the early players the post-war British racing car industry, and after his Mk1 sports racer convinced him to give up his own driving career to focus on being a constructor, his Lola designs enjoyed success virtually from the company’s beginnings in 1958. The Lola nameplate quickly spread into Formula One, Can-Am, Indycars Formula 5000, sports cars and beyond as the company built cars for virtually every thoroughbred racing class in existence. Many are the noteworthy designers who learned some of their early lessons working at Broadley’s elbow, among them Patrick Head, John Barnard, Tony Southgate, Bob Marston, Ralph Bellamy, Mark Williams, Ben Bowlby and Julian Sole.

Although Lola’s only F1 win came in partnership with Honda when John Surtees won the 1967 Italian Grand Prix in the “Hondola,” Lolas did win three Indy 500s, with Graham Hill in 1966, Al Unser in 1978 — when Unser also became the only driver to win Indycar racing’s 500-mile “Triple Crown” — and Arie Luyendyk in 1990, and added nine U.S. Indycar National Championships. Broadley’s beautiful T70 sports car won the inaugural Can-Am championship in 1966, also in Surtees’ hands, with its coupe version emerging victorious from the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona and, lest we forget, his Mk6 GT served as the basis for Ford’s iconic GT40.

During the 1970s, Lola’s T332 series dominated Formula 5000 in the USA and elsewhere, and its “sports car”derivative subsequently claimed four consecutive single-seat Can-Am crowns. The T212 and T292 won the under-two-liter European Sportscar Championship in 1971 and 1973, respectively, and in Formula 3000 Lola drivers claimed nine championships in Europe and eight in Japan.

Approaching his 70th birthday, Broadley sold Lola Cars to Martin Birrane in 1997 and retired to his English countryside homestead. To his family and countless friends and associates in and out of the sport, Vintage Racecar extends its deepest sympathies.

 

Tags
Brand (Lola)People (Eric Broadley)People (Graham Hill)People (John Surtees)Race (Indianapolis 500)Series (Can-Am)Series (Formula One (F1))

Get Our Free Weekly Newsletter

We bring you all the latest from the world of vintage and classic cars each week. News, auctions, events, vintage racing and more.

Avatar photo
VR Staff
Related

Cavallino Classic Modena 2025

2025 Hagerty Hill Climb at Shelsley Walsh

Petersen Museum Salutes 80s & 90s Icons

Marketplace: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider

NICOLA FORNACIARI

Terre di Canossa Rally 2025

On the Ground at Laguna Seca: Porsche Dominates Monterey Weekend

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Free Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Paid Subscription
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • News
  • Cars For Sale
  • Special Feature
  • The Cars
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Meet the Team
Copyright © 2025 A07 Online Media
  • News
  • Features
    • Special Features
    • Moss Special
    • Photography
    • Featured Editorials
    • Racecar Features
    • Roadcar Features
  • Race
    • Racecar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
      • Racecar Gallery
    • Columns
      • First Turn
      • Fast Lines
      • Fabulous Fifties
      • Heroes
      • Legends Speak
      • Stirling Speaks
      • Greatest Racecars
      • Last Lap
    • Profiles
      • Grand Prix History
      • Can-Am Racing
      • Grand Prix Cars
      • Mille Miglia
      • Race Profiles
      • Racecar Profiles
      • Driver Profiles
    • More
      • Art History
      • Fast Exposure
      • Hidden Treasure
      • Hot Laps
      • Time Capsule
      • Market Guide
      • The Golden Age
      • Hard Drive
  • Road
    • Roadcar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
    • Columns
      • From The Editor
      • By Design
      • Driven
      • Flashback
      • Roadcar Gallery
      • Roadcar Video
    • More
      • Roadcar Articles
      • Roadcar Features
      • Roadcar Interviews
      • Roadcar News
      • Roadcar Profiles
  • Brands
    • A to C
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Alpine
      • Auburn
      • Audi
      • Austin
      • Aston Martin
      • Bentley
      • BMW
      • Bugatti
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • Chrysler
    • D to L
      • Dodge
      • Duesenberg
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Ford
      • Hispano Suiza
      • Honda
      • Koenigsegg
      • Jaguar
      • Lagonda
      • Lamborghini
      • Lancia
      • Lexus
      • Lincoln
      • Lola
      • Lotus
    • K to R
      • Maserati
      • Mazda
      • McLaren
      • Mercedes
      • MG
      • Mini
      • Mitsubishi
      • Morgan
      • Nissan
      • Packard
      • Pagani
      • Porsche
      • Renault
      • Rimac
      • Rolls-Royce
    • S to Z
      • SCG
      • Shelby
      • Spyker
      • Subaru
      • Sunbeam
      • Toyota
      • Triumph
      • Vauxhall
      • Volkswagen
      • Volvo
  • Events
  • Cars
    • Iconic Cars
    • SCD Car Profiles
    • VRR Car Profiles
    • Car Profiles
    • Garage & Collection Profiles
    • People Profiles
  • Market
    • Auctions Hub
    • Buyer Guides
    • Cars for Sale
  • For Sale
    • Cars for Sale
    • Dealer Showcase
  • Members
    • Become Member
    • Premium Content
    • Member Help
    • Free Newsletter
All Access
  • Free Newsletter
Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close
Featured (Racecar Feature) Events All The Market (Auctions & Market) The Market (Auctions) Featured (Vintage Car Racing)
See all results

Get Our Free Weekly Newsletter

We bring you all the latest from the world of vintage and classic cars each week. News, auctions, events, vintage racing and more.