Lola revives T70 with seawater magnesium and plant-based panels
The continuation T70S uses lower-carbon materials while keeping the 1960s race car’s historic racing eligibility, according to Lola.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Lola Cars is building a new run of T70 continuation cars that pair 1960s race-car design with lower-carbon materials. The project matters because historic racing, usually tied closely to period-correct hardware, is being used here to test alternatives to conventional magnesium and fiberglass.
Ars Technica reported that Lola plans 16 new cars based on the T70, which first appeared in 1965. Buyers will be able to choose between the T70S, prepared for historic racing with FIA homologation papers, and the T70S GT, a version intended to be road legal in the UK.
Matt Faulks, Lola Cars’ executive innovation director, told Ars Technica that the company focused on materials because race cars of the T70’s era used substantial amounts of magnesium alloy. He said conventional magnesium production and casting can carry a high carbon cost and involve unwanted industrial emissions.
For the new T70S, Lola is obtaining magnesium from seawater through electrolysis powered by solar energy, according to Faulks. He said that approach replaces magnesium made through the Pidgeon process and cuts both carbon emissions and broader pollution linked to production.
Faulks also told Ars Technica that Lola’s approach avoids shielding gases during smelting, and that the company uses a casting shielding gas it does not consider environmentally damaging.
Basalt, flax and sugarcane replace fiberglass
The car’s bodywork is another major change. Ars Technica reported that original T70s used fiberglass because carbon fiber had not yet become common in race-car construction.
Lola has developed a composite system using basalt on the outside, flax fibers inside and a PFA resin derived from sugarcane, according to Faulks. Basalt is made from volcanic rock, giving the new panels a material link to volcanoes as well as plants.
The composite is not intended for structural parts, Ars Technica reported. Lola says it performs better than fiberglass in tensile strength and stiffness, and the company plans to use it for body panels, cabin trim and seat backs.
Faulks said Lola has compared the new panels with an original T70 at the company and found the continuation car’s bodywork has better finish quality, panel stability and fit.
According to Lola’s lifecycle analysis report for the T70S, the material changes cut the car’s carbon footprint by 54% compared with manufacturing it from traditional materials. The report gives the cradle-to-gate footprint as 4,643 kg of CO2e, or about 4.6 metric tons.
Modern engine controls behind an old-style interface
The road-going T70S GT keeps a Chevrolet small-block V8 layout, Ars Technica reported, but uses a modern GM 6.2-liter V8 for emissions compliance and drivability rather than the 5-liter racing engine. Lola lists the road car at 500 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque, compared with 530 hp and 400 lb-ft for the T70S.
Both versions use a Hewland transmission, according to Ars Technica. For the T70S GT, Lola chose an electronically controlled sequential gearbox but paired it with an H-pattern selector that has no mechanical linkage to the transmission.
Faulks told Ars Technica that Lola wanted required digital systems, including engine control, to remain hidden behind an analog driving feel. The electronic gearbox can block harmful shifts, support full-throttle upshifts in track mode and automatically step down through gears under braking after the driver selects a lower gear.
Ars Technica reported that the UK road car may face a tougher path under US rules than under Britain’s small-volume manufacturer framework. Lola’s first target, however, is a limited continuation run that preserves the T70’s historic character while changing how parts of it are made.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.