Skip to Content

Search

Entire Collection

Lola T 500 Cosworth Racing Automobile

Specifications

Lola T 500 Cosworth Racing Automobile

Category

Transportation

Classification

CHENHALL - Distribution & Transportation Objects - Land Transportation T&E - Motor Vehicles - Automobile - Car, Racing

Object Origin
Manufacturer:

Lola Cars Limited

Date Manufactured:

1978

Physical Characteristics

Object Description: Low profile racing car with red, white, and blue color scheme. Components specific to racing include extra large and wide tires, front and rear wings, extended nose, visible suspension and a single seat with protective roll bar. Graphic logos and text across various portions of body.

Materials:

metal

rubber

Measurements: Object:
    Height: 41 in, Length: 15 ft, Width: 75 in

Credit

Gift of Joseph P. Lynch, 1984.1

Display Status

On Exhibit

Lola T 500 Cosworth Racing Automobile

About: Lola T 500 Cosworth Racing Automobile

About: Lola T 500 Cosworth Racing Automobile

This racecar was made by Lola Racing which was one of world's largest and oldest racing carmakers and participated in numerous racing competitions. Lola Racing was established in 1958 by Eric Broadley (1928–2017) in England as a manufacturer of race cars and was a top supplier of chassis and built small front-engine sports cars. Two years later, Lola entered the competitive world of Formula Junior with the MK2 Model. The company then began diversifying into a wider range of sporting vehicles and offered a variety of engines, gearboxes, wheels, and tires allowing clients to fit the car into their set budgets. From 1958 to 2012, Lola’s engineers designed and produced nearly 5,000 race cars spanning 400 different model types, gaining unparalleled success in motorsport championships around the world including IndyCar, Le Mans, Formula 1, Formula 5000, Formula 3000, and A1 Grand Prix. 


The Lola racecar on display at the Museum is similar the Lola racecar used by Al Unser (1939–2021) during the 1978 racing season. During the season, Unser won the Triple Crown Special by winning the Indianapolis 500, Pocono 500, and California 500. Like the Lola used by Unser, this Lola-built Indianapolis styled race car has a V-8 fuel injected engine built by Cosworth, a British automotive engineering company. The racecar has an engine placed in the rear, uses a transaxle style transmission, and contains rear end assembly. The chassis was built using a series of aluminum and steel tubing welded together to support not only the chassis components but the body components as well. With the chassis and body components removed, the car’s frame resembles a bird cage in design. Lola Racing stopped producing cars in 2012 but has continued to be part of motorsport successes through the ongoing services of the Lola Technical Centre in London which provides wind tunnel testing and related services to a select group of racing teams and auto manufacturers.

Additional information

Copyright information

The objects and content presented on this website have been reviewed for the copyright status to the extent possible. However, if you believe that any material has been used improperly or without proper authorization, please contact us. We are committed to respecting intellectual property rights and will address any concerns promptly.

 

Have a question or comment about this object? Contact us.