Lola unveils 16 new T70S continuation cars

Lola has revealed a continuation programme that nobody saw coming: 16 entirely new versions of the legendary late-1960s T70 sports prototype. Better still, one specification will be fully legal for use on the road.

Known as the T70S - or T70S GT in road-going form - the new machine is described as being “identical to the original fire-spitting, Steve McQueen-Era, V8 monster, but refined with advanced manufacturing processes, sustainable materials and an unparalleled attention to detail.”

Lola has worked from original archive drawings and scans of a Mk3B to reproduce the final evolution of the T70. For the enthusiasts, that means the lower nose and vertically paired headlights are both present. However, its newly made body panels use entirely natural materials.

The patent-pending Lola Natural Composite System (LNCS) takes the place of the original fibreglass bodywork. It combines plant fibres, basalt fibres derived from volcanic rock and a plant-based resin made wholly from sugar-cane processing waste. Should you spot someone licking a Lola, you will now understand the possible reason.

Lola T70S GT: the road-legal version

Starting with the road-legal T70S GT, shown in silver, it is powered by a 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 producing 500bhp and 617Nm (455lb ft) of torque. Power reaches the rear wheels through a six-speed Hewland manual gearbox, while dry weight is only 890kg. It can reach 322km/h (200mph), and Johnny Herbert has been appointed as the car’s official test driver.

“The T70S GT was never meant to dilute the race car. If anything, it reveals just how close the two truly are,” says Lola. “This is a Lola made usable, not softened. The architecture, the seating position, and the uncompromising relationship between driver and machine remain fundamentally intact.”

The GT’s exposed aluminium monocoque receives a little additional Alcantara inside. There is also room to store headsets, a “modest” luggage area and air conditioning. Positively luxurious.

Lola T70S race car performance

The competition-focused T70S, the blue car shown in the gallery, will be supplied with an FIA Historic Technical Passport. Its period-correct small-block 5.0-litre Chevrolet V8 develops 530bhp and 576Nm (425lb ft), delivered via a five-speed Hewland LG600 gearbox. Lola says it can accelerate from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in only 2.5 seconds if the driver changes gear quickly enough, compared with 2.9 seconds for the GT, before reaching 327km/h (203mph).

With no engine cover and without several of the road car’s comfort features, the race-spec T70S weighs just 860kg.

T70S heritage and continuation history

“The bodywork panels are the only parts of the car that do not use the same material as the 1969 original,” according to the official bumf. In other words, owners can convincingly imagine themselves as John Surtees, Mark Donohue, Denny Hulme, Richard Attwood, Dan Gurney, Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Al Unser or Parnelli Jones - any of the era’s great T70 racers.

In 1966, Surtees won five of seven races in a Mk2 to claim the first Can-Am championship. Three years later, Lola took first and second at the 24 Hours of Daytona with the Mk3B, defeating five factory Porsche 908s and two Ford GT40s.

Lola Cars had already produced a very limited run of continuation T70s during the 2000s, before the company ceased trading in 2012. The rights are now held by British racing driver Till Bechtolsheimer, who bought all of the assets in 2022 and later partnered with Yamaha on a Formula E entry in 2025. Fortunately, this newest venture ought to make considerably more noise…