MY FAVORITE RACING CARS, PART V: THE MAGNIFICENT BEAST.

Sunday

Jul092023

Sunday, July 9, 2023 at 08:44AM

By Peter M. DeLorenzo

Detroit. This column is a new addition to the series, but with a twist. Instead of covering several different racing machines like I did in the previous four "Favorite Racing Cars" columns, today I am going to focus on one machine in particular: The Carl Haas Racing No. 1 L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet that was driven by Jackie Stewart during the 1971 Can-Am season. Longtime readers of this site know that when it comes to the Can-Am era, my favorite machines were Jim Hall's fabulous Chaparrals, followed very closely by the flawlessly prepared McLarens and, of course, the Porsche 917 Turbos. But I reserve special feelings for the Lola T260 Chevrolet. Maybe because Carl Haas secured Stewart - who was at the very top of his game at the time - to drive the short wheelbase beast, or maybe it was because the Lola was far afield of the McLaren juggernaut. You wouldn't dare call it an underdog entry to the series - certainly not with Stewart behind the wheel - but it was definitely a march-to-a-different drummer "maverick" entry, and I loved it.

The Lola T260's design was primarily the work of Chief Designer Bob Marston, who worked closely with Eric Broadley, Lola's founder and guiding force. True to the car's "march-to-a-different drummer" design brief, the shape was designed to cut through the air but still remain stable at high speeds. The Lola T260's striking blunt nose purposely departed from the wedge-shaped design philosophy of that era, because Broadley believed those designs had the propensity to flip a Can-Am car over backward when air built up under the front end. The nose of the T260 was designed to reduce the lift generated under the body, and to that end it was filled with rows of small round holes to assist in that effort. And the high-pressure air that would normally build under the nose was extracted by the large cutouts immediately behind the front wheels. The look of the Lola T260 was completed by the full width wing that was mounted relatively far forward, adding to its unique on-track presence. It was a Magnificent Beast.

Despite the large cutouts behind the front wheels, the aluminum monocoque of the Lola T260 was fairly conventional for that era. It featured a front and rear double wishbone suspension with Bilstein dampers and coil springs. Originally, the four-wheel disc brakes were designed to be placed inboard at all four corners in order to reduce the unsprung wight, but Stewart vetoed the design after Jochen Rindt's fatal crash in a similarly equipped Lotus F1 car at Monza at the end of the 1970 season. The Lola T260 was powered by a 8.1-liter (496 cu. in.) Chevrolet V8 with Lucas fuel-injection prepared by George Foltz. The engine produced 750HP+ and almost 700 ft.lbs. of torque and it was coupled to a Hewland LG500 4-speed manual transaxle in a package that weighed just under 1600 lbs. (Think about that for a moment.)

With Stewart behind the wheel, the Lola T260 came charging out of the gate at the season opener at Mosport with the Flying Scot securing the pole ahead of the factory McLaren team. But the race was a different story, as Stewart was forced to retire early with gearbox issues and Denny Hulme went on to win in the No. 5 McLaren M8F Chevrolet with teammate Peter Revson in the No. 7 machine making it a McLaren 1-2. Two weeks later, at the Can-Am Mont Tremblant, Stewart came through to win Lola's first Can-Am victory since 1967. But the season would be a frustrating roller-coaster ride for Stewart and Carl Haas from then on. Stewart finished well down the field at Road Atlanta and took a DNF at Watkins Glen. But then Stewart came through to win again at the Mid-Ohio round. At Road America Stewart encountered overheating issues and did not finish; at Donnybrooke (in Brainerd, Minnesota) he finished sixth; at Edmonton he finished second to Hulme; Stewart finished second to Revson at Laguna Seca (with the "cow catcher" front wing); and at the season finale at Riverside Stewart recorded a DNF due to engine problems.

Anyone who witnessed Stewart manhandle the twitchy-handling, short-wheelbase No. 1 L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet that season would testify that they indeed were in the presence of greatness. Even though Stewart would encounter multiple disappointments that season, for a brief shining moment he pushed the vaunted McLaren team for all they were worth every single time he got behind the wheel, and he ended up third in the Can-Am Series Championship. It was a magnificent display of sheer talent and the burning desire to win. And I will never forget it.

And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.

(Photo by Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions/Silodrome)
The No. 1 Carl Haas Racing Lola T260 Chevrolet: The Magnificent Beast.
(Photo by Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions/Silodrome)
The "march-to-a-different-drummer" Lola T260 Chevrolet.
(Photo by Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions/Silodrome)
Brutal, purposeful and badass.
(Photo by Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions/Silodrome)
The L&M livery was... perfect.
(Photo by Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions/Silodrome)
No frills. Just stand on the gas.

Jackie Stewart at the wheel.
Jackie Stewart and Denny Hulme, Mid-Ohio, August 1971.
Jackie Stewart in the No. 1 Carl Haas Racing L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet hammers up the front straight at Road America, August 1971.
In Search of... Downforce. The Lola T260 with the "cow catcher" front wing at Laguna Seca, October 1971.
Jackie Stewart at Road Atlanta, July 1971.
Another view of the "cow catcher" front wing in the pits at Laguna Seca.
Jackie Stewart in the pit lane at Mid-Ohio during Can-Am practice, August 1971.
From the "Racing Was Different Back Then" File. The Carl Haas Racing team at Mid-Ohio, August 1971.
Pace lap, Mid-Ohio Can-Am, August 22, 1971: Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M8F Chevrolet), Peter Revson (No. 7 McLaren M8F Chevrolet), Jackie Stewart (No. 1 Carl Haas Racing L&M Lola T260 Chevrolet) and Jo Siffert (No. 20 Porsche 917/10).