Graham Hill, 1965 L.A. Times GP, in a McLaren Elva?

John Starkey, a visitor to my website, asked this question today:

"Can you please help me? Graham Hill drove a McLaren Elva in the 1965 L.A. Times GP at Riverside
but, apparently, drove a Surtees' Lola T70 in practice. Is this correct? If so, does someone out there know exactly which car, (chassis number?) this was?"

This is beyond my knowledge. Anyone?

Tam McPartland

You know, if it happened I think Mike Argetsinger would have known about it and have the chassis number...

Hill was in John Coombes' McLaren Olds in that race, Mike writes in his new book. There is no mention of Surtees and the only Lolas mentioned are the Mecom cars.

It's interesting, for much of the Walt Hansgen book, chassis numbers of almost all the cars mentioned are recorded in the text.

I've now solved this problem. I had taken the information from a book on Lolas, (not one of mine!), and the information was incorrect! (old memories can play tricks!)

It was not Graham Hill that drove the Surtees Lola T70 team car at Riverside, but Jackie Stewart, who was a DNF with a failed engine.

Immediately afterwards, (according to this same book and a personal reminiscence), the car was sold to John Mecom's team and, as Walt Hansgen had crashed the Mecom team's SECOND T70, SL70/6, in practice at Las Vegas, (SL70/3 had earlier been destroyed at Mosport), the engine from Hansgen's crashed SL70/6 was put into the ex-Surtees' car, (probably SL70/17), and Hansgen raced that at Las Vegas.

Excatly what happened to it after Las Vegas, 1965, I have no idea at the moment, but shall discover.

Best,

John Starkey

Did you find it John ???? Looking at your ad in Classic and Sportscar. Whats the chassis No of this one ???