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Lola T160s


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#1 pilota

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Posted 16 December 2018 - 16:43

Anybody know the answers to these ?
When Lola completed the first batch of 12 T160s for CanAm 68, only 8 had named teams/owners:

160/1 to Bignotti for Andretti & unser #1,

160/2 Haas/Simoniz for Parsons #10,

160/3 for Surtees #7,

160/4 AAR savage #36 & gurney #48,

160/8 American Racing Motors, Florida, Brian O'Neil #15,

160/9 Haas/Simoniz for Skip Scott #26,

160/10 Autodynamics Lunger & Posey #2.

160/12 to Garner's AiR team, but seemingly not raced.

Who had 160/5, 160/6, 160/7 and 160/11?

Jack Hinkle #61 drove a 160 at SCCA Phoenix Nats 13 Oct 68; Gary Wilson drove a 160 #59 at Riverside 27 Oct68 - he didn't buy 163/19 until 1969. Four cars went to Japan for 23Nov68 Fuji race: 160/1 Unser, 160/2 Parsons, 160/10 Posey and 160/? Rodriguez. The Rodriguez car stayed in Japan, but others came back to USA.

I went to Haas way back to seek info, but he'd just moved shop from Highland Park up to Lincolnshire, and told me "Sorry, we binned all the old paperwork" - Ouch!

Nathan



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#2 RA Historian

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Posted 16 December 2018 - 17:18

Numbers 5, 6, and 11 were imported by Haas, but I have not found any buyer listed.

 

Number 7 went to John Crean, but unraced by him. Sold to Bill Overhauser, who put a T-163 body on it and a Chrysler Hemi in it. Raced that way in the 1970 Can Am. 

 

Jack Hinkle finished second at the 1969 Road America June Sprints in a Lola T-160, which he raced all year. However, I cannot tell you the chassis numberr.

 

Tom



#3 Allen Brown

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Posted 17 December 2018 - 12:32

I am not convinced by the report of Gary Wilson having a Lola T160 at Riverside.  He was in a T70 at Las Vegas two weeks later, and had driven a two-year-old McLaren earlier in the season

 

Wilson bought a T163 for 1969, which would be odd if he'd bought a T160 only months earlier.  


Edited by Allen Brown, 17 December 2018 - 14:52.


#4 fudjones

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Posted 18 December 2018 - 22:13

Wilson had sold his McLaren M1B campaigned throughout 67 and 68

Practised a T160 Lola at Riverside, Round 5 of 68CanAm, raceday was 27 Oct 1968

Time of 1m 54.7 put him 36th on grid

Only 35 allowed to start, so Gary was "disqualifyed" and DNS.

No car for next (last) race of 68 CanAm at Vegas, so

He bought 73/110 from Texan Homer Rader, whose lady Lynn Kysar unable to qualify the car at Bridghampton.....

Gary finished 10th.

Immediately sold car to Texan Brad Dunn.

The Lola 163/19 he had ordered was very late in arriving.

He finally entered 69CanAm at Round 5 Mid-Ohio 17th August 1969

All above is fact.

Where did he get his 160?

There were three possibilities; two at Agent Haas workshop, 160/9 (bought by Doug Shierson in spring 69 to replace the 160/5 he had crashed) and 160/11,(which was shipped to Japan for the Fuji race on 23Nov68) but in Oct 68 with no buyer hovering, neither would have been 'ready-to-race', and may even have been still in their crates..

However, there was one which was ready to race

160/7 had been bought by Bill Overhauser, and he ran the car in 68 thru 72 CanAm series with many different drivers.

People I have spoken to, say he did NOT do a " car rental service", but .....,

Ron Grable in a mag article said he paid for his drive, and was highly critical of the poor quality of preparation.

So perhaps Wilson paid Overhauser for a Riverside drive - and was well below his normal M1B lap times; This is the only car it could have been

I also have had a good relationship with Martin K - who checked all 3000 lines of my race listing.  With this current research, I now have new and updated info for him.