Unique, Cosworth DFV-engined Lola Group 5 sports prototype
Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hour period racing history
Pole-position car at the 1974 Targa Florio
Victorious both in period competition and contemporary historic races
Adorned in the iconic colours of the Gitanes tobacco brand
Also wore the famous powder blue and orange colours of the Gulf oil company to which it could be reverted
Campaigned by famous equipes: Scuderia Filipinetti and Jolly Club
Designed by Bob Marston together with F1 design gurus John Barnard and Patrick Head
A certain front-runner in Plateau 6 at Le Mans Classic and Peter Auto's CER2 series
Accompanied by valid HTP and a vast spares package, including multiple sets of bodywork, a gearbox, engine (incomplete), wheels, suspension components and two aluminium honeycomb-panelled chassis (virtually enough to build a second car)
Eligible for all the great historic sportscar races, including Le Mans Classic, Peter Auto’s CER2, Masters Sports Car Legends, HSR, Sebring and Daytona classics, and more.
Background
A comprehensive rule change for the World Sportscar Championship ahead of the 1972 season presented an opportunity for Lola and their leading protagonists, such as Grand Prix and sportscar star Jo Bonnier.
The creation of a new Group 5 category for prototypes powered by three-litre atmospheric engines rendered limited-production, five-litre racers like the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512 obsolete.
Bonnier rightly concluded that this was a relatively small step up from the two-litre Lolas that were raced successfully in the European Sports Car Championship, so commissioned the British marque to produce a three-litre version to compete in the World Championship. Dubbed the T280, the design later evolved into the T282 in 1973.
At its genesis was Lola’s successful T210 of 1970, the first small-displacement sports car constructed around a monocoque chassis and a model which proved potent in the two-litre category.
By 1972, the T210 was replaced by the T290, which featured a new monocoque design by Bob Marston, assisted by two junior engineers, John Barnard and Patrick Head, who would go on to create multiple World Championship-winning Formula 1 cars.
The trio’s chassis philosophy for the two-litre category connected steel bulkheads with fully stressed sheet aluminium panels to form a ‘tub’. Notable aerodynamic developments, meanwhile, came in the form of a subtle rear wing. So capable was the T290, that thirty-two examples were sold during the 1972 season, mainly to privateer entrants.
The market, however, for a three-litre version was much smaller, such that Lola owner Eric Broadley demanded £100,000 from the aforementioned Bonnier to develop the car. The 1959 Dutch Grand Prix-winning driver successfully secured the funds and work on the T280 started. The front half was similar to the T290, with the rear end adapted to accept the readily available Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engine and Hewland DG300 gearbox. This compact, rigid V8 could be installed as a stressed chassis member (although the Lola engineers did add a subframe to support the proprietary bell housing). Clothed in T290 style bodywork, the new Lola T280 was effectively a two-seater F1 car with an all-enveloping body.
Bonnier acquired two cars for his own ‘Ecurie’, while two further T280s were sold to Japanese and Portuguese teams. Despite facing stiff competition from Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Matra in the World Sportscar Championship, the privately fielded T280s proved hugely competitive, clinching pole position at both Buenos Aires and Le Mans.
Tragically, an horrific accident at Le Mans claimed Bonnier’s life and the equipe’s programme understandably ceased. Even without Bonnier's enthusiastic backing, Lola continued development work and built a fifth car to replace the chassis destroyed at Le Mans. This car was sold to Scuderia Filipinetti and raced by Jean-Louis Lafosse until it was destroyed in a hefty crash at Kyalami in 1972.
Birth of the T282
To replace the T280, a brand-new car was built for the Frenchman, who had considerable backing from the government-owned Gitanes cigarette brand. Dubbed the T282, the new vehicle was virtually identical to its predecessor from a mechanical perspective but featured more advanced aerodynamics, with a sharper nose and a taller rear wing mounted above the rear deck between a pair of fins.
Painted in the striking Gitanes livery, the T282 was fielded during the 1974 season by the Swiss Scuderia Filipinetti team for Lafosse. He was joined for the long-distance events by Formula 1 driver Reine Wissell, who had also raced the T280 for Ecurie Bonnier. The T282 was first campaigned at Daytona and completed in the World Sportscar Championship, where it was usually the ‘best-of-the-rest’ behind the works teams. Lafosse also scored a victory at Magny Cours during a round of the French Sportscar Championship. Following the passing of Georges Filipinetti, the T282 was sold to Italy and raced by the Jolly Club for several more seasons. Among the highlights was an impressive pole position for the 1974 Targa Florio.
This Car
Delivered new to Georges Filipinetti in January of 1973, chassis HU6 was the sole T282 produced. It was first raced at the Daytona 24 Hours with Reine Wissell, Hughes de Fierland and Jean-Louis Lafosse behind the wheel. The trio qualified fourth of the 53 cars entered before an ignition issue ended their race prematurely.
Wissell and Lafosse then finished sixth at Vallelunga and Dijon before winning both heats of the French Sportscar Championship round at Magny Cours.
Wissell, de Fierland and Lafosse were reunited for Le Mans where they started tenth on the grid but retired with a clutch issue.
The final appearance for the T282 in Gitanes colours was in the Kyalami 9 Hours, where Wissell and Lafosse started third but suffered from fuel injection issues during the race.
At the end of the season, Scuderia Filipinetti was shuttered following the death of 'Le Patron', Georges Filipinetti, in May of 1973.
The T282 was then sold to Count Gughi Zanon di Valgiurata, who entrusted its preparation to the famous Jolly Club team and Italian racer Giorgio Pianta. Pianta was a set fixture on the Italian racing scene for decades after debuting in 1953 when he was just 18 years old. In 1974, he shared the driving duties of the now red and white T282 with Pino Pica. They finished sixth in the Monza 1000 km race and snatched a seminal pole position for that year's Targa Florio.
Pianta continued to race the T282 in select events through 1977, joined on occasion by Grand Prix drivers like Vittorio Brambilla and Lella Lombardi. Notably, for its participation in the 1977 500km di Monza, the car was emblazoned in the famous orange and powder-blue racing colours of the Gulf oil company.
Following several outings in Italian hill-climb races, the unique T282's final appearances as a somewhat contemporary race car came in 1986 and 1987, when Hansmarkus Huber raced it in the Swiss national championship, where he claimed victories at Dijon and Varano.
Chassis HU6 then moved seamlessly into historic racing from 1990 onwards, having been sold to noted Belgian gentleman racer Jean ‘Beurlys’ Blaton’.
In the early 2000s, the car was sold to US collector Tod Smathers, and it went on to win the Group 4B race at the 2013 Monterey Motorsports Reunion with former Indycar driver Memo Gidley.
Acquired by our vendor during the winter of 2013-2014, HU6 returned to the UK for what would become another stellar chapter of its long competition career. Meticulously prepared by Simon Hadfield Motorsport, the car has been raced with great success at historic races all around Europe, with highlights including an overall pole position at the 2014 Mugello Classic and multiple overall victories at the Spa Six Hours events.
Although not raced in recent years, it is in complete running order and needs a crack test and new bag tanks.
A comprehensive set of spare parts accompanies the T282. These include a spare engine in bits, a completely built-up gearbox, three noses and two rear decks, each with a different configuration wing. Also included in the sale are two spare honeycomb tubs built by Chris Fox. One has cracks, but the other can be built into a complete car with the available spares.
Certification & Mileage
FIA Historic Technical Passport:
Expiry Date: 31st December 2027
Crack Testing:
Last Completed: 5th February 2019 (now due)
Engine Life:
Last rebuild: 2019
Current Engine Mileage: 150 miles
Recommended Engine Rebuild Intervals: 1,200-1,500 miles
Remaining Mileage Available: 1,050-1,350 miles
Note: engine service/inspection recommended due to lack of use for past five years.
Fuel Cell Certification:
Expiry Date: May 2020
Seatbelt Certification:
Expiry Date: 2024
Fire Extinguisher Certification:
Expired: March 2022
Technical Specification
Category: Group 5
Chassis: Sheet aluminium monocoque with steel bulkheads, glass fibre body panels
The sale is accompanied by a vast spares package (detailed images of all included items are available on request):
Cosworth DFV engine x 1 (Incomplete, currently stripped and stored with Geoff Richardson, who is ready to build it to the top specification for the new owner by separate negotiation, estimated cost £70,000)
Gearbox x 1
Chassis tubs x 2 (aluminium honeycomb, one tub with damage)
Bodywork: Front Clam Shell x 5, Rear Deck x 3
A number of other miscellaneous body components
Rear Wheels (both wheels and tyres and spare wheel rims) x 8
Front Wheels (both wheels and tyres and spare wheel rims) x 8
A number of suspension and steering components
A number of fuel system components
A number of drivetrain components
A number of braking system components
A number of electrical components
Location & Taxes
The car is located at our showrooms in Petersfield, UK and is a UK car.
SAM SAYS
“Le Mans, Daytona and Targa Florio history, two iconic liveries to choose from, Cosworth’s magical DFV, an enormous spares package, eligibility for some of the greatest events on the calendar and the proven, race-winning performance to win them outright. Seriously, what more could you ask for?”
