Lola's only podium placed Le Mans car

The T380’s first outing at Le Mans was in 1975 where it suffered on the straights with poor aerodynamics. Despite being off the pace in a straight line, drivers de Cadenet and Chris Craft brought it home in a respectable fifth in the S3.0 class and 14^th overall. Twelve months later, after some improvements to the bodywork, the Ford DFV-powered car took its podium spot having started from the same position on the grid. It was the high point of the car’s Le Mans career, but it wasn’t its last entry at the French endurance race.

In 1977, de Cadenet was no longer driving the car but was responsible for its entry. Mechanical problems meant it failed to qualify, but it was back a year later with a different entrant and new blue and orange Frison livery. It retired after 99 laps, and that was the end of the HU1’s Le Mans career.

Henrik Lindberg has owned the car for 12 years, and when he first bought it that Frison livery had lived on. He was keen to bring it back to its podium appearance so reinstated the black and white colour scheme it wore for its best performance. Originality has been the watchword all the way through, so everything down to the instrumentation has been refurbished where necessary and retained.

That’s tempered with pragmatism. In Henrik’s research into the car, he discovered that the Ford DFV engine was block number 13, leading to the assumption that it had started life in a Formula One car before a second life in the Lola. It had, therefore, quite a lot of race miles under its belt and Henrik was concerned about its longevity. New blocks were available from Geoff Richardson Racing Engines, but he had to wait until there were enough customers to justify a manufacturing a batch of new blocks, which took about a year. Block number 13 is now safely in storage so it can be reunited with the car at any time.

Henrik’s first outing with the car was at the 2012 Le Mans Classic, and de Cadenet and Craft were in attendance. “Chris Craft showed me his foot,” recalls Henrik. “There’s a very old scar from the water pipes when they did Le Mans. The water pipes run next your right foot, and I also remember that. My shoes were just to be thrown out.”

The car has made several appearance since but, with several other cars in Henrik’s collection vying for his attention, 2023’s Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard was its first outing this side of the coronavirus lockdowns. Paul Knapton of Xtec Engineering was enlisted to recommission the car to ensure it was ready to tackle the Hill. “It’s very straightforward to look after,” says Paul. “The concept is taken from a ’70s Formula One car with a Cosworth DFV engine and a Hewland gearbox. I guess in period they ran the revs a little bit lower for reliability. But generally it’s very easy.”

You may notice that there’s a number plate on the back of this T380. “There’s a funny story I’ve read,” says Henrik. “There was a lorry carrying milk that got overtaken by a ‘rocket’ doing 300km/h in the night time. The lorry driver went off the next place he could find a phone and called the police. By the time the police came out, the car was gone.”

Driving the Lola is not without its foibles. “It becomes exteremely hot,” Henrik says. “The oil cooler is right next you and you get no air in the cockpit.” The curved aeroscreen also distorts the driver’s view of the apex. But these are mere details. “It handles very well, it’s quite light and feels nimble. The Hewland gearbox is easy. Of the cars in in Henrik’s collection, which includes a Kremer K3 and a more modern Formula One car, it’s the Lola he enjoys the most. “It’s more fun,” he says. “I like the older cars, I really love them.”

Photography by Nick Wilkinson.