RIP Eric Broadley, founder of Lola

[ELVA164]

I was sad to hear this, though 88 is a pretty good run. If you like auto racing at all, you owe a lot to this man. One of the greatest designers/team owners ever.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129841

From the 1958 Lola Mk1, which was created using his £2000 savings and designed and built at a ramshackle West Byfleet workshop, to the mighty Lola T70s of the 1960s, the fearsome F5000 cars of the 1970s, and the customer Group C and F1 cars of the 70s and 80s, Broadley and his team created some of racing's most iconic designs.

Lola's record at Indianapolis was the best of any overseas constructor from the 1960s to the 1990s. Graham Hill (pictured with Broadley below) became the first English driver to win at the Brickyard in 1966 with the Lola T90 Red Ball Special, while Al Unser Snr took the 500-mile triple crown - Indy, Pocono and Ontario - in a Lola T500 in 1978.

His achievements as the brains behind Lola are staggering, and it says much for his benign and quirky personality that he was known as the 'engineer's engineer' rather than an effervescent personality such as Colin Chapman, Ken Tyrrell or Ron Dennis.

Eric:



The National Champion Lola Mk1 we take care of:




The Mk6, father of the GT40:




Arguably the most famous Lola, the T70:

[LateFan]

What a guy. One of the greats.

That open T70 was such a good looking car.

[2mAn]

I love Lolas. RIP

[SkiFree]

RIP, sad to hear. The T70 is a beast.

[Jon325i]

88 is a good, full life. Eric made many great contributions to motorsport and he will be remembered for many years. RIP.


Jon

[ELVA164]

Someone in a British car forum I'm part of already made the "Chapman's better" statement. Sigh. It took some restraint not to point out how Eric's drivers had an odd habit of not dying in his cars.

[LateFan]

Sigh. It took some restraint not to point out how Eric's drivers had an odd habit of not dying in his cars.

Yeah, his bit about how a race car should fail on the cool down lap or it was over-designed always bugged me. What kind of engineering doesn't include a safety factor? How does a driver trust a machine like that and give his all?

[2mAn]

Yeah, his bit about how a race car should fail on the cool down lap or it was over-designed always bugged me. What kind of engineering doesn't include a safety factor? How does a driver trust a machine like that and give his all?

Thats similar to Colin Chapmans mentality. He didnt even care if it made it around the cool down lap, he just wanted it to cross the finish line. Probably a reason why Lotus was a dangerous car to drive

[ELVA164]

Thats similar to Colin Chapmans mentality. He didnt even care if it made it around the cool down lap, he just wanted it to cross the finish line. Probably a reason why Lotus was a dangerous car to drive

That's who he's talking about :p

That philosophy killed a lot of people, and almost killed even more. Many drivers refused to drive a Lotus for that very reason.

[LateFan]

I wasn't clear there - Colin Chapman always bugged me. I always thought it was so brave of him (CC) to sit safely on the wall with his clipboard and his headphones while these guys are risking everything in his fragile little cars.

[2mAn]

Sorry I missed that post mentioning CC. I thought damn there's more than one crazy designer

[TobyB]

I have come to think that Broadley was one of the most under-rated British designers, ever.

t

[ELVA164]

I have come to think that Broadley was one of the most under-rated British designers, ever.

t

I'd have to agree. You never hear his name mentioned and he had some truly great designs. The Mk1 embarrassed everything else including the Lotus 11 and the T70 changed the face of big-bore sports and endurance racing, for two examples.