(Rod MacKenzie)
Graeme Lawrence ‘bang on line’ as Kevin Bartlett remarked upon seeing this shot of the Kiwi champions Lola T332 Chev going through Oran Park’s new ‘twiddly bits’ during the 1974 Australian Grand Prix…
There is something great about seeing a racing cars mechanical elements isn’t there? Rod MacKenzie has captured them beautifully in this shot.
These Lola’s are favourites of mine as some of you would know, and a topic about which I have written at length, specifically Peter Brennan’s restoration of Lola T330 ‘HU18’- Lella Lombardi’s old bus. So I won’t bore you with the technical details again, it’s all in this series of articles, attached is the link to the first of them;
Lella’s Lola…Peter Brennan’s Restoration of the Ex-Lella Lombardi Lola T330 Chev ‘HU18’…Episode # 1
There is so much to see back there starting, of course, with 5 litres of fuel injected Chev, say 520bhp in period. The poor Hewland DG300 5 speed transaxle coped, just, as long as it’s components were adequately lifed, the ‘box was originally designed around ‘effete’ 3 litre F1 engines, not, big, butch Chevs.
The beefy sliding spline driveshafts are clear as are the big inboard brake calipers and ventilated cast iron discs. These Lolas were beautifully finished, all of the steel fabrications were finished in shiny nickel plating.
Suspension is period typical at the rear; single upper link, two lower links, the earlier T330 you will see via the link above had inverted lower wishbones. Uprights were magnesium alloy, fore and aft location provided by radius rods. The shocks are double adjustable alloy bodied Koni’s. Adjustable roll bars were of course also fitted front and rear. Rod MacKenzie’s shot is so sharp you can see Graeme has the rear bar set at full soft, trying to get rear end bite out of Oran Park’s slower turns no doubt.
The big airbox is clear, within 12 months most of the T332’s on the planet had converted to an all enveloping engine cover cum airbox to better flow air over the car and onto the rear wing, this development was first made by the Haas/Chaparral crew in the US on Brian Redman’s car.
Big, wide Goodyears put the power to the road, the wheels are Lola’s own 14 inch diameter cast magnesium jobbies; within 12 months 15 inch American Jongbloed’s were de rigour on these beasts.
A car of beauty indeed!
Graeme was very successful in it; he came within a bees-dick of winning the ’75 Tasman Series in a last round shoot out at Sandown with fellow T332 pilots, Warwick Brown and John Walker, that story is told here, the battle resolved in Warwick’s favour, the only Aussie to win the coveted Tasman Cup;
The Mother and Father of Lucky Escapes…John Walker, Sandown Tasman 1975…
Graeme also won the Kiwi Championship, the Gold Star with Lola in 1974/5.
Credits…
Rod MacKenzie, Terry Marshall
Tailpiece: ‘Team Lawrence’ and trusty T332 after a Tasman Levin win in 1975…
(Terry Marshall)
The circumstances for the upload of these two photos by Rod and Terry Marshall were in honour of the recent passing of Graeme Lawrence’s late father Doug, helping Graeme out of the car above. He was an integral part of his sons motor racing from the start. Clearly there is deep respect and affection amongst former competitors and their crews on both sides of the Tasman for Doug Lawrence. RIP Sir.
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