Don R. May, III commissioned this Co-Hog Lola T70 Mk IIIB Coupe in 1982. As the proud owner of of the last original documented factory-built Lola T70 Coupe (Ser. No. SL76/158), he wanted a smaller version that he could keep and enjoy indoors. The Co-Hog version was finished just over 40 years ago and has recently been sent home for a thorough restoration to overcome the ravages of time, weather, and movers.
It was fabricated using clear jelutong wood. Even the wheel knock-offs were built up from four pieces. Since wood never stops moving (even with sealing and painting), after four decades there are surface inconsistencies wherever there is a joint due to shrinking and swelling. The lacquer paint has not aged well either, leaving cracks over the entire piece. The change from the dry central Texas climate to moist coastal California and then coastal Washington environs has added additional problems.
Don was kind enough to host us for a visit during my original construction process and I was able to appreciate the incredible beauty of the real deal. This all happened before 3D scanning and digital cameras existed, so my eyes were my 3D scanners, and some detail drawings were my 2D takeaways to complement Don's photos.
The full size T70 was conceived and developed by Eric Broadley in the early sixties. It was clothed with a sensuous body by Tony Southgate. The Mk IIIB was the final T70 iteration after the Mk II Spyder and the first Mk III coupes. Its heyday was the mid-sixties, but the usual homologation rules shenanigans left them out of the hunt by 1969.
Don's T70 had a Falconer built 350 LT-1 with Webers and a dry sump. I didn't get to hear it, but just laying eyes on it and sitting in the tiny cockpit had my adrenaline pumping overtime.
The sculptural nature of Southgate's bodywork is evident in this view. Almost any view is delicious!
Wheels and tires were turned as one piece. It may be easier to remake them than to sand and repaint them. The wheel centers are in better shape and three of the knock-offs have survived. Having to repair only one is good news.
The Lola is huge compared to most Co-Hogs! It's over 21" (53.3 cm) long with the Co-Hog Porsche 935 coming in at 11" (27.9 cm) and the Series 2 Ferrari Racer at 5" (12.7 cm).
Working on a larger piece is easier in some ways but repainting it will be a challenge. Both my spray booth and drying booth are much smaller now. It weighs in right around 9 pounds (4 kg), so just manhandling it around will require new techniques.
Being moved around the country took a toll on the T70. Hard knocks caused some parts to fall off and created some body damage as well. The damaged areas will be rebuilt, and missing parts reattached or replaced.
The injector stack plate was carefully removed to have access for sanding prior to repainting the area. The plate was epoxied in place and will be replaced.
Epoxy is strong, even after 40 years - the exhausts could only be removed in pieces. I had to be careful not to cause even more damage to the body.
Preliminary sanding shows how much the wood has moved. The arrows indicate low areas from shrinkage and swelling behind the front wheel well. The variation is only a few thousandths (hundredths of a millimeter) but it must be evened out to properly smooth the surfaces.
More vigorous block sanding gave me a good idea of how much work it will be to address the problems.
This will be a long-term project as I squeeze in the odd hour or two amongst the other projects in the shop.
Check back now and again to see how it's coming along!