Walter Davies' 1978 Lola T492 Sports 2000 Racecar
Owner: Walter Davies
City: Toronto, Ontario
Model: 1978 Lola T492
Engine: Ford-Cosworth 2L "YAC" DOHC 16V
Prepared by: John Dodd
Lola's Sports 2000 Racers
Lola developed their T490 sports racer for the new Sports 2000 racing class which
started in England in 1977. As its name implied, Sports 2000 (a.k.a. S2000 or S2) was
for two liter sports racers. A sports racer is a purpose built racecar with open
cockpit, driver's seat off to one side to leave room for a theoretical passenger,
and bodywork enclosing all four tires. Sports 2000 specifically limited competitors
to the cost effective Ford Pinto single-overhead-cam 8-valve engine.
From 1978, the Sports Car Club of America decided to support an S2000 class too,
although it took a few years for grid sizes to build in most regions. At first look,
S2000 may have seemed largely redundant with SCCA's already long existing "B Sports Racer"
class. The difference was that by 1978 competitive BSR cars used much more sophisticated,
powerful, and expensive DOHC 16V 2L engines. Interest in BSR was limited and declining.
SCCA discontinued the BSR class in 1979, in favor of S2000. (ASR and CSR classes remained
for larger and smaller displacement sports racers, respectively.) By the 1980s, Sports
2000 would be thriving.
When Sports 2000 was new in 1977, the Lola T490 had a clear run and a ready market. For 1978,
Lola slightly upgraded the model's design to create the T492. Whereas T490 had come with a
single front-mounted radiator, the T492 came with dual side-mounted radiators. An upgrade
kit was offered, and most of the ten original Lola T490 racecars were updated to the later
style cooling system. Sales continued strongly through 1978 and total production of T490/492
racecars came to 99. Lola also offered a T496 model (in 1977) and a T497 (1978). These were
very similar to the T490/T492 but they were equipped with Cosworth BDH 1300cc engines and
Hewland Mk9 5-speed gearboxes for SCCA's CSR class. Ten T496/T497 racecars were built.
The T490/T492 were made obsolete by the T590 model of 1980; the T590 was lighter, narrower,
longer, and of course faster. However, faced with increasingly tough competition from Tiga
and Royale (among others), Lola's dominion over Sports 2000 receded somewhat after the T492.
LOLA CARS LTD.
Glebe Rd., St. Peters Hill, Huntingdon PE.18 7DS
Model 492, Chassis Number H.U.21, Engine Number (blank).
For spares service and information always quote the above information.
All design rights reserved. No reproduction without prior written permission.
Walter Davies' Lola T492: Chassis Number HU21
After being built in March 1978, HU21 was the third of five T492s shipped to Carl Haas
for sale in North America. It was purchased and raced by Mark Daniels of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. After several years of club racing in that part of the country, the
car was purchased in September 1982 by Chuck Kessinger of Burbank, California.
Kessinger was at the end of a long and successful racing career, and rarely drove
the T492. Instead, his son Corey is known to have occasionally raced it. After their
fun with the car, it was stored away for about fourteen years.
Conny Klintera acquired HU21 from the Kessinger family in 2000. Most of the car
was already disassembled and in boxes when he took delivery. Klintera restored HU21 and
then sold it to Nick Slevin of Newport Beach. Under Slevin's ownership the car was
enthusiastically raced once again. Slevin won an HSR-West S2000 class championship with
HU21 in 2004. He then acquired a Ford-Cosworth "YAC" (16 valve DOHC) engine with which
the car could participate in the American Cities Racing League series. So equipped, the
car essentially reverted to old B Sports Racer specs.
Walter Davies purchased this well-maintained car in late 2007 and brought it to Toronto.
Together with his son, Davis Racing is a two driver racing team. For one successful
season the classic Lola provided a nice counterpoint to their Escort RS1600, with similar
power but in a slicker package.
After BritishRacecar.com photographed HU21 in June 2010, Walter Davies reconfigured
the car with an S2000-spec engine and then sold it.
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Features and Specifications (as photographed)
| Engine: | Ford-Cosworth YAC dual overhead cam 16-valve 2L four cylinder engine.
(Produces approximately 210bhp and 235ft.lbs. of torque.)
Dual Weber 45DCOE carburetors.
Bosch distributor.
MSD 6T (part number 6400) multiple spark discharge electronic ignition controller.
MSD Blaster HVC II (part number 8253) ignition coil.
7mm Hi-Temp radio suppression spark plug cables.
19-row Setrab oil cooler.
Fram CPH43 oil filter. |
| Cooling: | dual side-mounted copper-brass crossflow radiators. |
| Exhaust: | custom fabricated stainless steel four-into-one header.
Muffler. |
| Transaxle: | Hewland Mk9 4-speed, upgraded with Rhino case.
CV jointed half shafts.
Girling clutch master cylinder. |
| Chassis: | aluminum monocoque with tubular steel rear subframe. |
| Front Susp.: | unequal length wishbones.
Lola proprietary fabricated uprights.
KONI double-adjustable aluminum-bodied coilover shock absorbers.
Adjustable tubular anti-sway bar. |
| Rear Susp.: | inverted lower wishbones, single top links, and twin radius arms.
Lola proprietary cast magnesium uprights.
KONI double-adjustable aluminum-bodied coilover shock absorbers.
Adjustable (seven position) tubular anti-sway bar. |
| Brakes: | (master) dual Girling master cylinders with integral reservoirs and bias bar. Tilton remote adjuster. (front) ATE Porsche 914 (1970-72) style calipers, and vented rotors, (rear) AP Racing CP2505 cast iron two-piston 41.3mm brake calipers, and solid rotors, inboard mounted. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Revolution one-piece aluminum wheels.
Avon racing tires (7.0/20.0/13 front and 8.2/22.0/13 rear). |
| Electrical: | Optima battery.
Tilton Super Starter. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
Smith oil pressure gauge (0-160psi),
AutoMeter tachometer (0-8000rpm),
Racetech coolant temperature (30-110C). |
| Safety Eqmt: | Schroth six-point cam-lock safety harness.
SPA FireFighter fire suppression system.
Quick release hub on a Racetech suede covered D-shaped steering wheel.
|
| Weight: | 1310 pounds. |
| Racing Class: | as shown with Cosworth 16V engine the car is configured for SCCA's "B" Sports Racer class. With a quick swap back to a Ford Pinto 2L 8V (~140hp) engine, it can race in SCCA's Sports 2000 class. There are vintage racing equivalents for either configuration. |
Engine Installation
Ford-Cosworth YAC dual overhead cam 16-valve 2L four cylinder engine.
(Produces approximately 210bhp and 235ft.lbs. of torque.)
Dual Weber 45DCOE carburetors.
Drainage hole, under rubber flap.
Weber Carburatori - Made in Italy - Tipo 45DCOE152 - Number 1331
(Left to right) fuel, engine oil, and engine coolant filler caps.
MSD 6T (part# 6400) ignition controller and MSD Blaster HVC II (part# 8253) ignition coil.
Fram CPH43 oil filter.
Engine oil reservoir.
Custom fabricated stainless steel four-into-one header.
Tilton Super Starter. The warning label reads: "This terminal MUST connect
to the starter switch. DO NOT connect/jump to power lead."
Peterborough Radiators - Royce Road, Peterborough - 2360
(The radiator on the other side is numbered 2393. Note: these are non-standard replacement
parts but they're sized appropriately and installed in the original location and manner.)
Side of oil cooler: "Use grease on connection before mounting if adapter."
Setrab Oil Coolers - Made in Sweden - Part no. 50-619-7612, Description 619M22l.
Installation must be free of vibrations and pulsations.
Batch 69395-2, Connection M22l, Max. dynamic work pressure 10 Bar.
(This is a replacement oil cooler, but it's installed in the original location.)
Front Suspension / Etc.
Low and wide, the T490/T492 unequal-length, unparallel dual wishbone suspension
was conventional. It benefitted from very stiff and lightweight components.
Before the Sports 2000 class started in England, the Ford Pinto engine was made standard
in another popular racing class called Formula Ford 2000. FF2000 was a supplement to
rather than a replacement for the venerable Formula Ford (1600cc) racing class.
Besides having more powerful engines, FF2000 cars also featured wings and racing slick tires!
Sports 2000 rules went a step further: monocoque tubs in lieu of tubular frames.
KONI double-adjustable aluminum-bodied coilover shock absorbers.
Lola equipped the T492 with AP Racing CP2505 cast iron two-piston calipers and solid brake
rotors all around. At some point, someone updated the car with Porsche 914 style ATE brake
calipers (circa ~1970-72) and vented rotors.
Lola provided the T492 with Bilstein shock absorbers mounted upside-down to reduce unsprung
weight. Bilstein shock absorbers are gas filled and are insensitive to mounting orientation.
Lola proprietary fabricated uprights.
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Rear Suspension
Half tubular steel frame and half aluminum monocoque.
Inverted lower wishbones, single top links, and twin radius arms.
The trailing links on this rear suspension are parallel to the car's centerline instead of angled
outward as typically configured on open-wheel cars. They're also as long as any you'll ever see.
The precise arrangement of these parts is just one of countless variables that affect handling
characteristics, for example providing a gentle and progressive amount of roll understeer.
If the bodywork didn't produce substantial downforce, it wouldn't need so much support!
Lola proprietary cast magnesium uprights.
Adjustable (seven position) tubular anti-sway bar.
Walter's Lola T492 came to him with inboard rear disc brakes. Did Lola install them? What components
did Lola use? We don't know, but we do know Walter suffered a broken rear brake rotor. New rotors and
new AP Racing CP2505 cast iron two-piston (41.3mm) brake calipers were installed as part of the repair.
KONI double-adjustable aluminum-bodied coilover shock absorbers.
This Hewland transaxle has been upgraded with an aftermarket Rhino case, featuring heavier
external ribbing to stiffen it from the differential housing section rearward. That's a big benefit
for higher power cars, but its bellhousing section isn't significantly strengthened.
Hewland Engineering Limited, Maidenhead: H9-2089.
Impressive shock-mounted muffler bracket.
Interior
To the driver's right: a Tilton remote brake bias adjuster.
Racetech suede covered D-shaped steering wheel.
Quick release steering wheel hub.
Smith oil pressure gauge (0-160psi) and AutoMeter tachometer (0-8000rpm).
The three toggle switches are labeled "Ignition", "Fuel Pump" and "Lights".
Gear selector.
As on several other lightweight Lola models, T490/T492 steering racks
were a reworked version of what Ford installed on the Escort Mk1.
The column can be extended to move the steering wheel closer to the driver.
Provisions for pedal height adjustment.
Sports racers generally offer more side-impact protection than open-wheel racecars.
SPA FireFighter fire suppression system.
Electronic control module for the SPA FireFighter fire suppression system.
(The battery seen in this photo is just for jump starts.)
Exterior
We enjoyed watching Walter's son Ralph Walter Davies drive the family Lola T492 in VARAC's
31st International Vintage Festival at Mosport International Raceway on June 20, 2010.
He lapped the challenging 2.458 mile circuit at a lightninq quick 1:31.64 pace for an
average speed around the course of 96.56mph!
In addition to sprint races, the VARAC Vintage Festival also featured an hour long enduro.
The Davies Racing team won it by completing 33 laps and establishing a winning margin of
over two minutes compared to their nearest rival, a 1982 Swift DB2 S2000 racer.
The T490/T492 design was created by Bob Marston. Marston left Lola a couple years after the
T490 and went to Royale where he designed Royale's very successful S2000M model and its
derivatives (plus all the rest of the models Royale produced before going out of business in 1987.)
Davies Racing - Walter Davies
VARAC: Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada
This air scoop suits the dual side-draft Weber carburetors on Walter's Cosworth YAC engine.
In S2000 trim, a different air scoop would feed a single Weber down-draft carburetor.
(The S2000 air scoop would be located where you see a black cover in this view.)
Lola T492 Sports Racer - viewed from the rear.
Revolution one-piece aluminum wheels.
Avon racing tires (7.0/20.0/13 front and 8.2/22.0/13 rear).
All photos shown here are from June 2010 when we viewed the car at VARAC's 31st International Vintage Festival
at Mosport International Raceway, near Toronto Ontario. Photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2011. All rights reserved.
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