VIN: the Mike de Udy / Solar Productions Lola T70 Mk3B GT chassis SL76/149
History of chassis SL76/149
Chassis SL76/149 was sold to 28-year old English privateer, Mike de Udy, for his 1969 campaign.
Prior to this latest T70, in 1967 de Udy had purchased a new first generation Mk3 GT (chassis SL73/105) which he raced until it was wrecked at Crystal Palace in August 1968. The damaged remains of SL73/105 were sold to David Prophet while de Udy purchased a second-hand T70 from Paul Hawkins to complete the season (SL73/112).
A graduate of the Jim Russell Racing School, Mike de Udy began his motor racing career with a couple of years in Formula Junior. He then moved into sports cars with a Porsche 904 GTS mid-way through 1964 (chassis 0085).
The 904 was replaced with a 906 for 1966 (chassis 101) in which de Udy frequently appeared under the Porsche Cars Great Britain banner. 1967 saw de Udy race both his 906 and the first of his new Lolas.
As per his previous T70s, SL76/149 was painted a handsome shade of pale green and accessorised with elaborate black pinstripes. It was also fitted with the same distinctive snorkel-type air vents that de Udy installed to extract hot air from the cockpit.
This latest T70 was campaigned under the Grand Bahama Racing Car Co. banner; de Udy spent much of his childhood in the Bahamas where his wealthy family had several business interests.
SL76/149 was co-driven throughout 1969 by Frank Gardner with whom de Udy had begun to team up with in 1969.
The season got off to an inauspicious start; a faulty suspension top link that showed up in practice caused Gardner to withdraw from the green Lola’s debut in round two of the British Sportscar Championship at Snetterton before it had even turned a wheel. Next time out at Thruxton three days later (round three), Gardner qualified third but retired on the second lap with clutch failure.
SL76/149 went on to appear in two more rounds of the ‘69 British series. Gardner qualified second at Croft (round seven) but was again forced out early on with clutch failure. The car subsequently came good on its second appearance of the year at Thruxton (round eight) where Gardner took pole and finished as runner up behind Denny Hulme’s Sid Taylor Racing T70.
More success was generally had outside of the British series. At the high profile Oulton Park Gold Cup, Gardner qualified second and took victory. Six weeks earlier he and de Udy had claimed the runner up spot in the Vila Real 6 Hour street race behind a Porsche 908/02 driven by David Piper and Chris Craft.
A month after their victory at Oulton Park, Gardner and de Udy headed to Italy for the non-championship Imola 500km event, but their race (blighted by the wrong gear ratios) ended prematurely when de Udy span at Rivazza and had to limp back to the pits with a damaged back end.
After a season of mixed fortune (and following repairs from its outing at Imola), de Udy shipped SL76/149 to Africa where it would contest the five round Springbok series. Gardner and de Udy finished second in the Kyalami 9 Hours (behind the David Piper / Richard Attwood Porsche 917) after which they won the 3 Hour races at Cape Town and Lourenco Marques.
Another second place finish was achieved at the Bulawayo 3 Hours following which de Udy drove single-handedly but failed to finish in the 3 Hour finale at Pietermaritzburg (owing to a differential failure). Immediately afterwards, de Udy purchased the T70 that won the race (chassis SL76/138) which Sid Taylor had loaned to John Love.
However, de Udy only went on to race his brace of Lolas twice more as his attention soon switched to Touring Cars.
SL76/149 appeared at the 1970 Sebring 12 Hours where de Udy and Mike Hailwood retired with brake trouble early on.
The newly acquired SL76/138 appeared at the Brands Hatch 6 Hours where de Udy and Gardner failed to finish as a result of camshaft failure.
Both cars were then immediately put up for sale.
SL76/149 was purchased by Solar Productions as an extra for the Steve McQueen movie Le Mans.
It subsequently passed to noted British car dealer, Rod Leach.
By the 1980s the car had been exported to the USA where it was restored.
Notable History
Sold to Mike de Udy (Grand Bahama Racing Car Co.)
Pale Green with Black pinstripes
04/04/1969 BSC Snetterton Guards Trophy (F. Gardner) DNS (#-)
07/04/1969 BSC Thruxton Embassy Trophy (F. Gardner) DNF (#5)
06/07/1969 IND Vila Real 6 Hours (M. de Udy / F. Gardner) 2nd oa, 1st S5.0 class (#1)
13/07/1969 BSC Wills Trophy, Croft (F. Gardner) DNF (#1)
10/08/1969 BSC Kodak Trophy, Thruxon (F. Gardner) 2nd oa, 2nd SP2.0+ class (#1)
16/08/1969 IND Oulton Park Gold Cup (F. Gardner) 1st oa, 1st S5.0 class (#41)
14/09/1969 IND Imola 500km (F. Gardner / M. de Udy) DNF (#28)
08/11/1969 SBK Kyalami 9 Hours (M. de Udy / F. Gardner) 2nd oa, 1st F class (#7)
22/11/1969 SBK Cape Town 3 Hours (M. de Udy / F. Gardner) 1st oa (#7)
05/12/1969 SBK Lourenco Marques 3 Hours (M. de Udy / F. Gardner) 1st oa (#7)
13/12/1969 SBK Bulawayo 3 Hours (M. de Udy / F. Gardner) 2nd oa (#7)
27/12/1969 SBK Roy Hesketh 3 Hours, Pietermaritzburg (M. de Udy) DNF (#7)
21/03/1970 WSC Sebring 12 Hours (M. de Udy / M. Hailwood) DNF (#27)
Sold to Solar Productions Inc., North Hollywood, for the film, Le Mans
Sold to Rod Leach, UK
Later exported to the USA and restored
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Keith Lewcock
