VIN: the Scuderia Filipinetti / Jo Bonnier Lola T70 Mk3B GT chassis SL76/151
History of chassis SL76/151
Chassis SL76/151 was the second T70 Mk3B GT sold to the Swiss Ferrari distributor, Georges Filipinetti. It followed chassis SL76/145 which incurred heavy damage on its debut outing at the Brands Hatch 6 Hour World Sportscar Championship race on April 13th 1969. The engine and gearbox from SL76/145 were subsequently installed into SL76/151 while the damaged tub was repaired, built up into a rolling chassis and used for the Steve McQueen movie, Le Mans.
SL76/151 joined Scuderia Filipinetti’s Geneva-based team that, for 1969, included Grand Touring class Ferrari 275 GTBs and Chevrolet Corvettes.
As a consequence of the first T70’s crash at Brands Hatch, Scuderia Filipinetti missed their normal outing at the Monza 1000km twelve days later. However, SL76/151 was ready in time to make its debut at the Targa Florio on May 4th where Herbert Muller and Jo Bonnier failed to finish because of suspension damage following an off-course excursion.
The car then posted another three DNFs in its next three outings: an accident saw it retire from the Oulton Park Tourist Trophy, engine trouble forced it out of the Le Mans 24 Hours and head gasket failure resulted in another DNF at the Watkins Glen 6 Hours.
Thereafter, things began to improve. Bonnier claimed seventh in the Watkins Glen Can-Am race that took place the day after the World Championship contest and then finished second behind Andrea de Adamich’s works Alfa Romeo 33/3 at Zeltweg’s 39 lap Eroffnungsrennen inauguration race two weeks later.
Arguably SL76/151’s best finish came at the same track on August 8th when Bonnier and Muller took class honours at the Zeltweg 1000km World Championship contest and finished second overall behind the works Porsche 917 of Jo Siffert / Kurt Ahrens Jr.
Unfortunately, the red and white Lola failed to start the Oulton Park Gold Cup six days later after Bonnier sustained an injury driving his Lotus 49B during practice for that weekend’s non-championship F1 race at the circuit.
Herbert Muller then took the wheel of SL76/151 for the three-race Nordic Challenge Cup series held during August and September. Like most other competitors, Muller failed to take the start in the opening race at Keimoloa owing to a prize money dispute. The Mantorp Park and Anderstorp events that followed yielded a brace of third place finishes overall and a class win at the former.
In its penultimate outing as a Filipinetti entry, Muller and Bonnier finished eighth overall and fourth in class with SL76/151 at the Paris 1000km which took place around the banked Montlhery circuit, Bonnier then drove single-handedly to a class win at the 50 lap Hockenheim Hessenpreis event on October 19th when the red and white Lola finished second overall behind the Gesipa Porsche 908/02 of Jurgen Neuhaus.
Georges Filipinetti sold SL76/151 to Jo Bonnier in December 1969 and the car went on to make half a dozen more appearances over the next couple of years.
Bonnier entered Ronnie Peterson and Jorge Cupeiro for the Buenos Aires 1000km on January 11th 1970. They finished seventh overall and second in class, after which Cupeiro was paired with Reine Wisell for a 200 mile race at the same track a week later. On this occasion, SL76/151 failed to finish.
Thereafter, the car was raced by Stefan Sklenar who only made the chequered flag in one of his four outings (a 17th place finish during the Interserie race at Hockenheim in July 1970).
At some point over the next couple years, most likely after Jo Bonnier’s death at the 1972 Le Mans 24 Hours, SL76/151 was sold to Swiss racing driver, Rene Herzog, who is not believed to have used the car in anger.
The Lola then went through the hands of a couple more European owners before finding its way to George Stauffer of Wisconsin in the late 1990s. Since then the car has been restored to its 1969 specification.
Notable History
Sold to Georges Filipinetti (Scuderia Filipinetti), Geneva
04/05/1969 WSC Targa Florio (H. Muller / J. Bonnier) DNF (#190)
26/05/1969 BSC Oulton Park Tourist Trophy (J. Bonnier / H. Muller) DNF (#40)
15/06/1969 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (J. Bonnier / M. Gregory) DNF (#2)
12/07/1969 WSC Watkins Glen 6 Hours (J. Bonnier / H.Muller) DNF (#11)
13/07/1969 CAM Watkins Glen (J. Bonnier) 7th oa (#19)
27/07/1969 IND Zeltweg Eroffnungsrennen (J. Bonnier) 2nd oa (#21)
10/08/1969 WSC Zeltweg 1000km (J. Bonnier / H. Muller) 2nd oa, 2nd S5.0 class (#33)
16/08/1969 IND Oulton Park Gold Cup (J. Bonnier) DNS (#40)
24/08/1969 NDC Keimola (H. Muller) DNS (#3)
31/08/1969 NDC Mantorp Park (H. Muller) 3rd oa, 1st S class (#11)
14/09/1969 NDC Anderstorp (H. Muller) 3rd oa, 2nd S class (#3)
12/10/1969 IND Paris 1000km, Montlhery (J. Bonnier / H. Muller) 8th oa, 4th S class (#18)
19/10/1969 IND Hockenheim Hessenpreis (J. Bonnier) 2nd oa, 1st S2.0+ class (#6)
12/1969 sold to Jo Bonnier (Ecurie Bonnier), England
11/01/1970 IND Buenos Aires 1000km (R. Peterson / J. Cupeiro) 7th oa, 2nd S class (#20)
18/01/1970 IND Buenos Aires 200 mile (R. Wisell / J. Cupeiro) DNF (#20)
28/06/1970 INT Norisring (S. Sklenar) DNF (#19)
05/07/1970 INT Hockenheim (S. Sklenar) 17th oa (#9)
11/07/1971 INT Norisring (S. Sklenar) DNS (#??)
03/10/1971 INT Hockenheim (S. Sklenar) DNQ (#??)
Sold to Rene Herzog, Switzerland
Late 1990s sold to George Stauffer, Wisconsin
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Revs Institute - https://library.revsinstitute.org/
