Lola T222

Always been interested in Can -Am cars - To hell with technology just stick a big engine in!
How many T222 are in existance and where are they? Peter Shleifer is running one in the Orwell supersports championship. John Hunt used to run one in Atlantic Computer leasing races in the 80s. Is it the same car?
The late Bob Akin ran one in historic races in the States in L & M colours
Any thoughts anyone?

Hunt's car was HU7 (ex Gene Fisher 1974?), he raced it in the early 1990s, before that is was used by messrs. Bell & Colvill in the same championship. later used by Geoff Hobbsin the Steigenberger Supersports championship, in L & M colours.

Schleifer's car is said to be "ex Bonnier", which MAY make it HU4, but don't quote me on it...

Regis Fraissinet's little-used chassis (HU3) was advertised on race-cars.com about a year ago, haven't checked if it's still there.

As I've said before, this is not my area of greatest expertise...
However, the highest number I've seen in HU7.
I have 4 as the Bonnier Interserie car, 6 Causey Can-Am and 7 Bob Nagel (or perhaps Parsons) Can-Am. Kazato raced another in the 1971 Can-Am

Did Bob Akin race a 222 as well as his T160?

David,

I wasn't aware of HU7's pre-Fisher history. I don't have Parsons driving a T222 at all - I assume it's Chuck we're talking about - He drove Bill Overhauser's T160/3 a couple of times in 1971/2, plus Motschenbacher & McCaig's McLarens. Have I missed some of his races?

I don't have any record of Parsons in a T222 either, JJ. The connection comes from one of the later owners, who claimed the car was ex-Parsons. Probably best ignored...

Geoff Hobbs has the red L & M car.

I always thought this was one of the best looking Can-Am cars. Nice shape, and really tough looking.

The factory team cars raced in 1970 were called T220s. Peter Revson raced this one with L&M colours. The first car had a very short 88" wheelbase, and was wrecked at Road Atlanta. Its replacement was 10" longer.

The customer cars available the following year were called T222s. The most obvious difference from what I can tell is the customer cars had two solid pieces of fibreglass which ran upwards from the rear of the rollbar back to the rear wing mounts. The works cars from 1970 didn't have these.

I have a magazine ad of the L&M car which ran in Supersports in Europe in the early 90s by John Hunt. It was advertsied as the Haas car driven by Revson. But the ad also says it was a 71 model, and a T222, so it can't be the Revson car. Also, it has the fibreglass strips mentioned earlier.

The Rosso Bianco museum brought out their T222 and raced it at the Silverstone Historic festival in 1991, driven by Richard Piper. It was very fast and won one of the races. Must have gone back into the museum.

Joe Wally raced one in the USA in the mid 90s, which I thought might have been the Hiroshi Kazato Can-Am car, as they have similar paintjobs.

The Bennetts also raced a red one very successfully in historic events which they took to Europe a few times. They also have a 1969 Simonez T163 with the high wing, and a Turbo Shadow.

Steve,

There are quite a few sources which suggest that Lola named Revson's longer wheelbase car in 1970 as a T222.

However, I suppose that since the John Hunt / Geoff Hobbs car is HU7, that seems a late number to be built in 1970, when earlier numbered chassis appeared as new early in 1971.

I believe Bennett's T222 was the car that Bob Akin drove.

Thanks Jeremy. I didn't know the long wheelbase 1970 works car was named a T222. Race records from that year continued to call it a T220, but it makes sense that they would change the name, given it was a modified version of the T220.

Would you happen to know the history of the T222 in the Rosso Bianco museum? I believe this is the car Richard Piper raced at Silverstone in 1991.

And slightly off subject, what happened to the T260 which used to be raced by Mike Wilds, and owned by the guy who owned Brands Hatch etc (John Foulsten?). Did that car return to the USA? I remember it went up for auction a few years ago, after he'd died.

I may regret opening this particular Pandora's Box but here are the T222 references from Tom Erwin's notebooks.

Watkins Glen Can-Am 1970
#26 Peter Revson T220 SL-220-1

Event not noted ('from Adrian Ketchum')
#16 Bob Nagel T222 HU-7
#51 Dave Causey T222
#88 Hiroshi Kazato T222 HU-8

Watkins Glen Can-Am 1971
#16 Bob Nagel T222 HU-7
#88 Hiroshi Kazato T222 HU-8

ARRC 1971
#44 Jerry Hansen Lola T220 SL220-01 ('ex-Peter Revson')
#17 Nagel HU-7

Mosport Can-Am 1972
#17 Nagel HU-7
#23 Charlie Kemp Lola T222 HU-8

Watkins Glen Can-Am 1972
#17 Nagel HU-7
#23 Kemp HU-8

Mosport Can-Am 1974
#18 F Gene Fisher Lola T222 HU-7

'FLK' or 'FLR' National 1977
#47 Vincent Orlando Lola T222 ex-Nagel

Watkins Glen Historics 1979
#32 Bob Akin Lola T222 ('ex-L&M Revson? 220')

Allen

Thanks Allen,

Not regretted here, since I now know the Kazato chassis!

Pete Lyons' 1971 Donnybrooke says that Hansen's car was the long wheelbase one, so the T222 argument seems flawed, especially since Nagel had HU7 at the time (but seemed reasonable, as I've read quotes from Lola employees calling the car a T222, but perhaps time / memory...) So the replacement Revson car was definitely not HU7.


The Rosso Bianco is also L&M liveried, and yes it's still there, at least it was in photos taken 2001-ish. The plaque says built 1970, but the plaques don't give much useful info. Wouldn't like to say which that one is...

(One of the T260s is also in Rosso Bianco)

Back in the early 80s - 82 or 84 Gerry Marshall drove a red one in the Atalntic Computer Leasing round supporting the British GP at Brands.
It was owned by a chap called Noel Gibbs - Anyone heard of him and is this the Bell & Colvill / Hunt car?

T222 (http://rupert8766.fotopic.net/p8524215.html)

Gerry Marshall in action at the 82 GP support race. My records show he finished 4th, (It was 5th until the BRM of Wilds stopped on the last lap).

BTW. the Program list the car as beinging owed by Noel Gibbs, re Built by John Dabbs & not having run for several years. It also says its ex Chuck Parsons.

The Program also says the Mallock T70 Coupe is valued at £50,000 and a 'good' GT 40 like colvills is worth half as much again. A Chevron B8 which cost £2000 new in the 60's is worth four to six times as much now (1982).

HI,

Always read -where?-that first Peter Revson's car was a T220 type #01 used until Donnybrooke where car was destroyed. Rest of the season being raced with T222 #09! Considering your conclusions it make some sense even if logic inclines to guess that 'second' car should be #02, client version being only available end of 1970 CANAM campaign ...
Knowing that the main difference between T220 and T222 is a greater wheelbase, it shouldn't be any car left with a short one ... unless first P.Revson's car being restored !!!

I guess you must wonder where the hell are # 02 #03 #04 and #05: #03 and #04 raced in Europe but for #02 and #05 ???

so list shows:
#01 P.Revson CANAM 1970
#02 ??
#03 Régis Fraissinet ( France ) Interserie 1971/1972 -> Historic
#04 Ecurie Bonnier 1971 - Brescia Corse 1972
#05 ??
#06 Dave Causey 1971
#07 Nagel 1971-1972 - Fisher 1973-1974 -> raced in HSR by Geoffrey Hobbs
#08 Kazato 1971 -
#09 P.Revson CANAM 1970 still??

The ex Hunt Hobbs Hu7 car is now in the hands of David Edwards who has campained in Classic thunder last year It is now at the workshops of Scott racing and will be entered in the Orwell Supersports cup this year.
Quite a collection they will have in there workshops to. On my reckoning:

2 Lola T222 one belonging to Peter Schleifer
1 M8e
1 March 707 (also Peter Schleifer) - if not sold

Just hope there is more than one Supersports round in this country this year. - We Brits do supply half the field!

Causey bought his directly from Carl Haas. Not sure of chassis number. He traded his whole package of T163 with two aluminum BB engines, trailer and all on it.

I can confirm that David Edwards has acquired HU7 and the history is as follows:
1970 imported to US by Carl Haas
1970 sold to Bob Nagel (colour Blue)
1972/3 sold to Gene Fisher, USA
1980 sold to Chuck Haines
1981 sold to Noel Gibb UK and raced by Ray Mallock and Gerry Marshall
1984 sold to Martin Colvill of Bell & Colvill (colour white)
1989 sold to John Hunt
1996 sold to Geoff Hobbs (L&M colours)
2004 sold to David Edwards

Can-Am history:
11th St. Jovite 27.06.70
14th Road Atlanta 11.07.70
10th Donnybrooke 12.09.70

:rotate:

Sorry, where have I been!!

I've just found all of my late Dad's paperwork from when he drove Noel Gibb's T222 in 1982.

Sorry if this duplicates some fo the information already posted but I thought it might make intersting reading and with the current situation with FIA papers and having evidence this is all information from 1982.

The car was loaned FOC to Dad and was originally described as having 430bhp, but the engine could be swapped for a 500+bhp fuel injected engine and was to be raced for the season, whilst advertised for sale but it was not to be sold until after the GP support race at the earliest.

"Lola T222. HU7, 1971, colour red, engine number 286M39T0010.
Monocoque NS4/L72, Hewland LG600, Brakes - Girling Discs, 12" 3pot. Wheels - Front 10.5" x 15", rear 17" x 15", Tyres - front 24x11x15, rear 27x14x15", Engine - Chev 302, 4995, bore 4", stroke 3", 2.2"in, 1.9" ex, carrillo rods, forged true pistons, Mackay inlet manifold".

There is also quite a lot of technical and dyno spec of the engine from Alan W. Smith Racing which Dad had carried out, but I don't want to bore too much!!

Well I hope that helps confirm/deny some information about the car and if there is ever any written proof of the above needed I have it all here.

The Rosso t222 u mention - are u sure its not the T260 car u saw??

that was sold last year in usa auction i think its possibly the ex jackie stewart driven car that Foulston owned and was sold 10-15 yrs ago at auction with a few of JFs other cars
i think only 2x T260 cars where built same as the t310 then long gap till the T530 came along in 1980

Orwell man has 1 T222

Kazato Lola 222 #HU-8 was raced by Hiroshi Kazato in 1971 with tech help from Carl Haas, in 1972 purchased by Bobby Rinzler team and driven by Charlie Kemp with Holiday Inns sponsorship, painted orange.
After the 72 season it was sold to Larry Johnson who raced it in SCCA class A sports racer.

The car was sold to Minoru Koybayashi shipped to Japan and was on display in his Restaurant Pit-In located in the city of Yamanashi. Remained there from some time in 1974 through the late 90's where it was sold at the Monterey Auction. Went through two more owners who did not do any work on it or drive it. The car is now owned by John Church of Carmel Valley CA, who is doing a full restoration on the car, but will probably leave the bodywork in the Kazato configuration as it is now. The car is in remarkably original condition and very complete down to the battery it raced with.
David

Are you saying that Kazato bought the car new and then sold the car in 1972 to USA after he bought T280 car ?
then the car was then sold back to Japan?
i know the car sat at Fuji museum for many years

so list shows:
#01 P.Revson CANAM 1970
#02 ??
#03 Régis Fraissinet ( France ) Interserie 1971/1972 -> Historic
#04 Ecurie Bonnier 1971 - Brescia Corse 1972
#05 ??
#06 Dave Causey 1971
#07 Nagel 1971-1972 - Fisher 1973-1974 -> raced in HSR by Geoffrey Hobbs
#08 Kazato 1971 -
#09 P.Revson CANAM 1970 still??

Chassis #2 was part of the Rosso Bianco museum and was sold during the Bonhams auction at the Quail in August 2006.