Lola Cars, the illustrious British sportscar and Formula One manufacturer, has been put up for sale, opening up avenues for a return to the global motorsport stage.
The sale includes the brand, its registered trademarks, technical drawing library and various other items of tooling and equipment. Also included is the Lola Technical Centre and windtunnel facility, which had been separately up for sale since 2018.
While the Lola name has all but disappeared from global motorsport since it ended producing racing cars in 2012, but has remained active with the Technical Centre, which offers wind tunnel testing services.
Founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley, the Huntington-based firm has built cars that have achieved success in sportcars, Formula One and IndyCar. Its exploits include the Lola T70, as well as various cars that won the Indianapolis 500.
Broadley’s tenure lasted until 1997, when the failed Mastercard Lola F1 project brought the company to the brink of collapse. It was subsequently bought by former racer and businessman Martin Birrane, who passed in 2018.
“Martin Birrane cherished ‘everything Lola’ and his family’s goal is now to find a buyer with the necessary ambition, tenacity and drive to write the next chapter in Lola’s illustrious 62-year history,” Lola wrote in a statement.
“The preference is to sell everything in one single package, but consideration will be given to separate sales of the windtunnel and the Lola assets. The guide-price is £7million pounds sterling.”
“It is anticipated that this opportunity will be of interest to someone looking to restore the Lola brand’s position in modern motorsport, providing third-party engineering services, supplying genuine Lola spares to support the thousands of Lola cars that still race today, manufacturing continuation cars such as the iconic Lola Mk1 and T70, and producing Lola race cars and roadgoing supercars.”
