 | |||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Lola Cars | ||||||||
| Designer | Eric Broadley | ||||||||
| Successor | Lola T100 (Direct) Honda RA300 (Formula 1) | ||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||
| Chassis | Steelspaceframe | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Upper: transverse- andtrailing-arm; Lower: reversed singlewishbone and transverse-arm. Outboardspring/damper units. | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double reversedwishbones with twin-torsion bars, outboard spring/damper. | ||||||||
| Length | 3.76 millimetres (0.148 in) | ||||||||
| Axle track | 1,295 millimetres (51.0 in) (Front) 1,295 millimetres (51.0 in) (Rear) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,390 millimetres (94 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | Coventry Climax FWMV 1496ccV8,normally aspirated.Mid-engined,longitudinally mounted. | ||||||||
| Transmission | Colotti Type 32, 5-speedmanual | ||||||||
| Power | 186 brake horsepower (139 kW) @ 8,500 rpm 161 newton-metres (119 lbf⋅ft) @ 7,500 rpm | ||||||||
| Weight | 1,060 lb (480.8 kg) dry | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants | Bowmaker Racing Team Reg Parnell Racing | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  John SurteesRoy SalvadoriBob Anderson Lucien BianchiJohn Campbell-Jones Chris Amon Masten GregoryMike Hailwood | ||||||||
| Debut | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort. | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. | |||||||||
TheLola Mk4 and the derivativeMk4A wereFormula Oneracing cars constructed by theLola company in 1962. They were designed by Lola founder, owner and Chief DesignerEric Broadley at the request ofReg Parnell, proprietor of theBowmaker Racing Team. The Mk4 was the first design that Lola produced for the top tier of motorsport.
Design of the car broadly followed Broadley's experience in theFormula Junior category, with a steelspaceframe chassis braced bybulkheads in front and behind the driver. The engine was carried within the chassis, and cooling was by a radiator mounted at the front of the bodywork; two tubes of the spaceframe acting as coolant pipes to and from the engine. Following supply delays withCoventry Climax's new V8 engine, the cars were initially built up around the older, inline 4-cylinderFPF engine.
The Mk4 had its first outing in the non-Championship1962 Brussels Grand Prix where it qualified in the midfield but failed to finish. Its first World Championship race was the1962 Dutch Grand Prix. By now the cars were fitted with the more powerful ClimaxFWMV V8 engine; the meeting went somewhat better withJohn Surtees qualifying his car inpole position. Once again though, poor reliability let the race performance down, and neither car reached the finishing line. Surtees took the car's first victory in the2000 Guineas race atMallory Park in the middle of the season, but excess chassis flex impeded his Championship hopes.
A stopgap solution to the flexing problems was to weld extra tubes around the cockpit of the Mk4. When the revised Mk4A was introduced its most significant difference was in a number of body panels that were welded to the chassis in what Lola described as asemi-monocoque design. With the uprated designs results continued to trickle in, but a lack of development funding stunted the cars competitive growth, and by the end of the season both the Mk4 and 4A were completely outclassed. It was only inTasman Series racing, with the addition of the 2,750 cc (168 cu in) version of theFPF straight-four, that the car showed some promise. Two such-equipped Mk4 cars were shipped to New Zealand and Australia for their respective Grands Prix in early 1963, where regular driver Surtees was partnered by up-and-coming South AfricanTony Maggs. In his last two races for the Bowmaker team, before signing withFerrari, Surtees won theNew Zealand Grand Prix and finished second in theAustralian Grand Prix, a month later. Maggs failed to finish on either occasion.
With the withdrawal of Bowmaker, Reg Parnell Racing continued with the Mk4/4A cars into the1963 World Championship season, but only as second-string cars behind newCoopers. One Mk4 was sold toprivateerBob Anderson who entered the car into many Championship and non-Championship races, winning the1963 Rome Grand Prix.
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Bowmaker Racing Team | ClimaxV8 | NED | MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | USA | RSA | 19 | 4th | ||
| John Surtees | Ret | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | Ret† | Ret | Ret | ||||||
| Roy Salvadori | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | ||||||||
| 1963 | Reg Parnell Racing | ClimaxV8 | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | USA | MEX | RSA | 0 | 13th | |
| Maurice Trintignant | Ret† | ||||||||||||||
| Lucien Bianchi | Ret | ||||||||||||||
| Chris Amon | PO† | Ret† | Ret† | 7† | 7† | Ret† | PO† | ||||||||
| John Campbell-Jones | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Mike Hailwood | Ret | ||||||||||||||
| Masten Gregory | Ret† | Ret† | |||||||||||||
| DW Racing Enterprises | ClimaxV8 | Bob Anderson | 12 | 12 |
†Mk4A chassis.
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Bowmaker Racing Team | CAP | NZL | BRX | LOM | LAV | GLV | PAU | AIN | INT | NAP | MAL | CLP | RMS | SOL | KAN | MED | DAN | OUL | MEX | AUS | RAN | NAT | |
| John Surtees | Ret‡ | Ret‡ | Ret‡ | Ret | Ret | 3 | 1 | Ret | DNA | Ret† | Ret† | Ret | Ret | 3 | ||||||||||
| Roy Salvadori | 2‡ | 4‡ | Ret‡ | Ret | 2 | 6 | 2 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||||
| 1963 | Bowmaker Racing Team | NZL | AUS | LOM | GLV | PAU | IMO | SYR | AIN | INT | ROM | SOL | KAN | MED | AUT | OUL | RAN | |||||||
| John Surtees | 1‡ | 2‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tony Maggs | Ret‡ | Ret‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reg Parnell Racing | Chris Amon | 5† | 6† | Ret† | Ret† | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mike Hailwood | 16 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| DW Racing Enterprises | Bob Anderson | Ret | Ret | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | Ret | ||||||||||||||
†Mk4A chassis.
‡ Car ran with 4-cylinderFPF engine. On all other occasions the cars were fitted with the V8FWMV engine.
