top of page

1975 LOLA DE CADENET T380

  • 4 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Man​s

  • 3rd at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976 with Alain de Cadenet & Chris Craft: The best-placed Lola in the history of Le Mans

  • Ford Cosworth V8 engine

  • Restored by Xtec Engineering

  • A light, manoeuvrable car that is made for the Hunaudières

  • Highly eligible for the finest historic events

ELIGIBILITY

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

CLASSIC ENDURANCE RACING 2 by PETER AUTO

LE MANS CLASSIC

MASTERS SPORTS CAR LEGENDS

DAYTONA CLASSIC 24 HOUR by HSR

ROLEX MONTEREY MOTORSPOSTS REUNION

SEBRING CLASSIC 12 HOUR by HSR

Brand

LOLA DE CADENET

Model

T380

Year

1975

Chassis number

HU01

Châssis

ALUMINUM MONOCOQUE

Body

FIBERGLASS

Engine

COSWORTH DFV V8 3 LITER

Power

480 HP @ 10,000 RPM

Gearbox

HEWLAND DG 300 - 5 SPEEDS

Weight

700 KG

Alain de Cadenet has had many lives: racing driver, designer, television presenter and commentator. Born in London to a French father and an English mother, de Cadenet chose a career as a lawyer, then became a photographer before embarking on the extraordinary career in motor racing for which he is renowned. It was with the Lola T380 HU1, the first 'Lola De Cadenet', that he achieved his best result in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The birth of the 'Lola De Cadenet

The story of the T380 HU1, also known as the 'Lola De Cadenet', is a fascinating one. Not only because it plunges us into the heart of the 1970s, with endurance legends behind its design, but also because it is still the Lola that achieved the best result in the Le Mans 24 Hours, finishing third in 1976.

The story begins in the 1970s, when Alain de Cadenet raced in Formula 1 with his own team. He soon realised that his chances of winning were greater in endurance racing. In 1971, he decided to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ferrari 512M for the Francorchamps team (he retired after 235 laps, in partnership with Baron Hugues de Fierlant). It was the turning point!

Alain de Cadenet approached the young designer Gordon Murray, who was working for Brabham under Bernie Ecclestone. He asked him to design a two-seater chassis based on the Ferrari 312PB (which Ferrari refused to sell to him), using Brabham parts from Formula 1. The idea was to make his endurance racing debut with his own prototype at a lower cost.

Thus the Duckhams Special was born, thanks to the support of Duckhams Oil Motor Racing. The car finished 12th in 1972, then evolved in 1973 and 1974 until De Cadenet decided to enter it under his own name in 1974, making it the De Cadenet LM. He did not drive it in 1974, preferring to return in 1975 with the HU1 that is now for sale.

HU1 and the quest for Le Mans

In 1975, after the Duckams had performed so well, De Cadenet really began to make a name for himself. The latter was sold to Colin Hawker (it was rebuilt as a Volkswagen) while Alain de Cadenet bought the brand new Lola T380, HU1 chassis. To make it more suitable for Le Mans than the original version, Gordon Murray worked on the suspension.

This Lola was characterised by a double wishbone architecture at the front, while the rear was innovative with a particular configuration using high mounted springs and a sliding block, moving away from the traditional trailing arm solutions.

The ex-McLaren engine was still used, producing 400bhp. The car was christened 'Lola De Cadenet' and bore the registration number VLA 451M.

This registration, seen on another of Alain de Cadenet's creations, was apparently to allow the car to be driven... on the road. In fact, Alain de Cadenet and his team tested their aerodynamic research on a stretch of motorway at night.

But let's go back to the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, when Chris Craft set the fastest lap of the race. The car finished 14th (5th in the S3.0 category for three-litre sports cars). At the start of that year's race, the car was running in the top three, but suffered from a top speed deficit, topping out at 190mph (305km/h) compared to 200mph (320km/h) for the Duckhams.

 

Development continued in 1976 with a revised design by Len Bailey. "Gordon Murray was always on hand to suggest modifications. We created a new body with a short tail and managed to get it up to 205 mph", recalled Alain de Cadenet in the columns of Motorsport magazine. At night, the prototype even reached 208 mph (335 km/h).

That year, in scorching heat, Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft took an excellent third place behind Jacky Ickx and Gijs van Lennep in the winning Porsche 936 and just one lap behind the Mirage GR8 of Jean-Louis Lafosse and François Migault in second place.

The two pilots did not have the pleasure of standing on the podium, which at that time was reserved for the winners. A historic result for a private car. It was Alain de Cadenet's best result in 15 races, and the best ever overall result for a Lola at the Sarthe. Later Lolas would finish in 4th place.

A tasty anecdote: for this 1976 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alain de Cadenet did not use his usual Ford Transit to tow his trailer, but a 1928 Bentley Speed Six to tow the HU1! Both cars were painted in superb British Racing Green.

One of only two surviving chassis

After the 1976 edition, HU1 was sold to Simon Phillips. A new car was built in 1977 (the De Cadenet LM3 also offered for sale by the Ascott Collection). HU1 was entered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans but the drivers - Tony Birchenough and Simon Philips - failed to qualify.

Entered in 1978 by Simon Phillips Racing with Batco France and driven by Nick Faure, John Beasley, Simon Phillips and Martin Raymond, the car qualified 15th only to retire after 99 laps.

Race results:

15/06/1975 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Alain De Cadenet / Chris Craft (Alain de Cadenet) - #4 - 14th place

16/06/1976 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Alain De Cadenet / Chris Craft (Alain de Cadenet) - #12 - 3rd place

12/06/1977 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Richard Bond / Tony Birchenhough / Simon Phillips (Alain de Cadenet) #6 -not qualified

09/10/1977 - Hockenheim (Interseries) - Richard Bond (Dorset Racing Associates) - #8 10th

11/06/1978 - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Nick Faure / John Beasley / Simon Phillips / Martin Raymond (Simon Phillips Racing with Batco France) - #12 - not classified (not enough distance covered)

Back on track in historic competitions

Acquired by its current owner, this 24 Hours of Le Mans veteran has been fully restored by Xtec Engineering to its 1976 configuration, the year it finished 3rd overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With an HTP valid until 2027, it has been entered in historic races such as the Le Mans Classic in 2012, 2014 and 2018. More recently, the car has been invited to compete in the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023. Eligible for Masters Sports Car Legends, Classic Endurance Racing 2, Le Mans Classic plateau 6 and Monterey Classic, the HU1 is an iconic car of the Le Mans 24 Hours and of Alain de Cadenet's rich career.

CALL US: +33 9 67 33 48 43

ENQUIRE ABOUT THIS CAR

Thank you for your message

ascott collection

Phone: +33 9 67 33 48 43
Mobile: +33 6 17 49 42 50
France
© Ascott Collection 2024

  • Facebook Social Icon
  • YouTube Social  Icon
  • Instagram Social Icon
bottom of page