Reviving Lola, The Greatest Racing Car Company Time Forgot

“Well,” says Till Bechtolsheimer, “here goes.” We’re standing in pit lane at Harris Hill Raceway in rural Texas under a blazing July sun. Bechtolsheimer is wearing his full racing suit, standing beside a 1958 Lola Mk1. He slips on his helmet, climbs in, and fires up the four-cylinder Coventry Climax, tickling the throttle with his toe. Then, off he goes onto the track. The man who has just bought the Lola brand is driving a Lola car for the first time.

This story originally appeared in Volume 13 of Road & Track.

SIGN UP FOR THE TRACK CLUB BY R&T FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE STORIES

It’s hard to think of a legendary driver who hasn’t raced a Lola at some point. Andrettis, Rahals, Sir Jackie—all of them. The storied British brand used to be one of the most respected in the business. Founded in England by Eric Broadley in 1958, the company was successful in almost every form of racing. Lola built Indy 500 and IMSA winners, Le Mans GT and LMP2 cars, and Can-Am, Formula 1, and Formula Junior machines. It built legendary sports racers of the Sixties like the Mk6, which Ford used to develop the world-conquering GT40. But Lola has now been dormant for a decade.

Bechtolsheimer, who purchased the Lola assets in late 2021, could rival anyone for the title of the world’s most interesting man. He runs an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint at vintage racing events and the No. 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. An aviator, he flies himself to races sometimes and owns a World War I fighter with a machine gun mounted on its wooden nose. He runs an investment business called Arosa that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Educated at one of the world’s oldest universities, Trinity College in Dublin, the 40-year-old Brit comes off as laser sharp and egoless—and good-humored when people mangle the pronunciation of his name.

Bringing Lola back from the dead will not be easy. But as he is quick to mention, even people who could become his competitors in the future are pulling for him and helping him open doors. Who wouldn’t want to see Lola back on the world’s starting grids?

The story began two years ago. “I received a text message from a friend with a link to an article saying that Lola’s assets were for sale,” Bechtolsheimer explains. “Lola is one of the most iconic motorsport brands in history, a marque I followed starting as a kid. It felt sad that it was disappearing, and if I could play a part in keeping it from being consigned to the history books, that would be a satisfying project.”