Going back to Eric Broadley’s sports car roots, Lola had also set new parameters of excellence in the new 2-litre class, his open monocoque chassied T210 having taken northern rival Derek Bennett’s Chevron concern, which was still using spaceframe coupes, by surprise in 1970. European agent Jo Bonnier, a Swiss-based Swedish veteran, won the drivers’ title. Austrian Helmut Marko won it in 1971 with its successor the T212, helping Lola to the manufacturer’s crown.

The ultra-successful and extremely attractive Lola T290 family of cars (and the 3-litre T280 series, powered by Formula 1 Cosworth DFV engines) are hallowed as classics of production racing car design. Rightly so, since Eric Broadley and Bob Marston were joined on the design team by youngsters Patrick Head and John Barnard, whose genius went on to span Formula 1 World Championships and Indycar racing, and continues to leave an indelible mark on motor sport.