Lola race cars: Mac McClendon – the worlds most renowned Lola historian and restorer.
Here is a video highlighted to me from one of our Facebook page followers, which is the story behind a US company that still makes Lola race cars.
Amanda Rogers reports on the brief history of Lolas, the effort that goes into building Lolas, and also what makes these cars so valuable and nostalgic. She also investigated the story of my human element – Mac McClendon – the worlds most renowned Lola historian and restorer. Mac has an amazing story that she portrays well. Mac fought in the Korean War at the young age of 15, and then Vietnam. He received his degree in engineering and business, and began racing professionally in 1960.
Mac purchased all the official Lola tooling and machinery when Lola International had a financial collapse in the 1970’s. After Mac retired from professional racing, he got a job at Nasa thanks to his engineering background. He retired from Nasa in 1991 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Angie to continue his hobby of building Lola race cars. Mac has been building and restoring the cars for 32 years and certainly seems a character.
I hope you enjoy the video. It’s people like Mac that make the classic car world such an interesting place. Don’t you agree?
To Mac McClendonen; I have ALWAYS been in love with the Lola T70 MK3B race cars ever since I first saw them at Brainerd (MN) in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
What a beautiful race car. Now much later in life but still yearning for a T-70, I,m wondering if there is a Lola T-70 coupe you know of that needs work and a engine for sale. If you know of such please let me know. Jeff LeBlond at jeff@fjbshocks.com. I’d like to street this car with a Dodge (trophy truck) engine 410 CU aluminum block called a A8 or 410 engine. I have a couple of them.
Hey Mac, It’s MacK, just dropping in to see how things are going in Lola World.
not much going on with Beth and I just getting older. If you have time drop me a line.
Hi Mac watched your video glad you are still doing what you love cars brought back a lot of memories
This video is complete fiction!
Although Mac McClendon has restored many Lola models he was never contracted to do so by the factory.
None of the original tooling was sold off in the 70’s and Lola were not in financial difficulties during that period.
I am currently involved with Eric Broadley and his family in a joint venture and can confirm that this video is misleading and untrue.