Seawater-Powered Magnesium Speeds Up Lola T70S

Lola Cars is breathing new life into its legendary T70S model with a focus on sustainability and advanced materials. The company is producing continuation cars, available in both historic racing and road-legal configurations. These new T70S models feature innovative construction techniques aimed at reducing environmental impact.

One key development is the use of magnesium alloys, which Lola now extracts from seawater using solar-powered electrolysis. This process significantly lowers carbon emissions and pollution compared to traditional smelting methods. Additionally, the car's bodywork is constructed from a proprietary composite system that includes basalt outer layers and flax inner layers, bound by a PFA resin derived from sugarcane.

This natural composite system, while not structural, offers superior tensile strength and stiffness over fiberglass and enhances the finish and stability of body panels. According to Lola's lifecycle analysis, these sustainable practices have cut the T70S's carbon footprint by 54 percent, achieving a cradle-to-gate footprint of just 4.6 tons of CO2e. The road-legal T70S GT variant offers modern drivability with a contemporary V8 engine and an electronically controlled sequential transmission that mimics the feel of a classic H-pattern shifter.