Lola stands proud as Great Britain’s longest-serving manufacturer of racing cars and in 2008 the company will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Established in 1958 by Eric Broadley MBE, Lola experienced an extraordinary rise to prominence, in which it mastered all spheres of the sport; from the club classes to Formula 1, and endurance sports racers to Indycars. Since 1997, when businessmen Martin Birrane acquired the company and invested in its future, Lola has become synonymous with success.

Drivers of Lola cars have scored points in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship ever since the marque’s debut season in 1962. Lola’s roll of honour also includes no fewer than nine CART/OWRS championship titles, three Indianapolis 500 wins and the 1978 USAC Triple Crown, eight US/European/Tasman Formula 5000 titles. Victory in the 1963 Monaco Formula Junior Grand Prix, the inaugural Can-Am Challenge series of 1966 and the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours forms an impressive list which continues. The 1973 European 2-litre Sportscar Championship, five successive Can-Am titles, eight Japanese Formula 3000 crowns, numerous FIA International F3000 championships and three Sports Car Championships in 2001 alone. Additionally, Lola sports cars have carried amateur and professional competitors to countless championships and race victories on every major continent.

Birrane’s vision has made Lola in to a world force in many aspects of design and technology. When Sheikh Maktoum of Dubai announced plans for a new one-make ‘World Cup of Motorsport’ to be contested by national teams, Lola was ready. Calling for a car as innovative as his series concept, Sheikh Maktoum believed that there was only one partner who could deliver the technical brief in such a short time frame.

“We chose Lola because they had the resources and expertise to build just what we wanted: a truly distinctive one-make chassis,” said Maktoum. “The result was incredibly impressive when you consider the short time frame they were given. The working relationship has been quite exceptional – racing can be a very tough business, so when you find someone you trust it really does make a difference.”

Martin Birrane himself is not surprised how far and how wide Lola’s reputation for excellence has travelled. He commented, “People know that we get the job done and that we re-invest in the latest upgrades to the facilities we have nurtured. Apart from the technical capabilities we have, we also have a very talented team that can draw upon an extraordinary reservoir of skill.

“I would say that the main area where this is perfectly illustrated is in sportscar racing. The latest generation LMP1 and LMP2 Lola’s have become the only consistent rivals to major manufacturers like Porsche and Audi. Of course, Lola has its own history with the big motor manufacturers, such as Honda in the 60’s, Nissan and GM in the 80’s. In 2007 we will be the chassis provider for Honda’s ALMS campaign with the ACURA badged project. And later this year Lola will become the first customer constructor to have a closed top LMP car available.”

Biranne added, “These are very exciting times for the company. Since 1997 we have grown as a company and our customers have enjoyed success in everything that they have competed in.”

Whilst Lola’s worldwide name is synonymous with motorsport, it seems a well kept secret that the company’s winning technology also expands across the automotive, aerospace, defence, communications and marine sectors. This secret is reflected through the sensitive nature of these territories.

Recently Lola has joined the prestigious Watchkeeper programme. The UK Ministry of Defence awarded the contract, worth £700m, to a consortium led by Thales UK. Lola Composites is bringing its full range of design and manufacturing skills to the project as an official supplier, handling some of the tooling for the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) developed for the project.

Another arm of the Lola Group that is currently thriving is Altanet Technology Ltd. With a growing respect and recognition in the Defence and Communications industries, Altanet