Carrera Digital 124 Lola T70 Mk IIIB Coupe " Nürburgring 1000km 1969"
Item No. 23897
The T-70 series was manufactured from 1966 to 1970 with a total of 88 vehicles.
In 1969, the MK III B version presented here was built due to the new motorsport regulations (5-liter displacement and a limit of 25 units for homologation in the sports car class). The Lola T70 MK III B achieved its greatest success as the winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona.
The Lola T70 MK III B was denied further major successes, as Porsche entered the fray with the Type 917 in early 1969, resulting in Porsche dominance. Only Ferrari, with its 512 models, was able to offer some resistance, at least occasionally.
Carrera is now releasing the first model that competed in the 1969 Nürburgring 1000 km race. The car was unable to finish the race due to damage to the drive shaft.
The yellow base color with the white vertical stripe is, of course, very visible on the track. The headlights and small taillights are faithfully reproduced—apart from the very bright white neon lights. Like its larger counterpart, the car is built as a right-hand drive, as befits a British racing car.
Even if hardcore model enthusiasts don't like it, the tire manufacturer's sticker has once again been replaced with "decent decade." I find it very consistent with this model and wouldn't be willing to accept any cost increases for it. The tires bear the usual Carrera logo; if that bothers you, just turn them over.
Overall, the Carrera car features rather restrained decal decoration. Depending on the race, the original car almost looked like an advertising column, but the keen racer can choose from a wide range of decals and spice up the car to their liking.
The printing is clean and flawless; the white and red vertical stripe doesn't extend all the way to the lip below the radiator. The original photos don't reveal this, only one from 1968 would suggest this. Yellow is always a difficult color to match for plastic model cars, so the Carrera model is partially painted on the inside with a darker finish, but a slight dark shimmer is still noticeable depending on the light and lighting.
The model has a suggested tire at the rear, and even the belt buckle is a contrasting color. Even though the tire's diameter might seem a bit large, it's nice that it wasn't forgotten…it was simply required by the regulations for vehicles of the time.
The headlights (actually two twin headlights arranged one above the other) are, as mentioned, quite bright, but they illuminate the road and look good. The bright neon light can be dimmed somewhat, and depending on the installed light board, you can even make the top and bottom headlights glow. This requires a skilled hobbyist.
The rear light is very clearly visible on the track and does not cause any problems in terms of signaling when refueling is necessary.
The entire vehicle weighs approximately 210 grams, putting it in the same range as the Ford GT40 and the Ferrari 330 P4. The rear section of the body is attached separately to the chassis. The driver's insert and the black insert in the hood's ventilation slot are screwed on. Three screws, each approximately 1 cm long, were used for this. Screws directly into the plastic? Hmm, I can't really explain the necessity, but then, very few vehicles are ever disassembled this far. If you then unscrew the driver's insert, you'll see that the window insert is only plugged in. You can even replace the windshield wiper, since it's also only plugged in.
Unfortunately, the threaded inserts for mounting the body and chassis have slipped slightly below the plastic mounts, so if this is the case with all models: Be careful when tightening the screws.
Since both the weight class and the vehicle dimensions such as wheelbase and axle width roughly correspond to the well-known and proven Ford GT40 and Ferrari 330 P4, the focus now turned to the driving test.
First of all, out of the box – with magnets, the car is a sprinter, with good acceleration out of corners. If you overdo it with cornering speed, you'll experience a slight tendency to break away from the rear end; it seemed realistic yet was still easily controllable. The car was back on track very quickly. So, it's easy to drive and suitable for beginners.
After removing the magnets and lightly sanding the tires, the car becomes significantly more challenging. The axles and rims are okay, but not 100% straight or centered. A slight imbalance is noticeable. The car already drifts heavily in and out of tight corners and right-left combinations; while manageable, it's time-consuming. To make the Lola capable of winning against the well-known players in the GT Classics even without magnets, you'll have to put a lot of work into the car.
All in all, the Lola is a great addition to the GT Classics starting field. Many fans have been clamoring for this car for a long time, and now the first one is here, and I expect we'll see several more variants.
CoMod JoergW
Item No. 23897
The T-70 series was manufactured from 1966 to 1970 with a total of 88 vehicles.
In 1969, the MK III B version presented here was built due to the new motorsport regulations (5-liter displacement and a limit of 25 units for homologation in the sports car class). The Lola T70 MK III B achieved its greatest success as the winner of the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona.
The Lola T70 MK III B was denied further major successes, as Porsche entered the fray with the Type 917 in early 1969, resulting in Porsche dominance. Only Ferrari, with its 512 models, was able to offer some resistance, at least occasionally.
Carrera is now releasing the first model that competed in the 1969 Nürburgring 1000 km race. The car was unable to finish the race due to damage to the drive shaft.
The yellow base color with the white vertical stripe is, of course, very visible on the track. The headlights and small taillights are faithfully reproduced—apart from the very bright white neon lights. Like its larger counterpart, the car is built as a right-hand drive, as befits a British racing car.
Even if hardcore model enthusiasts don't like it, the tire manufacturer's sticker has once again been replaced with "decent decade." I find it very consistent with this model and wouldn't be willing to accept any cost increases for it. The tires bear the usual Carrera logo; if that bothers you, just turn them over.
Overall, the Carrera car features rather restrained decal decoration. Depending on the race, the original car almost looked like an advertising column, but the keen racer can choose from a wide range of decals and spice up the car to their liking.
The printing is clean and flawless; the white and red vertical stripe doesn't extend all the way to the lip below the radiator. The original photos don't reveal this, only one from 1968 would suggest this. Yellow is always a difficult color to match for plastic model cars, so the Carrera model is partially painted on the inside with a darker finish, but a slight dark shimmer is still noticeable depending on the light and lighting.
The model has a suggested tire at the rear, and even the belt buckle is a contrasting color. Even though the tire's diameter might seem a bit large, it's nice that it wasn't forgotten…it was simply required by the regulations for vehicles of the time.
The headlights (actually two twin headlights arranged one above the other) are, as mentioned, quite bright, but they illuminate the road and look good. The bright neon light can be dimmed somewhat, and depending on the installed light board, you can even make the top and bottom headlights glow. This requires a skilled hobbyist.
The rear light is very clearly visible on the track and does not cause any problems in terms of signaling when refueling is necessary.
The entire vehicle weighs approximately 210 grams, putting it in the same range as the Ford GT40 and the Ferrari 330 P4. The rear section of the body is attached separately to the chassis. The driver's insert and the black insert in the hood's ventilation slot are screwed on. Three screws, each approximately 1 cm long, were used for this. Screws directly into the plastic? Hmm, I can't really explain the necessity, but then, very few vehicles are ever disassembled this far. If you then unscrew the driver's insert, you'll see that the window insert is only plugged in. You can even replace the windshield wiper, since it's also only plugged in.
Unfortunately, the threaded inserts for mounting the body and chassis have slipped slightly below the plastic mounts, so if this is the case with all models: Be careful when tightening the screws.
Since both the weight class and the vehicle dimensions such as wheelbase and axle width roughly correspond to the well-known and proven Ford GT40 and Ferrari 330 P4, the focus now turned to the driving test.
First of all, out of the box – with magnets, the car is a sprinter, with good acceleration out of corners. If you overdo it with cornering speed, you'll experience a slight tendency to break away from the rear end; it seemed realistic yet was still easily controllable. The car was back on track very quickly. So, it's easy to drive and suitable for beginners.
After removing the magnets and lightly sanding the tires, the car becomes significantly more challenging. The axles and rims are okay, but not 100% straight or centered. A slight imbalance is noticeable. The car already drifts heavily in and out of tight corners and right-left combinations; while manageable, it's time-consuming. To make the Lola capable of winning against the well-known players in the GT Classics even without magnets, you'll have to put a lot of work into the car.
All in all, the Lola is a great addition to the GT Classics starting field. Many fans have been clamoring for this car for a long time, and now the first one is here, and I expect we'll see several more variants.
CoMod JoergW
