RML
AD Group Sports Prototypes for Sale
In
what represents a rare and possibly unprecedented
opportunity, the entire collection of RML AD
Group sports prototypes is being offered for
sale, ranging from the original MG Lola EX257
that the team first campaigned in 2003, through
to the 2010 title-winning Lola HPD.
This
is either a chance to acquire, at one time,
a broad tranche of motor racing history, or
an opportunity to obtain a highly competitive
racecar that could be entered in this year's
Le Mans Series or ALMS. Each car is offered
for sale individually, or as a complete heritage
collection to the right buyer.
For
more information, please contact:
Phil Barker - RML Group
Email: Phil Barker
Telephone: 01933 402440.
The
cars being offered for sale include:
 |
 |
1)
MG Lola EX257
(chassis HU MG-LMP003,
Engine # TBA )
This
is the ex-works MG that raced at Le
Mans in 2001 (#33) and 2002 (#27) with
Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey and Kevin
McGarrity. Leased briefly to Intersport
Racing for competition in the ALMS
(2003), it was purchased from MG Cars
by Mike Newton in 2007 and fully rebuilt.
It has not raced since. |
2)
MG Lola EX257
(chassis HU MG-LMP002,
Engine # AER P03-011)
This is the ex-works MG that raced at Le Mans in 2001 (#34) and 2002 (#26) with
Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes and Jonny Kane. Purchased by Mike Newton in early
2003, it then raced in RML AD Group colours of red, white and blue in the Le
Mans Endurance Series in 2003 and 2004 |
 |
 |
3)
MG Lola EX264
Developed by Lola Cars and RML, this is the EX264 that won the LMP2 class at
Le Mans in 2005 with Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Warren Hughes. Fitted with
the Judd V8, the car also took Mike and Tommy to the brink of the 2005 Le Mans
Endurance Series LMP2 title, missing out by a single point, despite a dominant
class win in Istanbul. It could be updated to current LMP2 specification with,
for example, the BMW-based Judd V8 powerplant. |
4)
RML Lola HPD Coupé
Introduced as the MG Lola EX265C in 2008, the car ran as a Lola Mazda
through 2009 before being fully updated with the HPD V8-LM for the 2010 season,
claiming the Le Mans Series LMP2 team and drivers' titles
and finishing third at Le Mans.The car could be updated to
meet the latest ACO regulations for either LMP1 or LMP2 (ELMS or ALMS),
or restored to its original MG specifications, as the original bodywork is also
available. |
For
more information, please contact:
Phil Barker
- RML Group.
Email: Phil Barker or Telephone: 01933
402440
A
History of the MG Lola Collection
For
six seasons, between 2003 and 2008, RML AD
Group kept the flag flying for MG. While the
original MG company first floundered, then
stood dormant, before finally rising once again
in Chinese hands, the distinctive red, white
and blue livery of the team's MG Lolas kept
the iconic octagonal
badge firmly on track. Race and championship
wins followed, both at Le Mans and around
Europe, and ensured that the name of MG remained
alive, and the marque's rich sporting heritage
was perpetuated.
It
was with much regret that circumstances demanded
that the link with MG was finally broken in
2009. Now, as RML AD Group embarks on a new
and exciting period in partnership with Honda
Performance Development (HPD), the last ties
with that memorable period in the team's history
are being severed.
MG Lola EX257
First
seen in 2001, the MG EX257 was developed in
partnership with Lola and Advanced Engine Research
(AER) during MG’s
final years as a British motor manufacturer.
It was seen as the vehicle to bring the iconic
octagonal MG badge back to sporting prominence,
and in that, it succeeded. When the works team
arrived at Le Mans in June of that year, the
two acid-green and grey prototypes caused quite
a sensation.
At the time the ACO had split the prototype
classes into two. The top LMP900 cars, like the
Audi R8, were fast and powerful, but heavy. Against
these, the cars in the LMP675 category employed
much smaller, two-litre turbocharged engines,
yet were lighter and more agile. In theory, both
classes could challenge for victory at Le Mans,
and having never achieved an outright win in
the 24 Hours, this was the target MG aimed for.
The works team, managed by Hugh Chamberlain,
included an impressive all-British driver line-up.
Car #33 was shared by Mark Blundell, Julian Bailey
and Kevin McGarrity (chassis MG-LMP003), while
the drivers in car #34 (chassis MG-LMP002) were
Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes and Jonny Kane. In
qualifying for the 2001 race, the #34 had a narrow
edge, and the two MGs stood first and second
in class, with a best of 3:40.243 from Anthony
Reid.
Although this equated to just 14th and 17th
overall, the MGs had demonstrated impressive
pace, especially through the corners, and Mark
Blundell exploited this during the rain-affected
first hours of the race to move through to 3rd
overall. Reid, caught out by the weather, clipped
a rear wing and pitted for repairs. Ultimately,
both cars retired. The #34 dropped out after
just 30 laps with a broken exhaust, but the #33
led the class for 8 hours, consistently inside
the top ten overall, before electrical problems
(brought on by torrential rain) and ultimately
an oil leak ended the charge.
In
America, Intersport and KnightHawk successfully
ran customer EX257s, and in the 2002 ALMS season
took first and second in LMP675, and with a
late-starting Dyson entry finishing fifth.
Suitable encouraged, MG returned to Le Mans
in June – the Hot
Wheels liveried cars stronger and fitter, and
with the same squad. Reid, Hughes and Kane were
in the #26 car, while Blundell, Bailey and McGarrity
shared the #27.
This
year the positions were reversed. Blundell
qualified the #27 on class pole, 6th overall,
with a time of 3:33.254. After a late engine
change, Kane qualified the #26 second in LMP675
with a best of 3:36.694. Once again, the two
MGs sprinted off like hares in the race, comfortably
leading the class, and running well inside
the top ten. The first to retire was the #26,
pulling off on lap 129, just after midnight,
with a gearbox problem. The #27 ran on strongly
into the early hours of Sunday morning before
the engine gave way.
Financial
pressures were starting to hit hard at MG,
and with two attempts at the 24 Hours both
ending in failure, the works squad was disbanded.
However, the EX257 continued to perform well,
especially in the States, where Dyson and Intersport
campaigned with success in the ALMS. Regulation
changes in 2004 forced the cars into the LMP1
category, but Dyson still managed to take race
wins against the might of Audi. A total of six
MG EX257 chassis were built by Lola, and the
last retired from front-line competition in 2007.
The final chassis never saw action, and is now
in the Lola collection.
 The first of the ex-works cars to enter service
for RML AD Group was the former Reid, Hughes,
McGarrity chassis MG-LMP002, the #26 from 2002,
which made its red, white and blue debut in the
Le Mans 1000 Kilometres of November 2003. Mike
Newton and Thomas Erdos, who were regularly sharing
an RML Saleen in the FIA GT Championship, were
joined for the inaugural Le Mans Endurance race
by RML and McLaren test driver Chris Goodwin.
Still
competing in the LMP675 class at this stage,
Tommy set pole with a best (for the Bugatti
circuit, right) of 1:29.533, but the race start
was near-disaster. A brake problem sent him
spinning, and although he recovered well, the
car retired after 65 laps with a transmission
issue. It may have been a disappointing beginning
for the RML AD Group sports prototype programme,
but it heralded a new era for the team.
In 2004, Mike and Tommy became regular competitors
in the Le Mans Endurance Series, but by then
the regulations had changed, and the EX257, with
its turbo 2 litre AER XP-20 engine was reassigned
into LMP1. It was a tough call.
From
Round 1 at Monza it became evident that the
little MG was going to be hard pressed to compete
with the regular P1 cars, including the likes
of the Audi R8 and Zytek 04S. With only one
flying lap and a below-power engine, Tommy
qualified 11th, but ran as high as 4th in the
race, before Mike settled for seventh at the
flag. Next time out, at the Nürburgring,
qualifying went better, and the Brazilian posted
8th fastest, and the EX257 went on to finish
seventh again. From Silverstone in August the
pair was joined by Miguel Ramos – also
a regular in the FIA GT squad – and the
results show a brace of eights. However, the
season’s final race, at Spa, saw the best
qualifying run to 5th for Erdos, behind a trio
of works Audis and the Creation Zytek. In the
race, Erdos moved up to third, which Newton held,
but a slow puncture for Ramos dropped the #7
back down the order, taking the flag in sixth.
Mid-way
through the LMES season, the RML MG EX257 headed
for Le Mans. For a third time the former works
MG would make battle with the demanding Sarthe
circuit. Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos shared
the cockpit that year with Nathan Kinch, at
the time a hot prospect in British GT but making
his Le Mans debut. Up against the LMP1 regulars,
the former 675 chassis was outgunned in terms
of outright pace, but still retained agility
and good wet-weather potential. Erdos qualified
12th in class, but within minutes of the start
the car was back into the garage needing a
new starternator. A cracked exhaust followed,
and the team spent next seventeen hours playing
catch-up – with some success – until
the engine threw a piston after 256 laps, twenty
hours into the race. It was to be the best-ever
run in a 24 hour race from the EX257.
Despite this, the change in regulations had
clearly not suited the less powerful MG Lola
EX257, and with hearts and minds set on winning,
RML AD Group elected to move into the LMP2 category
for the 2005 season.
In 2004 Mike Newton acquired the second works
chassis (MG-LMP003) from MG; the one-time Blundell,
Bailey and McGarrity #27, reuniting the two-car
squad from 2001/2002. This second car has been
comprehensively restored to its original specification,
and retains the distinctive green and grey livery
and XP-20 AER turbocharged engine. As such, it
is not perfectly suited to competition, but would
make a very appealing show car, and would also
be eligible for historic events, including Goodwood.
By
contrast, the RML AD Group EX257 has continued
to lead an active life, and has made regular
appearances on track, including a run at Oulton
Park as part of the Lola 50th anniversary celebrations
with Mike Newton in 2009.
MG Lola EX264
The 2004 season had demonstrated that the EX257,
designed to compete in the defunct LMP675 category,
could never be made truly competitive within
the constraints of the revised ACO regulations.
Lola, in close cooperation with RML, embarked
on an ambitious project to carry the MG name
forwards into the new era, and the MG EX264 was
the result. Fully compliant with the LMP2 regulations
of the time, the EX264 was built around the Lola
B05/40 chassis, but incorporated many of the
successful endurance and reliability innovations
RML had developed for the EX257. The highly-stressed
turbocharged engine had also been exchanged for
a naturally aspirated Judd V8, badged once again
as an MG, although, at about this time, the MG
factory at Longbridge was closing its doors.
Full details and technical specifications for
the 2005 EX264 can be found here:
RML AD Group arrived at Round 1 of the 2005
Le Mans Endurance Series with a brand new car,
and Tommy Erdos promptly took class pole. He
went on to lead the class by a huge margin, but
a string of electrical issues would eventually
see the car home fourth. It was an encouraging
start none the less.
It
became significantly better at Le Mans in June,
when Mike and Tommy were joined by former MG
works driver Warren Hughes. Erdos qualified
a relatively conservative third in class, but
lost any advantage in the opening hours of
the race with an overheating engine. The team
sorted that, and so began another historic
recovery. Seventeen hours later the MGEX264
took the class lead, for the first time anyway.
A crack in the gearbox casing meant another
enforced stop for repairs, but with five hours
remaining, the MG was back in the race and
gunning for third. Within the hour Erdos was
through to second, but as he came through the
Ford Chicane with two hours to go, a rear suspension
component snapped. He managed to crab the EX264
back to the garage, where the team repaired
the entire corner in 35 minutes. By a quirk
of fate, the class leading Belmondo Courages
were also in trouble, and when Erdos emerged
once more, the race was on to narrow the gap.
With less than an hour remaining Erdos swept
through into the lead, and pressed on to the
chequered flag and RML AD Group’s first
Le Mans win.
The
EX264 then returned to the LMES for the remaining
four races of the year. The team qualified
third at Monza and finished second; took pole
at Silverstone but crossed the line third again;
set pole again at the Nürburgring, and
once more finished third; but then rounded
off the year with a second place in qualifying
and a first Series win in Istanbul. Mike and
Tommy missed the 2005 LMES title by a single
point.
The
2006 followed on in similar style, but the
team used a second Lola B05/40 chassis and
reverted to the turbocharged AER-derived four-cylinder
engine. Designated as the MG XP-20, the unit
had benefited from AER’s experience and
two more years of development. Not only light
and powerful, the engine was now also significantly
more reliable. Pole in the opening race of the
Le Mans Series (no “Endurance” from
2006) at Istanbul confirmed that the pace was
there, but after Tommy was punted off the line
at the start the engineers had to rebuild
the car almost completely before the MG could
begin its race. It finished 6th. Pole again at
Spa was followed by second at the flag after
a puncture delayed the run. More misfortune at
the Nürburgring, when a bizarre brake-pad
failure cost valuable minutes, and the
MG crossed the line fourth. A win at Donington
put Mike and Tommy back on course for the title,
and in the final race, the Brazilian was leading
comfortably with five minutes to go when, for
the first time all year, the engine gave way.
This time they missed out on the title by just
two points.
Making
up for that disappointment was the knowledge
that, back in June, and co-driving with Andy
Wallace, Mike and Tommy had clocked up their
second class win in the 24 Hours. 2006 proved
to be a much easier run at Le Mans that the fraught
experiences of 2005. A dominant pole was followed
by a race where the MG led LMP2 almost from start
to finish, only losing the top slot through pitstops,
and crossed the line 8th overall, Mike Newton
moving through from ninth on the last lap.
In
the hands of Thomas Erdos, the MG EX264 took
pole in every race during 2006, including Le
Mans, making an unbeaten run that began in
August 2005. The following season would not
be so straightforward, but that perhaps is
why it became so much more satisfying for the
two drivers when they took the Le Mans Series
title for the first time. Pole may have been
harder to come by, and Erdos only managed that
accolade twice, at the Nürburgring
and Spa, but finishing 2nd at Monza, 6th in Valencia,
1st in Germany, and again at Spa (where the MG
finished third overall) and 4th at Silverstone
was more than enough to secure the 2007 crown.
MG
Lola EX265
That was three very successful years for the
MG EX264, but the competition was becoming tougher
than ever. A radical re-think was necessary,
and the chassis underwent a major revision over
the winter of 2007/08. So much so, that the car
had to be re-homologated as the MG Lola EX265.
The major difference was in the engine. Significant
work by AER had resulted in the creation of the
MG XP-21. Still a turbocharged four-cylinder,
it was notably more efficient and powerful than
its predecessor, and it was hoped that the upgrade
would allow the MG EX265 to compete against the
new dominant force in LMP2 competition, the Porsche
Spyder.
It
soon became apparent that race wins in 2008
were going to be hard to come by for anyone
without one of the Spyders. RML’s newly updated
EX265 finished 4th in Barcelona, 4th in Monza,
6th Spa and 6th Nürburgring, with a retirement
at Le Mans after just 100 laps. Something drastic
had to be done, and that came, much to everyone’s
surprise, at the final round of the Le Mans Series
at Silverstone in September.
Very
much on the quiet, and behind closed doors
at Wellingborough, RML had used the gap in
the schedule after the Nürburgring race to strip
the EX265 down into its component parts and completely
rebuild the car. It emerged, like a butterfly
from its chrysalis, as the MG Lola EX265C. The
svelte coupé made its debut, untried,
at Silverstone, and rewarded the team with 4th
place.
Of
the two MG EX264/5 chassis developed by RML
and Lola, the 2006 example, which took the
class win at Le Mans, is now in the hands of
RLR Motorsport, and contesting LMP2 in the
Le Mans Series. The 2005 chassis, which won
at Le Mans with RML AD Group when fitted with
the Judd V8, is now available
for sale. Fitted with the latest BMW-based
Judd V8, for example, it could compete under
the ACO’s
current LMP2 regulations or, with some additional
development, could also be made eligible for
LMP1.
MG Lola EX265C
Technically
perhaps, the EX265C only ever raced once. Fitted
with the MG XP-21 turbocharged unit, the coupé competed
at Silverstone in 2008 and was then completely
refurbished. It reappeared for the 2009 season
fitted with the Mazda AER MZR-R 2.0 litre turbocharged
engine. Still beautiful, and bearing the familiar
red, white and blue livery, the Mazda-powered
car contested the full Le Mans Series and also
the 24 Hours in 2009, but finished only one
race. The engine took an instant dislike
to the new regulation fuel of that year, and
despite the best efforts of the AER and RML
technicians, the unit failed repeatedly.
In
a last-ditch effort to get a result, the team
replaced the MZR-R for the final round of the
year at Silverstone, and duly earned themselves
a long-overdue second-place finish. Now, eighteen
months or so later, it’s
fair to admit that the engine that went back
in on that occasion was the MG XP-21. The record
books may never state as much, but the EX265C
did race twice, and finished on the podium
as a swansong.
 However,
after such a disappointing season, RML AD Group
was determined to regain the upper ground,
and in February 2010 announced a new engine
deal with Honda Performance Development; HPD.
The Lola coupé had been totally rebuilt
over the closed season and fitted with the HPD
LM-V8. From the outside the only obvious change
was the appearance, above the cockpit, of the
air inlet for the naturally aspirated engine.
Underneath there had been many modifications.
Combining the HPD engine’s excellent track
record for reliability with RML’s meticulous
preparation resulted in a racecar that never
missed a beat. It ran faultlessly throughout
2010 to record a championship-winning performance,
giving RML the team title, and Mike Newton and
Thomas Erdos their second set of LMP2 drivers’ titles
in the Le Mans Series.
The car also completed a near-faultless run
to third place in the Le Mans 24 Hours, returning
Mike Newton, Thomas Erdos and Andy Wallace to
the Le Mans podium for the first time since the
trio shared the top step in 2006.
Full
details of the car, as offered for sale, are
included here,
where there is also a full listing of the comprehensive
spares
package offered with the car. However,
the option remains to return the car to its
original form as the MG Lola EX265C, fitted
with the final generation MG XP-21 engine.
This would enable the committed MG enthusiast
to put together a unique collection of all
the MG Lola sports prototypes, from ex-works
257 through to podium-winning coupé.
For
more information, please contact:
Phil Barker - RML Group
Email: Phil Barker
Telephone: 01933 402440
Further information:
Wikkipedia Link: MG-Lola EX257
MG race report 2001: MG
Cars Press Release 2001
MG Race report 2002: MG
Cars Press Release 2002
|
