Lola T594 Sports 2000

T594

Lola publicity image of the T594

Under the skin the Lola T594 remained very similar to it's predecessor the T592 it benefited from larger brakes and vented discs all round with the rears moving to an outboard location it also received some additional bracing in the engine bay to improve rigidity at the rear. However new body was visually very different, an entirely new shape with moulded sidepods repacing the bare aluminium seen on all previous models the changes being driven by the need to address the downforce shortcomings of the preceding models.

Lola's design concept document for the car read as follows:

In 1980 when the T590 Sports 2000 was designed, our engineering team's primary objective was to produce an extremely aerodynamic car.

In this they succeded and the T590 and subsequent T592 have earned a justifiable reputation for excellent straightline performance allied to good handling on fast tracks.

However, we have learned a lot more about airflow management in three years, particularly from working with ground-effects cars such as the IMSA GTP winning T600 and this experience has led to the new T594. In essence we wanted to create MORE downforce from the basic body shape WITHOUT sacrificing top end speed, and thereby aid the chassis performance on tight tracks (already improved on the T592 by a stiffer monocoque and revised roll-centres).

The new nose reduces the amount of lift caused by air flowing over the top of the body and instead channels the air around the sides of the car. Careful shaping (this is where the wind-tunnel work pays off) of the moulded side pods re-attaches the airflow to prevent turbulent drag and also makes the radiator cooling more efficient. A 'filled-in' tail section with slight negative incidence provides increased downforce without the need for so much rear spoiler, which always loses speed, and subtle re-shaping of the plan area of the car has cut down the drag producing 'wake' which also reduces the slipstream assistance to following cars.

Larger and still larger brakes have characterised Sports 2000 development over the last few seasons; on the T594 we have gone the whole way and equipped the car with outboard ventilated discs an 4-piston calipers on all four wheels which will eliminate the possibility of overheating even in the long-distance events which are now becoming popular.

The specification of the T594includes centre lock hubs, alloy front uprights and driver adjustable front anti-roll bar introduced on the previous model; in addition there is now driver-adjustable brake balance and detail improvements to chassis and supension design.

So - the straightline speed of the T590 allied to the T592's excellent handling, with the addition of sheer grip due to reduced lift and additional downforce -

The Lola T594 Sports 2000

Year of Construction: 1983

Total Built: ?