Car Spot: 1977 Lola T498 CanAM Car

Its driver loves speed

So the other day I was tagging along with fellow car buddy Darrel Burnett at the Automobile Gallery of Green Bay on a tour and spot this car. Wait a minute, I know this this car! It was maybe 40 years ago when Darrel and I were working at the same TV station in Green Bay and I went down to Road America just an hour south every weekend there was an event. I never had a plan, just sort of walked around until I bumped into one. I always came back with something.

For those that may not know, Kohler Company, located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay and maybe 20 minutes from Road America had a very large presence at the track. Maybe best known for a manufacturer of high-end bathroom and kitchen products, Kohler also produces and extensive line of of diesel, gasoline, hybrid and alternative fuel engines.

The story I discovered for me was a gold mine. Kohler sponsored a car so local company does good and add to that its driver, Jeff Miller, is also the corporate pilot. Being a pilot myself, we immediately hit it off talking pilot stuff. What a gig! Flying his boss Herb Kohler around during the week and simultaneously flying around racetracks all over America in the cockpit of his 1 of 1 Lola 1496 Can-Am racer. Just 10 years after climbing into a race car for the first time in 1968, Jeff won his first SCCA national championship in this legendary Lola at Road Atlanta in 1978….and he has never stopped winning having eclipsed 100 career wins!

This specially built 1977 Lola T496 Can-Am car has been a powerful partner on Jeff’s incredible journey and was designed specifically for his Wynnfurst Racing team by Lola’s English-based engineers. Credit Jeff’s friend and auto racing legend Carl Haas for making this marriage. In addition to his famous IndyCar partnership with Paul Newman, Mr. Haas also owned exclusive rights to sell Lola race cars in the US and sold this T496 to his friend Jeff in 1977 and the wins rolled in.

In the ultimate tribute to Lola founder Colin Chapman, who revolutionized Formula One racing by pioneering “power to weight ratio”, Jeff and Wynnfurst Racing repurposed small and light 4-cylinder/2-stroke Kohler snowmobile engines and ingeniously squeezed every last ounce of horsepower out of them to win 4 DSR National Championships. Graduating to their current 400 horsepower, 6-cylinder Kohler engines delivered another 2 C-Sport Racing National Championships.

What is it like screaming down the straightaway at 170 mph behind the wheel of a 1200 lb. sling shot? Jeff Miller describes 5 decades of dominance this way, “With all the experience I’ve had, what really impresses me the most is the excessive speed of this car. It’s the wow factor of being in a car this incredibly fast and how fast it climbs to the limit!”

The Miller family tree continues sprouting seeds of speed. Jeff’s son Jason grew up fast… extremely fast. 20 years into his own illustrious career, Jason is winning races all over the world and sustaining the Miller family’s “winning” personality!

Thanks for stopping by and reading about my spot and trip down memory lane. Come back next week for another of my finds along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.