Lola developed the T70 in 1965 as a mid-engined racing car for American racing designed to take an Americn V8 engine. The first T70 was an open Spyder because that was the format for American racing. John Surtees campaigned a T70 with 4995cc Chevrolet V8 engine in 1965, the engine later being enlarged to 5.9-litres. Eric Broadley launched the T70 MkII, still as a Spyder, in 1966, and the car took the new Can Am racing championship for 1966 with John Surtees at the wheel. For 1967, Broadley asked Tony Southgate to design a new body for the T70 MkIII for Group 4 racing which required closed roof coupes. The superb Southgate MkIII was both very aerodynamic and generated good downforce, and because it had a removable roof panel was able to compete in either Spyder or Coupe racing formats. The standard engine was a 6-litre version of Chevrolet V8, and the car was homologated for Group 4 racing, but since a large number of Ford GT40 had now been built the two cars were in the same Group to race. For the 1967 Le Mans 24 hours race Lola entered a T70 powered by an experimental Aston Martin V8 engine which sadly proved underpowered and then expired early in the race. Racing regulations changed for 1968, lowering the engine to 3-litres for Prototypes and 5-litres for Group 4, but a 5-litre-engined T70 was given homologation for the 1968 Group 4 races. The Chevrolet engine was not good at endurance races and T70 successes tended to come on shorter 'sprint' events. The Lola T70 MkIIIB was announced for 1969, replacing the existing monocoque chassis with an aluminium one, and restyling to the fibreglass body. Lola gave the Chevrolet V8 engine fuel injection and a 5-speed gearbox, and yet its existing homologation certificate was considered valid for the MkIIIB. Roger Penske took a T70 MkIIIB to victory in the 1969 Daytona race, but then had to race against the new Porsche 917 that under new homologation rules only required 25 to be built whereas Lola had operated against a 50-car build rule. Porsche 917 ran away with races.