15th March 2007

A Corvair-powered T320....yes it happened and it won.
With thanks to Gary Aube at www.corvaircorsa.com for permission to use this article.
Seth Emerson is a long time SCCA competitor. He's had three decades of racing experience in Corvairs and his Corvair-powered Lola. After racing Yenko Stinger YS-003 and F-Stock SCCA Corvairs in autocross, in 1988, Seth sold his Stinger to a restorer and set in motion his plan for a Corvair-powered open-wheel formula car to run in the A/Modified class. He kept his hand in by running a Street-Prepared Corvair.

Finding a chassis to accommodate the flat-six Corvair engine was the first step. He looked for and found an early (pre-1976) SuperVee chassis, designed for use with a Volkswagen Type III or IV flat 4-cylinder engine. Working with the American distributor for Lola Cars, Seth sourced all the parts he needed to build his hybrid.

The Corvair engine was at least four inches longer than the VW motor, and the combination required a 2.5 inch increase in the wheelbase. His busy racing and maintenance schedule (not to mention a regular job) wouldn't allow him to do the work himself, so he assigned the chassis job to a race car fabrication shop while he finished up the '89 season in Street Prepared.

The Hewland transaxle used in the Lola required an adapter to be mated to the Corvair engine. Since the Hewland is based on the VW case, a Crown Corvair/VW adapter worked perfectly. The flywheel and clutch parts were supplied by Kennedy Engineered Products. The expensive Hewland input shaft was replaced with a standard VW part ($8), and a modified Corvair starter was used. An Otto Parts pan and baffle spacer cleared the lower chassis tubes perfectly, and a stock alternator cleared the frame, allowing Seth to use a stock-type fan and drive assembly.

Using a motor based on the one used in his Yenko Stinger at Denver in 1981, Seth installed factory turbo equipment, heads and a stock F-flow compressor. To ensure good power in corners, he installed a 40 DCOE Weber carburetor, using a Crown adapter. With a dry weight of 950 pounds, the power-to-weight ratio approximated a full bodied Corvair with 450 horsepower!In an article he wrote for the Corvair Society of America (CORSA) publication, Corsa Communique, Seth described the Lola driving experience by saying, "I now have a great admiration for those race drivers who road-race turbocharged cars. You have to have a fine touch with the throttle. It is non-linear with a disconcerting twist. You can be accelerating out of a corner nicely with your foot holding the throttle steady, and 'bang!' boost comes up and away you go (or around and around you go). Is is a rush, though! My first time on course, I only spun it three times."

In 1992, Seth converted the car to normally aspirated intake. Weber 3-barrels from a Porsche 911 replaced the turbo. Although not as powerful, the car was easier to drive fast. This resulted in the 1993 SCCA San Francisco Regional A/Mod Championship. Seth also won two CORSA Don Yenko awards and the car became a CORSA Senior Division Concours champion.

In October, 1998 Seth Emerson's Lola was sold to an East Coast Corvair enthusiast who races it in the South Carolina area.

Lola T320/Corvair Specifications

The Car

 1973 Lola T320 SuperVee -Chassis #19

Originally VW powered (type IV, 1.6 liter)
Raced in SCCA SuperVee and USAC Mini-Indy Series
94" wheelbase (2.5" stretch)
Weight: 920 lbs. less fuel and driver
Chassis formed from aluminum; Monocoque w/bulkheads
Transaxle: British Hewland Mk. 8 (4-speed) w/limited slip
Upper body: Fiberglass
Paint: Dupont Imron
Brakes & halfshafts: Modified VW type III
Wheels: 13 x 11" front/13 x 14" rear, Revolution Modulars
Tires: Hoosier Race Tires, R25 Autocross Specials
Upholstery: Airline Flight Crew Leather

The Engine

Modified 1966 Corvair 140 HP

Built for mid-range power, not top-end
.060 overbore, about 170 cubic inches
Isky camshaft, lifters, posi-locks
Weber 40 IDA 3-barrel carbs on Crown adapters
Flowmaster racing muffler, all exhaust pipes ceramic coated
MSD 6A Multispark Ignition System
Spark plugs, Nippondenso W16-FSU
Distributor trigger, Chysler Magnetic
Ignition wires by Silicone Wire Systems
Crown engine adapter (modified)
Otto Parts pan and baffle spacer, fan bearing, head gaskets
Otto Parts Pro-Flow Oil Pump and electric fuel pump
Fan belt (53 inch length) by Gates

Suppliers and Constructors

Chassic modifications, AMAC Fabrication, Santa Clara, CA
Flywheel/Clutch, Kennedy Engineered Products, Palmdale, CA
Body/Paint, The Works Auto Body, Santa Clara, CA
Numbers/Lettering, Sign-A-Rama, Santa Clara, CA
Various speed parts, Speed Merchant, San Jose/Santa Clara, CA
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