Description:

• Entered 4 times in the Le Mans 24 Hours

• A Group 6 at the heart of the De Cadenet legend

• In the hands of the same family for over 40 years

• Ford Cosworth V8 engine prepared by G. Richardson

• A highly competitive prototype at Le Mans Classic & in CER2

Alain De Cadenet is a key figure in the 24 Hours of Le Mans! In the early 1970s, he competed in Formula 1 with his own team, and then, hungry for victory, his goal became Le Mans. He made his debut in 1971 in a Ferrari 512M for the Francorchamps team. It was the start of a love affair. This was followed by 14 entries, first with the Duckhams LM and then with the De Cadenet, entered in his name as constructor. The LM3 is part of this rich history. It competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 4 times and was driven by the driver/builder himself. It was a key part of the De Cadenet prototype line-up. In 1977 it finished 5th overall!

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The De Cadenet line of cars from 1972 to 1981

In the early 1970s, Alain De Cadenet approached the young designer Gordon Murray, who was working for Brabham under Bernie Ecclestone. He asked him to design a two-seater chassis inspired by the Ferrari 312PB to adapt to his Brabham parts and thus make his debut in endurance racing.

A partnership was set up to enter the new car, the Duckhams Special, with the support of Duckhams Oil Motor Racing. The car finished 12th in 1972. Then, in 1973 and 1974, it evolved to become the De Cadenet LM. In 1974, for the first time, De Cadenet entered a car bearing its name.

In 1975, the pace continued to climb, with Chris Craft setting the fastest lap of the race and the car finishing 14th. This time, one of the two Lola T380s built (HU1 chassis) was used as the basis. In 1976, development continued with a design revised by Len Bailey. Overnight, the prototype reached 208 mph (335 km/h). Alain De Cadenet and Chris Craft took an impressive 3rd place in the final.

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The De Cadenet LM3

1977 saw the launch of the De Cadenet LM3. The culmination of all the development work launched since 1972, it set its sights on victory after the podium finish achieved by the British team in 1976.

The British presence at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year was marked by the return of Aston Martin, absent since 1964! But it was also, once again, Alain De Cadenet who was flying the colours of the Union Jack. And the De Cadenet LM3 was to be the best representative of the Queen's subjects. As for HU1, seen in 1975 and 1976, it did not qualify.

Continuous development of the prototype since 1976 resulted in the most elaborate version of the LM3 ever produced by the manufacturer. The LM3 was then tested in the MIRA wind tunnel in the heart of England , with the financial support of Motor magazine. The test was conclusive, with a top speed of 228 mph (366 km/h)!

The tests, extensively documented in Motor, consisted of a series of runs on the dyno, progressively opening up the various aerodynamic appendages, ducts and other plugs that form an obstacle to the air. A total of 20 configurations are tested, to understand the impact of each element. The bodywork designed by Len Bailey worked wonders, with the Cx rising from 0.47 on the 1976 car to 0.316 on the 1977 LM3 model.

Before this wind tunnel test in early 1977, there was a story about a 'wild' test on the motorway in England. In the Swindon area, a motorist told the authorities that he had seen a missile on the M4 at 5 o'clock in the morning. However, no ballistic activity was reported. On the straight stretch 14 miles long with no exit (just over 22 km), legend has it that a De Cadenet passed 205 mph (330 km/h).

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At Le Mans, the top speed of 330 km/h was again reached. The De Cadenet T380 LM, the name under which the car was entered, performed well against the other manufacturers, finishing in 5th place.

For the 1978 Le Mans 24 Hours, Alain De Cadenet was present at the start with a total of 3 cars, only 2 of which were under his control. LM3 was sold to Peter Lovett, who entered it under the "John Cooper" banner, but De Cadenet was still close by. The two official De Cadenets were LM3 (number 9) and an old 1975 chassis (number 8). eAs the LM3 failed to qualify, it became the first substitute, with the 13 time in the Group VI category. Cooper and Evans both set a time of 3'52''9, just 1 second behind Faure in another De Cadenet Lola.

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In 1979, De Cadenet said he was "ready" for Le Mans. In the race annual, he confided: "We've put a lot of work into the car - increased track and wheelbase, aerodynamic comparisons (bonnets, spoilers), a specially prepared gearbox at Hewland, a good Cosworth Nicholson, a revised chassis, everything is OK. We've even found those famous pneumatic pistols for quickly removing the wheels that were so lacking at Silverstone and may even have cost us victory".

The LM3 was still entered by John Cooper, and was named Lola T281 SG on the entry list that year. The name remains a mystery, the S and G probably referring to Saint Georges. The links with De Cadenet are less strong. eThe car was at the top of the leaderboard at the start of the event, 8 , in the middle of the Porsche 935s and K3s. But one problem followed another: starter, broken gearbox control bracket, alternator. The retirement was made official at 4.40 am.  

For the 1980 Le Mans 24 Hours, the LM3 was once again entered but this time by Nick Faure, who had bought it from Cooper 3 months before the start. The St George's Cross livery seen in 1979 was changed to blue to evoke the British flag. The n°11 De Cadenet was the first reserve car after qualifying. With the elimination of the NART Ferrari, the hope of taking the start was legitimate... but the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) decided that the Ferrari entered in the IMSA category had to be replaced by a car from the same category.

In 1981, the car returned to the Le Mans 24 Hours starting grid. LM3 was bought by Dorset Racing, and entered by Nick Faure and Irishmen Martin Biranne (future boss of Lola) and Vivian Candy. Unfortunately, a broken gearbox casing led to the car's retirement.

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For 2 years, the LM3 was not seen again in the Sarthe. On 25 October 1983, Hugh McCaig purchased the car from Dorset Racing (the invoice is on file). Hugh McCaig and Graham Gauld wanted to relaunch the Ecurie Ecosse team, so the LM3 was radically transformed to adapt to the Group C2 regulations. The result was the Ecosse C284, which raced in the 1984 Le Mans 24 Hours with the support of Ray Mallock.​

Unfortunately, she retired after 6 hours of racing. During the curtain-raiser to the British F1 Grand Prix, Ray Mallock ran off the track.

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Kept by the McCaig family, then restored and entered in the Le Mans Classic

The damaged car was kept by the McCaig family, who undertook a complete restoration of the car. It was decided to return the car to its 1977 configuration, when it finished 5th in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2023, the sublime De Cadenet LM3 made a remarkable return to Le Mans, its home ground. Indeed, Alasdair McCaig, Hugh's son, finished just off the podium in the second race of Le Mans Classic Grid 6 with a best track time of 4.1499 and in 5th position in the third race with the third best lap time of 4'13706!

With a Ford Cosworth DFV engine prepared by G Richardson, this car is ready to take on Le Mans once again at Le Mans Classic 2025 and to shine in Classic Endurance Racing 2.

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