Though an original Lola T70 is out of the price range of all but the motorsport-loving sultans and magnates of this world, the Broadley T76 Mk3b offers all the raw, violent charm of the Lola it’s based off of, without the obscene price tag. In fact, it’s built to original blueprints by former Lola employees. The Broadley is still very expensive, costing as much as a McLaren 720S, but offers all a vintage racing buff could dream of.

Within the riveted aluminum chassis sits a 5-liter V8 which spins to 7,900 rpm and punches out 520 horsepower and 620 lb-ft of torque. With only 1,800 pounds to push around, the T76 gets up speed very quickly. As we see here, it could even use another gear to handle Daytona’s banking.

That said, the dog-leg Hewland LG 600 transmission provides some old-school charm, and for most sections of Daytona, five gears are enough (the brutal wave of torque helps in this regard, too). Brutal is the operative word here; Meaden has to countersteer whenever the Chevy small block comes on cam at 4,000 rpm. Without any traction control or any considerable downforce, Meaden has to wrestle with this mechanical alligator throughout this qualifying lap at the Classic 24 at Daytona.

Pushing hard from the start of his lap, he never seems intimidated by the rough-edged machine. In fact, he gets the car quite sideways when dealing with traffic (0:20), and dances the Broadley through the daunting Turn 4. Perhaps this is the kind of raw car which rewards sheer courage.

That’s a good thing, since exiting slow-speed corners cleanly is a real chore. Despite having an exceptionally long throttle travel to help with power delivery, the way which Meaden has to repeatedly catch the Broadley’s slithering tail when exiting Turn 5 shows just how much of a beast it is. To balance something this powerful on its relatively low limit of adhesion — making it dance and shimmy like a drunken rally car — takes machismo and a dominating pair of hands.

That’s one reason why racing this car isn’t for the faint of heart. It also must be unnerving that it looks a little long in the tooth. Fortunately, despite its vintage style, part of the appeal of the Broadley is it hasn’t sat in a garage corroding for the last half-century. The recent build should soothe any apprehensive drivers with the knowledge that the components are up to the task; no rusted bolts will shear off in the middle of a quick corner.

For the vintage racing aficionado who loves the underdog — the T70 allowed privateers to take it to Ferrari and Porsche — perhaps there’s no better way to take to the track. However, in addition to deep pockets, it will take a sizable set of cojones and two quick hands to get the most out of this Broadley.

Meaden tames the Broadley at Imola.