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COLLECTIVLY COOPERS.
BY STEPHEN DALTON.
Another 40 year Milestone
First of the series..... Cooper 500 of 1946.
The Mini Cooper and its S variants remain synonymous as the sporting Mini across the globe. Here’s a short history on the Cooper Car Company to show why we all revere that Cooper name attached to our Minis… and it’s also a bit of a salute to 2 great men, John Cooper and Sir Jack Brabham.
The year of 1959 plays a major significance to many Mini enthusiasts as the year the British Motor Corporation released their piece of motoring folklore to an unsuspecting world. That being the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor designed by the brilliance of Alec Issigonis’ ever thinking mind. As a parallel and perhaps irony, the Cooper Car Company was also re-writing the motor racing records books that very same year. Now it’s fair to say that in both instances neither package was totally original in concept - front wheel drive was not new for a motor car and a rear mounted engine was also far from new for motor racing. The most successful in each instance before 1959 had been Citroen and Auto Union. But it would be the BMC Mini and Cooper Car Company that would both draw success with their re-packaging of the concept to suit their field. And perhaps it could be said that in another piece of irony just 2 years later the directors of both BMC and the Cooper Car Company would together re-package the concept of a sports car with the advent of the Mini Cooper. But alas that is not the reason for this story… the reason for the story is to celebrate 40 years since Cooper won their first of two back to back F1World Championship as a racing car manufacturer and team. It also happens to be 40 years since their driver, Jack Brabham as he then was, won the first of his three F1 World Drivers’ Championships. The fact that the Mini was released that very same year just gives us a hat-trick to celebrate really.
The formation of the Cooper Car Company was, as is often the case, instigated with a little luck, the right concept for the period and the fact that a young John Cooper’s father, Charles had previous involvement with motor racing and that he ran a garage in Surbiton (south west London). The period was immediate post World War 2 - 1946 to be precise. Just about everything had been starved for the war effort during the previous 6 years and now the World was beginning to come to terms with freedom again. Motor racing enthusiasts weren’t slow to again take up the challenge even though racing cars and circuits were a little hard to find. But it was, from the first Cooper built by John Cooper and his friend Eric Brandon using damaged Fiat car parts and the J.A.P 500cc motorcycle engine (that from the outset was placed behind the driver) things got under way. Thus beginning an apprenticeship lasting 13 years to the top and creating the mass production of racing cars in the process. In between though it was evolution of the species so to speak, that brought those World Championships home. Literally hundreds of 500 & 1000cc motorcycle engined Coopers were built and sent around the globe for like minded enthusiasts to enjoy and further their careers - Stirling Moss was but one.
Then there was their traditional front engine / rear wheel drive Cooper sports cars with the choice of Vauxhall or MG power also being built, although in far less numbers. These were then followed in 1952, continuing the front engine / rear drive layout with the single seater Cooper-Bristol (T20 - Mk1 / T23 Mk2).
This took Cooper to another level in motor racing, Formula 2 that at the time was the category running in World Championship Grand Prix. In the process of driving Cooper- Bristols some talented drivers were discovered - Mike Hawthorn. Who would go on to become F1 World Drivers' Champion in 1958 for Ferrari and Jack Brabham, who won the championship in 1959, 1960 & 1966 (but more of that later). Although he was still racing his Cooper-Bristol in Australia and New Zealand at the time. He had been persuaded to try racing in England by the northern hemisphere drivers who raced in Australia and New Zealand during their own off-seasons (the Tasman races). Thus in 1955 having moved his family to England for a 12 month toe in the water exercise, very tentatively Brabham’s UK connection with Cooper was under way after a few false starts to what would become an international career. Having found difficulty in securing a suitably competitive race car, he settled for an uncompetitive and unreliable, then 2 year old Cooper-Alta (similar to Cooper-Bristol). This at least meant he had something in common to talk with John Cooper and would help establish him as a future Cooper Car Company race driver.
Diversification was indeed a Cooper trait and not just resting on building the previously mentioned models produced their Cooper-Jaguar model for sports car racing events such as Le Mans. Designated the T33 (Mk1- 1954) & T38 (Mk2 - 1955) they were raced against Jaguar’s own D-Type and the ilk and were not overly successful with just 3 of each built. Mind you I wouldn’t mind owning one now (Queenslander Frank Moore owns a T38 Cooper-Jaguar). Having built the Jaguar derivatives it does show that they would have ago at any category of racing car.
By this stage Cooper was also building their rear engine T39 bob-tail (or Manx-tail) sports racing car, complete with the first incarnation of forklift and fire pump engine maker, Coventry-Climax’s racing car engine - the "FWA" (Feather Weight Automotive). This coming about after the perseverance of Cyril Keift of now obscure Keift racing cars, Charles & John Cooper of Cooper and Colin Chapman of Lotus persuaded Coventry-Climax boss, Leonard Lee to help their cause. Lee gave Walter Hassan (designer of Jaguar’s XK engine and later their V12) and Harry Mundy (former ERA & BRM engine man, plus later to design the Lotus twin-cam cylinder head for the Ford block) a brief to adapt the 4 cylinder ‘FW’ (feather weight) fire pump engine for racing application. During the infancy of Coventry-Climax’s foray into motor racing the ‘FWA’ began as a single cam 4 cylinder of just 1100cc capacity. But through continued development over the next five seasons, that was sometimes spearheaded by Jack Brabham and his contacts with Repco back in Australia the Coventry-Climax engine remained at the forefront throughout various guises during this period. Essentially it did for motor racing of the 1950s what the Ford-Cosworth ‘DFV’ did during the late sixties and on. It made motor racing more accessible to new or developing racing car builders and teams.
But before we get too far ahead it was Jack Brabham’s interpretation of the T39 bob-tail, when offered the chance by John Cooper to build his own car that helped greatly in furthering his international career.
Putting his already talented engineering skills and energies into building his variant of a Cooper-Bristol. This one with essentially the bob-tail sports car looks and the 6 cylinder Bristol engine behind the driver. Designated the T40, this one-off was not an immediate success in England. But shipped home to Australia for several races, including the 1955 Australian Grand Prix held at Port Wakefield in South Australia - it won with Jack at the wheel. What it did however do was make sure Cooper took him under their wing for what would be an extremely beneficial partnership for all parties concerned.Worth noting having just mentioned the Brabham Cooper-Bristol is that with Jack having shipped the car back to Australia for some local racing it was then sold on. This became the norm each year onwards as ‘last year’s model’ came downunder with him then sold after some racing. Now we have trouble keeping these now very desirable racing cars in Australia. Many making a return trip back to England, where demand is high and the pound is strong. Which is a pity for enthusiasts like ourselves in Australia.
From the original T39 bob-tail (the Mk1) evolved a Mk2 version with a now 1460cc ‘FWB’ Climax installed (the ‘FWB’ denoting nothing in particular other than it was the second version of their engine and B just happens to follow A in the alphabet). It was also on the Mk2 T39 that Owen Maddock’s (Cooper’s designer) new design for an efficient, lightweight and attractive road wheel first appeared. The year was 1956 and the design nicknamed the ‘rose petal’ is probably better known to most Mini enthusiasts as the Minilite - that is itself a variation of the Maddock design. So the ‘rose petal’ really is the world’s most copied wheel design. From the Mk2 T39 evolved the T41 in 1956, this essentially an open wheeled version of the sports car built to a new set of Formula 2 regulations that would take effect in 1957.
It was in essence the first of the slipper shaped Cooper race cars that kept a striking resemblance externally as each new model was built. Much in a way Mercedes-Benz manage to keep a family resemblance through their model lineage. With the T41 led the Formula 2 T43 and success for Cooper both on track and as a racing car manufacturer. Which at the time is how a racing car manufacturer survived - everybody wanting to race a winner. Major sponsor monies from the likes of the cigarette companies was still over a decade away when the T43 began production. So by building a winning combination of car and engine, Cooper kept their Surbiton based workforce busy welding up frames and bashing out bodies for customers around the world. Creating the beginning of the rear-engine revolution in the process…
Meantime Walter Hassan and Harry Mundy had not been resting on the success that Coventry-Climax had been having with their ‘FWA’ and ‘FWB’ race engines. Introducing a twin cam cylinder head for the 1460cc ‘FWB’ and being christened the ‘FPF’ in the process (‘FPF’ following on in a last letter alphabetical sequence after the stillborn ‘FPE’ V8 that the twin cam head was originally developed, if Hassan & Co were pushed ‘FPE’ simply stood for Fire Pump Engine). From the 1460cc ‘FPF’, under duress from Hassan’s point of view grew 1960cc & 2015cc versions. So it was with these that the likes of Cooper and Lotus had significant increases in power that true F1 contention was now reality.
So much so that a 1960cc ‘FPF’ propelled Jack Brabham’s Cooper T43 in the Monaco GP during May 1957. Unfortunately the fuel pump came adrift towards the end of the race taking the opportunity of a likely 3rd place with it. But potential had been noted and would be paid in full come the January 1958 Argentine GP when Stirling Moss in his similarly powered Rob Walker (of the scotch whisky family) entered Cooper T43 won. It would be the first of Cooper’s 16 Grand Prix victories, 14 of which were Coventry-Climax powered (Maserati the other 2). There would also be 3 more major race victories taken by Cooper-Climax during 1958, all ironically Walker entered cars. With all but one credited to Stirling Moss, that other race being won by Frenchman, Maurice Trintignant taking victory at that year’s Monaco GP again in May. It should also be mentioned that those 3 victories took place in similar, but updated T45 model Cooper that had begun production during early 1958. Also 2207cc had now been extracted from the ‘FPF’ Coventry-Climax. Trying to put things into perspective 2 Grand Prix wins for 1958 probably doesn’t sound that convincing, but it should be remembered that just 10 Grand Prix were run that year and the competition - such as BRM, Ferrari (2 wins) & Vanwall (6 wins) were funded far better than an essentially privately financed team such as Rob Walker’s was and for that matter the Cooper Car Company. Vanwall’s 6 wins between Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks (3 a piece) gave them the Manufacturers’ Championship for the year. But although Stirling had 4 wins and a second in total, it was Ferrari’s Mike Hawthorn with just 1 win, but 5 seconds and a third who accrued enough points to take out the Drivers’ Championship - mind you by just one point (42 v 41). It was the final year that either was won by cars using front engine configuration.
As the success arrived in 1958, everyone applied more pressure to themselves as the ability to win became obvious and a full Works effort would begin to centre towards winning the 1959 F1World Championships. There was a new car for the task - the T51, a new or at least bigger ‘FPF’ Climax engine of 2495cc and a new driver or 2 to join Jack Brabham for Cooper’s F1 effort, a very young Kiwi named Bruce McLaren - he was just 21 years old, but was already well experienced with having raced back in New Zealand since the age of 15 and having spent the 1958 season driving Formula 2 in a Cooper and placing second in the year’s championship. He remains a man whose name should be synonymous to many, as the car of recently crowned 1999 F1 World Drivers’ Champion Mika Hakinen continues to bare his name. American driver, Masten Gregory also came into the team to help the effort.
It should also be noted that although F1 Grand Prix would take much precedent over Cooper’s activities there was still time to design a new sports racing car to replace the ageing Bob-tail, being announced during November 1958 in honour of Maurice Trintignant’s success at the 1958 Monaco GP driving the Cooper T45 - the new sports racing car was christened Cooper Monaco. It being a rear engine Climax powered 2 seater designed to compete against Lotus 15’s and the like.
The dawning of the 1959 F1 Grand Prix season for Cooper’s began with the opening round Monaco Grand Prix held again in May (10th), after the cancellation of the proposed Argentine Grand Prix. But even back in this more innocent period of motor sport, before commercialism took over there was politics involved. Aston Martin had decided to enter the Grand Prix arena in 1959. Making an attractive offer to their regular sports car driver, Roy Salvadori to leave his Cooper Grand Prix drive and take up a drive of their new Grand Prix car. It was an offer also made to Jack Brabham.
No doubt this left a degree of soul searching for those concerned. Charles & John Cooper needed their services but could not afford to match the offer of tractor magnate David Brown’s Aston concern. So after going to visit their team sponsor, Esso finally there was enough money available to retain Jack. But Roy moved to Aston Martin and as has already been mentioned Masten Gregory and Bruce McLaren began racing for Cooper’s. Had Charles & John not been able to retain the services of Jack, Cooper history could very well have been different. He being a major asset to the engineering side of the team, plus his obvious driving ability.
Setting off with 3 cars to Monaco for the first of 8 championship rounds meant for a busy time for the team mechanics. Engine and chassis swapping before the race, between the team drivers became the order of this meet. But all the hard toil went in favour of Cooper’s. Jack having driven much of the race with gearbox problems, managed to complete the race ahead of the rest of the field to take victory. The victory becoming a series of firsts in Grand Prix, Cooper’s first Works win, Jack’s first win and the first Australian to win a F1 Grand Prix. One of Rob Walker’s privately entered Coopers, driven by Maurice Trintignant finished a creditable 3rd and first time Grand Prix driver, Bruce McLaren finished 5th.
Another point that was no doubt very sweet for them was that they had beaten Scuderia Ferrari who had to settle for 2nd place. Three weeks later (May 31st) all the teams found themselves heading to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. Only Jack & Masten had been entered for this race, plus the 2 Rob Walker cars. So Cooper was still well represented. Recurring gearbox problems foiled victory but 2nd & 3rd place was taken by Jack & Masten respectively. With more points accruing for both Cooper’s driver and manufacturer championship prospects alike.
The Belgian Grand Prix was meant to be the next visit, but it too was cancelled. So what was a very hot French Grand Prix at Reims on July 5th became the next round. Six Coopers took part, 1 each for the 3 Cooper works drivers, the rest privately entered. During the race the heat had taken its toll, all drivers doing their best to put up with the extreme levels of heat and exhaustion associated with motor sport. Even the track was breaking up from the heat. So it came down to who could deal with these circumstances the best. Masten retired on lap 7 from heat and what was quite literally the final blow... being hit on the forehead with a piece of tar (no full face helmets back then). Other drivers were also battle scarred but Jack & Bruce kept going to accept 3rd & 5th place respectively and championship points. The race would be a Ferrari benefit with them taking out 1st & 2nd.
The 4th round was a home affair for the team, being held at Liverpool’s Aintree circuit on July 18th. To the delight of the British crowd it was effectively a race between BRM & Cooper, as Scuderia Ferrari cars were not at Aintree due to internal conflict at the Maranello factory. After 75 laps of dicing between the competitors, Jack running from pole position, took the victory ahead of Stirling Moss in a privately entered BRM and Bruce grabbed third. The Rob Walker entered Cooper of Maurice Trintignant came in 5th, while Masten brought his struggling works Cooper (suffering overheating) home in 7th. Ironical perhaps, but this effort would give the team their best result for the 1959 season. Once again more points in the championships kitty and Germany awaited.
The Avus circuit in Germany was not deemed a happy hunting ground for the Cooper team for the August 2nd Grand Prix. It was considered that the steep banking on this very fast circuit would not suit the Cooper race cars. As it turned out this 2 heat race was a duel between Ferrari and Cooper, but during the 1st heat both Jack & Masten dropped out of the event. Jack with drop gear problems. Masten with a bit too much mechanical ventilation - the con-rod bolt had let go and destroyed everything. Bruce finished 4th in heat 1, but he too would succumb to mechanical failure during heat 2 when his car’s drop gears would scream they’d had enough. So it was not to be. But it would not be a total disgrace for the Cooper marque. The Rob Walker car of Maurice Trintignant taking out 4th, while the Italian based Scuderia Centro-Sud with their Maserati powered Cooper for Ian Burgess picked up 6th (by aggregate of both heats). So points were still awarded to the Cooper’s manufacturer’s championship hopes.
It was off to Lisbon in Portugal for the next race on August 23rd. Once again fate would intervene with the works cars. The dangers of motor racing would really hit home for the Cooper team at this event. It was while running with race leader, Stirling Moss in Rob Walker’s Cooper that Jack had a big accident while trying to pass Portuguese driver, Mario Araujo Cabral in Scuderia Centro-Sud’s Cooper-Maserati - he hadn’t realised he was about to be passed.
Having pulled into Jack’s path while Jack was travelling at around 130mph meant disaster was inevitable. The Brabham Cooper was speared off into the straw bales and then hit and felled a telegraph pole. Jack was thrown out of his car into the path of his teammate Masten Gregory. Fortunately, who was able to avoid him. Somehow Jack’s injuries sustained were minor, but the same could not be said for the race car. It was a crumpled mess that would require a total rebuild back at the factory. Bruce’s race would finish as it had the previous race with further drop gear failure.
While Masten finished the eventful race with a fine 2nd. Taking the win in Portugal was Cooper-Climax mounted Stirling Moss. So even with all the drama throughout the race, the result meant Cooper’s still received championship points.
After Portugal the original theory had been that the team would continue on to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix on September 13th. But with the dramas associated with Portugal meant that a plane had to be chartered to send the engines, gearboxes and the crumpled Cooper back to Cooper’s Surbiton workshop for attention. What was left went in the team transporter with mechanics, Mike Grohmann and Mike Barney to Monza. But it was panic stations back in the workshop getting everything rebuilt in time so John Cooper would have time to be able to take everything over to Italy in readiness for the race.
Getting towards the serious end of both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ championship for 1959, it could be said luck wasn’t the Cooper team’s strong point. Upon arriving at Monza with the necessary parts and spare car, John was confronted with a telegram telling him that Masten had done himself no good. Having crashed while racing a sports car at the Goodwood Tourist Trophy. He wouldn’t be fit to take his drive at Monza. So with the cars reassembled, Jack had recovered sufficiently from his accident just 3 weeks earlier to take his position as number 1 driver, Bruce was ready as ever and the third car was entrusted to local driver, Giorgio Scarlatti. The ever recurring drop gear problem had appeared once again on Bruce’s car during practice. So all cars had them replaced as a precautionary measure. Stirling Moss was driving the Walker Cooper and Tony Brooks was in the Scuderia Ferrari car, both of whom were in a position to take the Drivers’ Championship from Jack. It must have been a tense race?
For the race, Stirling had pole, but was sharing the front row with Tony and Jack, whose lap times had given them 2nd & 3rd respectively. The start of the race soon saw Tony Brooks sidelined, having destroyed his car’s clutch. No doubt to the relief of Stirling and Jack, but neither could afford to be complacent. And although Tony was out, his Ferrari teammates Phil Hill & Dan Gurney were still there to keep their presence against those funny little Coopers. The correct race strategy would more than likely decide the winner. Trouble for the Cooper team started when Giorgio Scarlatti had to pit to have a broken gear linkage remedied. Once fixed, he was able to return to complete the race. But the time lost doing so meant he would finish in 12th place. Bruce’s race would come to a more abrupt halt with the detonation of his Climax engine. But by full race distance it was Stirling Moss who would take the chequered flag, ahead of Phil Hill and third place to Jack Brabham. The results from this race finally clinched Cooper & Coventry Climax their first Formula 1 Manufacturers’ World Championship. But the Drivers’ Championship still lay in waiting. And that’s how it would stay for a lengthy 3 months, until the to & froing as to whether the 1959 United States Grand Prix would take place. Finally it did on December 12th.
If unpredictability was the essence of the Cooper team’s season thus far, the last round at Sebring would maintain the very same level. With the team having finally got their equipment to America, it would become a major task to make sure their man Brabham was given the best possible chance to secure the Drivers’ Championship. And hence a double celebration for Cooper’s. To relieve a little pressure on the crew only 2 cars were entered. One for Jack and the other for Masten. But come race day he still wasn’t fit enough to race, still suffering from his Goodwood accident. So Bruce McLaren stepped in. Championship wise, Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks were still contenders due to the championship points structure it really came down to mathematics to decide a winner. The winning equation was (A) Stirling sets fastest lap in practice and wins the race, he’s champ. (B) Tony had to do the same, but also have his rivals place lower than second to make it his. (C) Jack would receive the accolades if he finished ahead of the other two.
During practice both Jack and Bruce had car woes. Jack’s panel damage and engine overheating initially, Bruce’s step-up gear problems, also to make things more difficult overheating and handling irregularities. Most repairs took place that night. Then for the next day’s practice Jack and Bruce swapped cars. Jack confirmed the ill-handling that would be pin-pointed to a twisted chassis, thus requiring the necessary repairs. Bruce now driving Jack’s car managed to have a crown wheel and pinion let go, so he became busy correcting this himself.
Then to double check that the other car wouldn’t suffer a similar fate, it too was pulled down for a look. To discover it too was about to give problems. So it was lucky that this was indeed checked.
For the race, early on Tony Brooks chance was severely dashed when his Scuderia Ferrari teammate for the event, Wolfgang von Trips ran into him. This gave cause for Tony to stop and check the damage before continuing. Stirling had led the pack from the start, but he too would soon suffer mechanical failure when his Walker Cooper’s Colotti gearbox screamed enough. But Jack still couldn’t relax because he too would have problems. Bruce was doing well playing backup to his teammate while other cars began to fall by the wayside, Rob Walker’s second car driven by Maurice Trintignant become a threat to the works cars. So much so that nearing the end of the last lap of the race, Jack having been pushing his car very briskly, was confronted by a major problem. Lack of fuel. As Bruce saw his teammate slow, he went into sympathy mode for him and slowed down himself. This not only allowed Maurice to catch up further ground on Bruce. But it could have dashed his chance to win his first Grand Prix. Jack was quick to wave Bruce on to victory. Finally pushing his own car quite literally across the finish line to a breathless, but very well deserved 4th place and thus clinching the first World Drivers’ Championship for him, Cooper and Australia. History had been made.
A long and eventful championship was finally signed, sealed and delivered and no doubt after getting his breath back, Jack had cause for a huge celebration. The other teams who were slow to accept this rear engine revolution would soon find themselves busy designing and building their own version. The front engine Grand Prix racing cars competitive days were numbered.
Now while all the World Championship efforts had been taking place the team back in Cooper’s Surbiton factory were, as always busy building and designing a varied range of race cars. That almost anybody with the correct funds could procure and go racing in some form of motor sport, anywhere in the world. And ever the one to stay one step in front of the opposition, particularly if his name was Colin Chapman of Lotus fame, it was decided to start producing a new Formula Junior racing car. Which would effectively be a scaled down version of the championship winning T51. Formula Junior was a single seat category that required some componentry that was production car based, particularly the mechanicals. This would soon lead to Cooper’s close association with the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and a project that would become dear to our hearts.
In the next instalment you can read about the triumphant defence of Cooper’s 1959 success. When they did it all again in 1960.
Stephen Dalton.
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