Cooper Cars

A limited edition book of reprinted automotive magazine articles. Reproduced in photocopier quality this title is not generally available in the book trade or from the larger specialists and includes much hard-to-find information. The complete story of Cooper cars, including the Cooper 500, the Cooper Monaco, The Cooper 1000, the Cooper Alta, And the Cooper Maserati. Also included are cutaway drawings of various Cooper cars. The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Through the 1950s & early 1960s, they reached auto racing's highest levels as their rear-engined, single-seat cars altered the face of Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, and their Mini Cooper dominated Rally racing. The first cars built by the Coopers were single-seat 500cc Formula Three racing cars powered by a JAP motorcycle engine. Since materials were in short supply immediately after World War II, the prototypes were constructed by joining two old Fiat Topolino front-ends together. The location of the engine behind the driver—was merely a practical matter at the time. Because the car was powered by a motorcycle engine, they believed it was more convenient to have the engine in the back, driving a chain. Called the Cooper 500, this car's success in hillclimbs and on track, quickly created demand from other drivers and led to the establishment of the Cooper Car Company to build more. The business grew by providing an inexpensive entry to motorsport for seemingly every aspiring young British driver, and the company became the world's first and largest post-war, specialist manufacturer of racing cars for sale to privateers. Cooper built over 300 F3 cars and dominated the category, winning 64 out of 78 major races between 1951 and 1954.