Category | Formula One, Formula Two | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Cooper Car Company | ||||||||
Designer(s) | Owen Maddock | ||||||||
Predecessor | Cooper T20 | ||||||||
Successor | Cooper T24/Cooper T41 | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
Chassis | Steel spaceframe | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | Lower wishbone, transverse leaf spring and damper | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Lower wishbone, transverse leaf spring and damper | ||||||||
Axle track | 1,168 mm (46.0 in) (front), 1,175 mm (46.3 in) (rear) | ||||||||
Wheelbase | 2,268 mm (89.3 in) | ||||||||
Engine | Bristol BS1 1,971cc straight-6, naturally aspirated, longitudinally mounted, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout | ||||||||
Transmission | Bristol 4 speed manual gearbox. | ||||||||
Weight | 471 kg (1,038 lb) | ||||||||
Brakes | Drum brakes all round | ||||||||
Tyres | Dunlop | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Cooper Car Company | ||||||||
Notable drivers | Ken Wharton Bob Gerard | ||||||||
Debut | 1953 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||||
|
The Cooper T23, formally called the Cooper Mk.II, is a Formula 2 racing car, built, designed, and developed by British manufacturer Cooper Cars in 1953. It also competed in Formula One, in 9 Grand Prix between 1953 and 1956. It was powered by the Bristol six-cylinder 2-litre engine. [1] [2] [3] [4]
With the Cooper T23, which was also known as the Cooper-Bristol Mk.II, Cooper was able to draw on some experience in single-seater racing car construction. The car had a lightweight tubular frame and a body built with aerodynamics in mind. The engine got its cooling air from two cooling blocks that were installed in the front end. The exhaust gases were discharged laterally through two pipes. There are no similar vehicles from the T23. Changes were made to each new car and only the two works cars received a Bristol engine. [5] [6]
A version with De Dion rear axle and Alta engine was built for Stirling Moss, and at least two other Alta-engined cars were built, but they were no more successful than the Bristol-engined car. [7] [8] [9] This variant is known as the Cooper T24.
The Cooper T23 competed in 9 Grands Prix between 1953 and 1956. John Barber was the first to drive it, on behalf of Cooper Car Company, at the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix. Qualified in sixteenth position, he finished eighth.
Bob Gerard, in a private capacity, was the last driver to use the single-seater, in the 1956 British Grand Prix. Qualified in twenty-second place, he finished eleventh.
Ken Wharton, who entered on a private basis, obtained the best result behind the wheel of this car, finishing seventh in the 1953 Swiss Motor Grand Prix where he qualified in ninth place.
The car was overall unsuccessful. In the Drivers' Championship, Bob Gerard and Ken Wharton failed to score points in 1953. Only in Australian Formula Libre racing has Jack Brabham achieved some good results with the T23.
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Cooper Car Company | Bristol BS1 L6 | D | ARG | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | |
John Barber | 8 | ||||||||||||
Ken Wharton | 8 | ||||||||||||
Ken Wharton | Ret | Ret | 7 | NC | |||||||||
F.R. Gerard | Bob Gerard | 11 | Ret | ||||||||||
R.J. Chase | Alan Brown | Ret | |||||||||||
Equipe Anglaise | Ret | 12 | |||||||||||
Helmut Glockler | DNS | ||||||||||||
Rodney Nuckey | Rodney Nuckey | 11 | |||||||||||
1954 | R.J. Chase | Bristol BS1 L6 | D | ARG | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | ESP | |
Alan Brown | DNS | ||||||||||||
Gould's Garage | Horace Gould | 15 | |||||||||||
F.R. Gerard | Bob Gerard | 10 | |||||||||||
Ecurie Richmond | Eric Brandon | Ret | |||||||||||
Rodney Nuckey | DNS | ||||||||||||
1956 | F.R. Gerard | Bristol BS1 L6 | D | ARG | MON | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | ||
Bob Gerard | 11 | ||||||||||||
Nuckey was awarded a starting position despite not only not having practiced, but also not having a car to drive - Brandon drove the car.
The Cooper Car Company is a British car manufacturer founded in December 1947 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles's small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England, in 1946. Through the 1950s and early 1960s they reached motor racing's highest levels as their rear-engined, single-seat cars competed in both Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, and their Mini Cooper dominated rally racing. The Cooper name lives on in the Cooper versions of the Mini production cars that are built in England, but is now owned and marketed by BMW.
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, also called Formula 2, is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned in 2017 when the former GP2 Series became known as the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
The Alta Car and Engineering Company was a British sports and racing car manufacturer, commonly known simply as Alta. Their cars contested five FIA World Championship races between 1950 and 1952, as well as Grand Prix events prior to this. They also supplied engines to a small number of other constructors, most notably the Connaught and HWM teams.
George Edgar Abecassis was a British racing driver, and co-founder of the HWM Formula One team.
Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particularly successful in electric vehicle transmission supply.
The Lola Mk4 and the derivative Mk4A were Formula One racing cars constructed by the Lola company in 1962. They were designed by Lola founder, owner and Chief Designer Eric Broadley at the request of Reg Parnell, proprietor of the Bowmaker Racing Team. The Mk4 was the first design that Lola produced for the top tier of motorsport.
The Eagle Mk1, commonly referred to as the Eagle T1G, was a Formula One racing car, designed by Len Terry for Dan Gurney's Anglo American Racers team. The Eagle, introduced for the start of the 1966 Formula One season, is often regarded as being one of the most beautiful Grand Prix cars ever raced at the top levels of international motorsport. Initially appearing with a 2.7L Coventry Climax inline 4-cylinder engine, the car was designed around a 3.0L Gurney-Weslake V12 which was introduced after its first four races. In the hands of team boss Gurney, the Eagle-Weslake won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, making Dan Gurney only the second driver at the time, and one of only three to date, to win a Formula One Grand Prix in a car of their own construction. Excluding the Indianapolis 500, that win in Belgium still stands as the only win for a USA-built car as well as one of only two wins of an American-licensed constructor in Formula One. It was also the first win for an American constructor in a Grand Prix race since the Jimmy Murphy's triumph with Duesenberg at the 1921 French Grand Prix.
Ecurie Bonnier, Ecurie Suisse, Joakim Bonnier Racing Team and Anglo-Suisse Racing Team were names used by Swedish racing driver Joakim Bonnier to enter his own cars in Formula One, Formula Two and sports car racing between 1957 and his death in 1972. Commonly the vehicles were entered for Bonnier himself, but he also provided cars for a number of other drivers during the period.
The Cooper T43 was a Formula One and Formula Two racing car designed and built by Cooper Car Company for the 1957 Formula One season, first appearing at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix in a works car for Jack Brabham. The T43 earned a significant place in motor racing history when Stirling Moss drove a Rob Walker Racing Team T43 to win the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, the first World Drivers' Championship win for a mid-engined car. Despite this achievement, the car was superseded almost immediately by the T45. The T43's last appearance in a World Championship event was the 1960 Italian Grand Prix.
The Cooper Mark IV was a Formula Three and Formula Two racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company at Surbiton, Surrey, England, in 1950.
Owen Richard Maddock was a British engineer and racing car designer, who was chief designer for the Cooper Car Company between 1950 and 1963. During this time Maddock designed a string of successful racing cars, including the Formula One World Championship-winning Cooper T51 and T53 models.
The Cooper T45 was an open-wheel formula racing car, developed and built by the Cooper Car Company in 1958, and designed by Owen Maddock. It competed in Formula 2 racing as well as in Formula One racing, where it won one World Championship Grand Prix, the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, being driven by Maurice Trintignant.
The Cooper T86 was a Formula One racing car built by Cooper and first raced in 1967. B and C specification cars were also built to accommodate different engines, but the car could not revive Cooper's fortunes and this type represents the last Formula One chassis built and raced by the former champion team.
Don Parker was a British racing driver from England who was British Formula Three Champion on three occasions. He also competed in the British Saloon Car Championship.
The Cooper T39, nicknamed the "Bob-Tail", is a successful lightweight, mid-engined, sports car, designed and developed by Owen Maddock at Cooper Cars, for sports car racing in 1955. The car debuted in active racing competition at the Easter race in Thruxton in 1955, being driven by Ivor Bueb, and was later entered into the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, being driven by John Brown and Edgar Wadsworth, but was unfortunately not classified, because even though the car managed to complete 207 laps around the 8.4-mile Le Mans circuit, it didn't manage to finish within 70% of the winners' race distance. However, between 1956 and 1962, it did manage to rack up and tally an incredible streak of domination and competitiveness, scoring 91 total wins and clinching 236 podiums finishes; an incredible record. It was powered by the 1,098 cc (67.0 cu in) Coventry-Climax four-cylinder engine.
The Cooper-Bristol, formally called the Cooper Mk.I or the Cooper T20, is a Formula 2 racing car, built, designed, and developed by British manufacturer Cooper Cars in 1952.
The Cooper T73 is a 1.5-litre Formula One car, designed, developed and produced by Cooper Cars for the 1964 Formula One season.
The Cooper T60 is a Formula One racing car from the Cooper Car Company, which was in use from 1962 to 1965. It won a single World Championship Grand Prix, the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, driven by Bruce McLaren.
The Connaught Type A was a Formula Two race car, designed, developed, and built by British manufacturer Connaught Engineering in 1950 and used until the late 1950s.