Technology in race cars (3): Cooper T51 from 1959 - central revolutionary

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Technology in race cars (3): Cooper T51 from 1959 - central revolutionary

Created on March 19, 2021

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Archiv Gerhard Schütz

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv G. Schütz

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Archiv Jürg Kaufmann / Auto Sport Schweiz

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Balz Schreier

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Stuart Adams

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Cooper T51 Climax (1960) - Jack Brabham contests his first hill climb here in Ollon-Villars in 1960, finishing third in F2 behind Edy Barth and Heini Walter

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Cooper T43 (1958) - front-engine dinosaur hunt in Argentina in 1958 - note the tilted wheels - a consequence of the upper transverse leaf spring, which at the same time had to contribute more badly than well to lateral guidance; later replaced by transversely stable upper wishbones and coil springs

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John Cooper and his Formula 3 with JAP 500 cc 1-cylinder engine, 45 hp, and Fiat suspension - conceptual ancestor of all modern racing cars

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Cooper T51 (1959) - Formula 1, not Formula V

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Cooper T51 (1959) - an engine in the back can be delightful

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Cooper T51 (1959) - visible technology - Rétromobile Paris 2019

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Cooper T51 (1959) - leaf springs for the rear axle

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Cooper T51 (1959) - Brabham with Moss in the Talbot rear-view mirror at the Gold Cup, Oulton Park in 1959

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Cooper T51 Climax (1959) - Series B - Grand Prix Historique de Monaco 2014

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Cooper T51 Climax (1959) - Series B - Grand Prix Historique de Monaco 2014

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Cooper T51 Climax (1959) - Roger Wills - Winner Series B - Grand Prix Historique de Monaco 2014

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Cooper-Climax T51 (1959) - in the race for the Gordon Trophy at the Goodwood Revival 2013

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Cooper-Climax T51 (1959) - in the race for the Gordon Trophy at the Goodwood Revival 2013

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Cooper T51 (1959) - Spa Six Hours 2013 "Historic Grand Prix Cars Association"

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Cooper T39 (1955) - forerunner of the T51 as a single-seater converted to a two-seater with a central engine - "We had to cut off the rear because the van was too short."

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Cooper T39 Bobtail - at Shannon's Historic Demonstration 2012 on the occasion of the Australian GP

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Cooper T39 (1955) - Plateau 2 - Le Mans Classic 2016

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Cooper T43 (1958) - Future in green, Spa 1958, shortly after Eau Rouge

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Cooper T43 (1958) - at the Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix 2018

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Summary

At the end of the 1950s, Formula 1 saw the transition from front-engine to mid-engine monopostos. One of the pioneers was John Cooper, who opted for an engine behind the driver early on. As a "garagist", however, he had to make many compromises, but his vehicles and especially the T51 from 1959 nevertheless showed the way. This contribution to the history of racing car technology explains the technology of the Cooper T51 from 1959 and shows it in many pictures.

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958-1978 were the two most creative decades in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most innovative, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy cars, sports cars and CanAm, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. The series started with Lotus, one of the most important innovation drivers of these two decades. And the series will also finish with Lotus: With the first ground-effect Formula 1 to win a world championship in 1978, the Type 79. Enzo Ferrari contemptuously called him a "garage owner": John Cooper with his small, agile central engine racers, which began to revolutionize Formula 1 from 1958. From today's perspective, after former "garagists" like Steve Jobs turned the world upside down with PCs, smartphones and the internet, you could say: "garagist" - that was actually a compliment for a historic achievement: It was not the myth of Bugatti (with the Type T251 in 1956), nor large car companies such as Mercedes or Auto- Union in the 1930s, nor established racing car manufacturers such as Ferrari that helped the central engine concept in racing car construction, which is still valid today, to make its breakthrough, but the small, pragmatic, imaginative "garagist" John Cooper.

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