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| | View more photos Chassis Num: F2-2-66 |
The car was returned to the Cooper factory at the end of the year and sold to an American owner/driver, Tom Jones, who wanted an F1 car. The factory converted chassis F2/2/66 to pre-65 F1 specifications by the fitting of a 1.5-liter Climax V8 and Colotti T34 six-speed gearbox. The conversion required some major surgery to the rear end to house the Climax V8 and the Colotti gearbox.
The car was entered in the 1967 Canadian GP but failed to qualify. The car was eventually sold, sans engine, to Rick Kolher of Ohio. Rick ran the car in FB events with a BMW engine.
The rolling chassis was purchased from Fort Lauderdale in 1993, and brought back to the UK for restoration and reuniting with its BRM engine by the current owner, in order to restore the chassis to correct 66 F2 form. The restored car still retains some of its F1 features: 1-inch wider wheels, up to four fuel tanks and LH gear change shaft guides. The car is campaigned regularly in the UK and Europe at historic events by owner/mechanic/driver Paul Busby.
| | View more photos Chassis Num: F2-1-66 |
Fred Opert sold the car to Lynn Beaumont, of the Lone Star Region SCCA, in September 1967. Lynn promptly retired his DeTomaso to race the Cooper in the American Road Race of Champions in that November, placing third. Lynn and the car were very successful clinching the SCCA SW Division in 1968.
Since the car was acquired by its current owner in 1981, it has remained as original except for the color, originally British Racing Green in 1966/1967 and Metallic Blue from 1968-1981.
Also this car's sister chassis, owned by Paul Busby of England, equipped with the BRM engine, is also here. The last time these two chassis competed was in Daytona in 1967.
| Formula 2Formula 2, commonly abbreviated as F2, was introduced in 1947 and would remain in existence until 1985 when it was replaced by Formula 3000. F2 enabled drivers who could not get a seat in Formula 1 to compete internationally. In terms of open-wheeled auto racing, Formula One is the pinnacle of the sport and the dream of the aspiring driver. The high speeds and costs associated with F1 are great; F2 has provided a means of allowing a driver to mature and gain experience before venturing on to the next step. In pre-war time, the F2 sport was often known as 'voiturette' which means 'small car.' Voiturette racing cars were permitted 1.5-liter supercharged engines while the Grand Prix cars were allowed 3.0-liter supercharged or 4.5-liter size in naturally aspirated form. After the war, Formula A and B were introduced, later known as 1 and 2 respectively. Formula A allowed 4.5-liter supercharged cars. Formula B/2 had smaller, less powerful cars than those used in Formula A/1. The rules stated that the engines in F2 were to at most 2-liters in size; 750cc if a supercharge was used. This allowed smaller marques to build racers without having to compete with the most dominate and well-established manufacturers. In 1952-53 Formula 2 counted for the Drivers World Championship, since Formula One had become so expensive that were so few entrants. Non-championship F1 races were still held during this time. In 1954 the rules of F1 changed allowing 2.5-liter engines which drew some of the popularity away from F2. F2 rules were changed in 1957 limiting engine sizes to 1.5-liters. The dominant engine of choice was the Coventry-Climax FPF four-cylinder. In 1967 FIA introduced the European Championship for Drivers for F2 category. This had many Formula One drivers switching to F2. The grading system in F2 allowed this; any driver with an 'A' grade was not permitted to score championship points. The 'A' grade was earned through various means such proving themselves in Grand Prix or World Sports Car events. This allowed the less experienced drivers the opportunity to works towards a championship victory and to mature their careers. It allowed the seasoned drivers an opportunity to continue their driving passion and improve their skills during the off-season of Grand Prix racing. In 1972 the engine size was increased to 2-liter production based engines. In 1976 the rules were modified to allow engines that had been created if the intent were purely for racing. Near the close of the 1970's and into the early 1980's, the costs to compete had sky-rocketed. Works racers had become the dominate force of contention and privateers were unable to keep pace. Interest in the sport dwindled as drivers left for other series. By 1984, the Formula Two series was replaced with Formula 3000. |
1966 Cooper T82 |
|
| Year | 1966 |
| Make | Cooper |
| Model | T82 |
| Engine Location | Mid |
| Drive Type | Rear Wheel |
| Combined MPG | 0.00 |
| Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown | |
| Chassis Number | F2-1-66 |
| Chassis Number | F2-2-66 |
| Engine | |
| Engine Builder | Cosworth |
| Engine Configuration | I |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Aspiration/Induction | Normal |
| Displacement | 997.00 cc | 60.8 cu in. | 1 L. |
| Horsepower | 125.00 HP (92 KW) @ 9500.00 RPM |
| Torque | 76.00 Ft-Lbs (103.1 NM) |
| HP / Liter | 125.0 BHP / Liter |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline - Petrol |
| Fuel Feed | Carburetor |
| Standard Transmission | |
| Gears | 5 |
| Transmission | Manual |
| Hewland MK6 | |
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