1962 Cooper Monaco Sports Racer

The rear-engined Cooper Monaco sports-racing series of cars was launched for the 1959 racing season. Cooper had been a pioneer in the rear-engine setup, initially with its chain-driven motorcycle-engined 500cc Formula single-seaters from as early as 1946. In 1955, the design continued with the rear-mounted water-cooled lightweight aluminum racing engines manufactured by the Coventry-Climax company. Jack Brabham drove a 1.96-liter Formula 2-derived single-seater Cooper-Climax in 1957 against the full 2.5-liter Formula 1 cars in the Monaco Grand Prix. Early in 1958, an enlarged Cooper-Climax single-seater driven by Maurice Trintignant won the Monaco Grand Prix. In homage of the victory, the 1959 rear-engines sports-racing Cooper was then named 'Monaco.' Fittingly, their driver, Jack Brabham, would win the marque's second consecutive Monaco Grand Prix that year, and later clinch the Formula 1 World Championship titles for himself and the Cooper-Climax marque.

The early Cooper Monaco had short chassis and a stubby-body design. In the early 1960s, the model evolved, receiving a longer wheelbase, multi-tubular chassis, and more sophisticated coil-spring/telescopic shock absorber suspension replacing the original design's transverse leaf spring arrangement. The body designs were produced in-house by chief designer Own 'The Beard' Maddock and produced by the father and son team of Fred and Pete Bedding.

Cooper-Monaco's were piloted by many famous and accomplished drivers including double-World Champion Driver, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Roy Salvadori, and Jim Hall.

This 1962 Cooper Monaco Type 61 Mark 3 is presently equipped with a Buick V8 power unit and Halibrand-made McKeen transaxle. It was delivered new to American customer Van Housen Motors of Sacramento, California in April of 1962. The chassis featured the latest model modifications including the coil-spring independent rear suspension setup. The aluminum body style, with its sharply pointed tail fins, was specifically tailored by Charles and John Cooper to suit 'American taste' and thereby owed rather more to the 1961-style Cooper Monaco than to the rather more sober 1962 styling then being adopted by the Formula 1 World Championship-winning marque's Surbiton factory, in Surrey, England.

The car was delivered with a 4-cylinder Coventry Climax FPF engine serial ''FPF'/430/17/1236.' The owner/driver was SCCA and USAC road-racing luminary William Sturgis of Gardenville, Nevada. Sturgis retained the car from 1962 through 1963. In 1962, the car was entered for 1962 F1 World Champion Driver Graham Hill to drive in the 1962 Pacific grand Prix 'West Coast Professional series' event at Laguna Seca in California. Unfortunately, the car encountered difficulties and failed to finish.

During the 1962 and 1963 seasons, Mr. Sturgis entered the car in many American races, earning many outright victories. In 1964, it was purchased by Washburn Motors of Santa Barbara, California. While there, the four-cylinder Climax engine was removed and replaced by a Chevrolet Corvette V8 power unit driving through a Halibrand-McKee gearbox.

On June 13th of 1969, the car was sold to George Lehman of Goleta, California. The car had been purchased with the intent of racing, but it was later taken apart, and put into storage. He moved in 1973 he the Cooper was split up, with the chassis and body lost in the move. The remainder of the Cooper remained in storage until 1999. The remains were sold on February 1st of 2000 by Mr. Lehmann's widow. The purchaser is the present owner of the vehicle.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Quail Lodge auction presented by Bonhams. It was estimated to sell for $225,000 - $275,000 but did not receive a high bid needed to satisfy its reserve. It would leave the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2011