1955 Cooper T36 IX

In 1955, the car was sold new by Cooper Works to the USA, and its period race history is unknown. It was imported back to the UK by Clive Osbourne in 1970 and sold to Roger Sweet in the mid-1970s. In 1980, it was sold to Richard Crosthwaite.

This 1955 Cooper T36 MK9 was driven by Stirling Moss at the 2nd Festival of Speed at Goodwood in 1994. Subsequently raced by Oliver Crosthwaite. It was sold in 2002 to Charles McCabe, the present owner, who has campaigned the car in North America.

The car is powered by a Norton Manx 499cc single-cylinder engine with a short-stroke magneto ignition. The engine produces around 50 horsepower and is matted to a Norton 4-speed manual gearbox. The oil system is a dry sump setup with a separate 1-gallon fuel tank. The clutch is a 'Dry multi-plate' setup with a Norton motorcycle pattern. The front brakes have two leading shoes, while the rear is a single disc HRG-Lockheed, centrally mounted unit. The total weight of the vehicles is a mere 530 pounds.

Formula 3 was created in post-war Britain as a venue for inexpensive racing. The 500-pound, 500cc F3 cars were noisy, tiny, and sometimes home-built. They were often ridiculed but very fast. With an all-independent suspension, tubular chassis, and motorcycle engine placed directly behind the driver, the Formula 3 cars are said to have led directly to the Formula 1 'rear engine revolution' of the early 1960s. Although Formula 3 was not created as a training class, Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Eric Brandon, Don Parker, Jim Russell, and Ivor Bueb were just a few of the many top-ranked British drivers of the 1950s who began their careers in the seat of one of these motorcycle engine powered 500cc cars. In 1959, the 500cc formula was discontinued in favor of the Formula Junior specification.