1964 Cooper Monaco Racer

Six Type 61 Cooper Monacos were built and sold to the USA. Four went to Shelby American, were powered by the Ford 289 V-8, and called the King Cobra. One went to John Mecom. This car CM/3/64 went to Jack Brewer and was raced with a 327 Chevrolet V-8. It is chassis number CM 3-64 and is one of the last Cooper Monaco sports racers constructed. It is visually similar to the Shelby King Cobras though it is fitted with a 327 cubic-inch V8 with Hillborn injectors, an MCD transaxle, Eaton halfshafts, S-W instruments and Ford linkage. It was sold originally as a rolling chassis to Jack Brewer of Elmira, New York who fitted the car with those above-mentioned components. During the assembly, changes were made, as necessary, to the body to accept the mechanical components. Holes were cut for the transaxle and velocity stacks, another hole was made in the hood to help with cooling, and the exhaust was re-routed, moving the cooling system and putting the short pipes straight up.

It had success in SCCA and USRRC Competition as well as period racing history at Bridgehampton. Documentation includes time sheets from Watkins Glen and hill climb history at Whiteface Mountain.

The car has changed hands on a number of occasions, and used in various types of competition such as SCCA events in the late 1960s by Tom Foreman. It was sold in 1970 and brought to 'A' sports racer specifications. A rebuilt began in the late 1970s bringing it back to its original specification. The process was completed in 1984. It was used extensively in history competition since that time, receiving a nut and bolt restoration in 2006. It is finished in an all-American red, white and blue scheme.

In 2007, the car was brought to the Monterey Sports & Classic Car Auction presented by RM Auctions, where it had an estimated value of $300,000 - $400,000. Bidding reached $200,000 but was not enough to satisfy the vehicle's reserve. The lot left the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2018