1959 Cooper MK XIII

This 1959 Cooper MK XIII was acquired by Alex DuPont of the U.S. from Cooper's Surbiton works in 1959. It was campaigned by duPont and Sharp at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. He returned, with the car, to the U.S. after the 1959 season.

DuPont ran this car in U.S. club racing on the East Coast until 1966. Ownership passed to Jack Mayes who sold it to the current owner, Charles McCabe, in 2000.

The engine is a Norton Manx 499cc single cylinder, long stroke, configuration with Lucas magneto ignition. The oil system is a dry sump setup with Castor beam oil and a separate 1 gallon fuel tank. The clutch is a dry multi-plate Norton motorcycle unit with four-speeds. The front brakes have twin leading shoes and Lockheed hydraulics. The rear is a single disc HRG-Lockheed, centrally mounted setup. The entire setup weighs just 530 pounds.

The 1953 World Championship season had run under Formula 2 regulations. At the close of the season, the regulations changed to 2.5-liters in natural aspirated. Cooper decided to focus on Formula 3, unveiling the newest contender, the Mark VIII 500 in October. The 'curved-tube' concept was unveiled to the public where its streamlined body was hailed as the sleekest Cooper to-date.

The car was very revolutionary, with its mid-engine layout and spaceframe construction, it was aerodynamically sound and had excellent weight distribution. The 8-gallon light-weight aluminum fuel tank was fitted between the driver's legs. The goal was to increase the stability at high speeds and through corners. The familiar Cooper suspension setup was retained from earlier cars, consisting of transverse leaf springs and wishbones on all four corners. The suspension was given improvements to stiffen the rear leaf springs by bolting them directly to the top frame members.

The Mark VIIIs had much success during the 1954 season. Les Leston captured the Championship with his Cooper car, beating Don Parker and his Kieft by only half a point. Cooper cars accounted for 37 of the 48 major F3 races during the 1954 season.

The other factory driver for the 1954 season, alongside Leston, was Stuart Lewis-Evans who won at Brough, Brands twice, and at Orleans.

Formula 3 remained popular until the close of the 1950s. Other Formula events had been capturing the public's attention. Competition in F3 began to decline as there were fewer entrants contesting for victory. The class began to dwindle into the 'club racing' category, as there were still people willing to compete, but most of the major factory teams and drivers had left to contest other classes.

Cooper had remained in F3 for a number of years, providing the Mark IX in 1955, an improved version of the Mark VIII that had retained many of its features. Further improvements brought the introduction of the Mark X, Mark XI, Mark XII, and the Mark XIII.

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 1950's 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.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2007