1961 Cooper T-56 FJ

John Cooper and his father, Charles, founded the Cooper Car Company in December 1947 in Surbiton, Surrey, England. From humble beginnings (in a small garage), the Cooper Company would achieve enviable success in motorsports, with their single-seaters competing in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, and their Mini Cooper excelled in rally racing.

John Cooper and his friend Eric Brandon initially built and drove single-seaters equipped with 500cc JAP motorcycles in Formula Three competition. These Cooper-built F3 cars provided the likes of Graham Hill and Stirling Moss an opportunity to demonstrate their talents and the performance capabilities of the machines. Other racing greats took notice and were soon behind the wheel of the Cooper-Bristol front-engine Formula 2, further strengthening Cooper's position in the emerging post-war motorsport community.

Jack Brabham piloted a privately entered Cooper Formula 2 to a 6th-place finish at the 1957 Monaco Grand Prix. The car's rear-engine configuration marked a significant transformation in the realm of motorsport, sending ripples that would influence nearly all forms of automobile racing. The momentum continued into 1958, with Moss winning the Argentine Grand Prix and Trintignant at Monaco. Jack Brabham became the Formula One World Champion in 1960 in a rear-engine Cooper.

The Cooper Mk2 Formula Junior T56 was often fitted with BMC engines and occasionally with a Ford unit. It had an 89-inch wheelbase, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, an independent suspension by wishbones and coil springs at the front, and transverse leaf springs and wishbones at the rear.

The first series of Cooper Formula Junior racing cars was the T52, built for the 1960 racing season. The chassis was formed by four longitudinal tubes with hoops at the cowl and behind the driver, and the BMC powerplants were paired with Citroen gearboxes.

The Cooper T56 made its racing debut in 1960 and was officially built for the 1961 season. It was followed in 1962 by the Cooper T59, which was five inches narrower than its predecessor, an inch lower, and featured a semi-reclining seat position for the driver.

Formula Junior

Formula Junior competition commenced in late-1958 and was intended as a low-cost, entry-level series with cars built to pre-defined specifications. Italian marques dominated the first year of the formula, but were quickly surpassed by British constructors. By the close of 1960, over 100 constructors were building Formula Junior race cars, and this figure ballooned to nearly 500 by the end of 1963. Mid-engine Formula Juniors built by British-based constructors, including Cooper and Brabham, were the most successful.

by Dan Vaughan

Monoposto
Chassis number: FJ-17-61

FJ/17/61 was delivered in 1961 to Andre Liekens of Belgium. It was raced nationally and internationally by Andre Liekens during the 1961 and 1962 season, including Portoroza, Yugoslavia (2nd place) and Paris, France (11th place), Vienna, Austria, and Chimay, Belgium (10th place).

It was later used as a racing school car at Zolder, Belgium. It was rescued from a breaker yard in Namen, and used in its first Historic Race in 1980.

FIA HVIF dated 1985, obtained by Rob Haze. It was imported to the US in 1988 by Paul Winters, and then shipped to Skip McGlaughin and Donald Sandy. The driver, Art Hebert, raced it extensively since 1988.

Monoposto
Chassis number: FJ-1-61

This car is the first T56 Formula Junior FJ/1/61. It was purchased by Hap Sharp in January 1961 and first raced by his partner, Jim Hall at Mexico City in late January. The remainder of the season it raced with Sharp. Among other events, it was raced in the Formula Junior race during the Sebring 12 Hours weakened in Florida.

It is powered by a four-cylinder engine that produces 110 horsepower and 75 ft-lbs of torque. Its suspension is comprised of Unequal A-arms.

Monoposto
Chassis number: FJ-2-62

This Cooper T-56 Formula Junior race car is powered by a 1098cc overhead valve four-cylinder engine with twin SU carburetors and offers 105 horsepower. There is a five-speed Citroen-ERSA transaxle and four-wheel hydraulic drums. The suspension is comprised of an independent setup in the front with wishbones and coil springs along with a transverse leaf springs and wishbone setup in the rear. The wheelbase measures a short 89-inches.

This example is one of two Works cars campaigned by Team Tyrell for Cooper during the 1961 season. It won the European Formula Junior Championship while being piloted by South African Tony Maggs. Maggs won eight races including Goodwood, Magny-Cours, Monza, Kalskoga, Rouen, Zandvoort, Oulton Park, and Montlhery. He finished on the podium on several other occasions throughout the season. Maggs tied for the championship with Jo Siffert, the individual who would later enjoy a very successful career in Formula 1 and endurance racing.

At the close of the 1961 season, Tyrell gave the car back to Cooper, who sold it to actor Steve McQueen. McQueen also purchased a Mini-Cooper and attended Cooper's race school. Both cars were taken back to California with McQueen and he began racing FJ-2-62 in California, scoring a number of victories, including the Santa Barbara street races.

McQueen's Hollywood bosses became concerned with his racing outings and gave him an ultimatum: racing or movies. McQueen reluctantly complied. His mechanic, Stanley Peterson, sold the Cooper to Al 'Buster' Brizzard. Brizzard was competitive in SCCA competition, using the car in 1963 with a BMC engine. The following year, a Cosworth powerplant was used, an finally an Alfa Romeo 1600cc engine in 1965, winning the Pacific Coast Championship and becoming one of six National Formula B Champions that year.

In 1966, Bizzard sold the Cooper to Robert Badila but reportedly re-purchased the car again in 1977, still racing, but now with wings and wide tires. Skip McLaughlin, McQueen's original mechanic, was rebuilding the car, perhaps to its original configuration, when a house fire put an end to the project.

Donald Sandy is recorded as owner in 2000, and the current owner acquired the car in October of 2003. A profound restoration soon followed, returning FJ-2-62 to its 1961 configuration of dark green with white roundels and stripes. It was restored from the ground up to race-ready condition. An original and correct five-speed ERSA gearbox was found, and the car is fitted with the appropriate 1098 cc BMC engine.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale at RM Auction's Monterey, California sale. It was estimated to sell for $150,000 - $200,000 and offered without reserve. As bidding came to a close, the car was sold for the sum of $198,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Monoposto

This T-56 Formula Junior has raced continually through its life on a regular basis. In 1961 Gerry Heharey of Surrey, England purchased and assembled the car under the Formula Junior, Formula 3 and Monoposto rules until the 1980s when it was finally sold to Robert McLaughlin of Dallas, Texas. The car was refreshed in the 1970s, but is presented as it was originally assembled and purchased by Mr. Heharey in England. It has Ford Cosworth 1098cc dual Weber 45 DCOE4 carburetors, Renault four-speed transmission, tubular space frame chassis, magnesium bolt-on wheels, Cooper rack-and-pinion steering, and the brakes are radial-finned drums. Front and rear suspension is independent by unequal length wishbones, coil spring/damper units and anti-roll bar. The weight is approximately 900 pounds.

The Cooper T56 began its racing career in 1960 where it competed in the Formula Junior class. Along with the T-56 factory contracted cars, a number of kits were sold. In 1962 the T-56 was replaced by the T-59, the third edition of the Formula Junior cars produced by the Cooper Car Company.

by Dan Vaughan