1961 Cooper Monaco Type 61

Sports Racer
Chassis number: CM/3/62

This car was delivered new to Texan racer Alan Connel in 1962. It was owned by J.C. Ferguson Jr. of Louisiana from 1965 through 1967. While in his care, it was used in minor events. Ownership then passed to Jack Lane of Houston who re-bodied the car with aluminum. From 1967 through 1974, it was in the care of Chuck Haines of St. Louis. From 1974 through 1976 it belonged to Bruce Langson of Houston, Texas. Howard Eichenbaum of Little Rock, Arkansas purchased the car in 1976, only to resell it two years later. Bud Ogle of Mansfield, Texas purchased it in 1978 and kept it until 1990. In the very early 1990s, it was sold into UK ownership.

Peter Bloore Raceparts of the UK owned the car from 1990-1998. John Harper purchased it in 1998 and began a two-year restoration which brought it back to the original Alan Connell specification. It is now fitted with a 2.5-liter Climax engine and a five-speed transaxle. It is painted in a dark blue livery with white number roundels.

The engine has only been put through its paces on one occasion - the 2006 Goodwood Revival Meeting, where it placed third overall. Needless to say, it is a very capable car that is in pristine condition.

The Cooper Monaco series were introduced for the 1959 racing season. The Cooper-Climax 'Bobtail' Sports Cars were shown in 1955, featuring a seat positioned in the center of the cockpit, and most were fitted with all-enveloping bodywork. They did well during the 1955 and 1956 seasons. They were followed by an open-wheeled, single-seat Formula 2 car. Power was from a 1500cc Climax engine. Further improvements lead to a Formula 1 car, with Jack Brabham driving the works car during the 1957 season. The small, 1.96-liter car held its own against the larger 2.5-liter F1 cars during the Monaco Grand Prix. For 1958, a Cooper-Climax monoposto with an enlarged engine, driven by Maurice Trintignant, won the Monaco Grand Prix. To celebrate this accomplishment, the new sports-racing Cooper-Climax was dubbed the 'Monaco.' Jack Brabham would skillfully pilot the marque's car to a second consecutive victory at Monaco and capture the Formula 1 World Championship in 1959.

The first version of the Monaco featured a short chassis. The 1960-1961 version had changes to the bodywork and to the dimensions. It was given a longer-wheelbase and a multi-tubular frame. The suspension was re-worked with coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. The Owen Maddock-designed body became sleeker.

Many of the Monaco's were fitted with four-cylinder Climax FPF engines. Sizes included 2.0, 2.5, and 2.7-liters. Many of the cars sent to the United States, in true Detroit fashion, were given V8 engines from Ford and GM. Even Carroll Shelby got in on the action, equipping his factory team with Ford V8-engined 'King Cobras.'

It was brought to Sebring in 1963 but its 2.5-liter Climax engine failed. Mechanic Adrian Flores fitted a small-block Chevrolet V8 engine in its place and apparently powered the rear wheels through the Cooper C5S gearbox. Wider wheels were added which required the wheel arches to become flared. The nose was enlarged to accommodate the intake for the radiator.

In 2007 it was brought to Carmel, California where it was offered for sale at Bonhams auction, An Important Sale of Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia, and sold for $232,000 plus premiums and taxes.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer

This Sports-Racing Two-Seater is a Mark II bodied all coil-sprung Cooper Monaco Mark III fitted with a 2.7-liter 'Indy' version of the Coventry Climax FPF 4-cylinder racing engine. The engine was taken from the ex-Scuderia Filipinetti 4-cylinder Formula 1 Eagle, meaning it was built up by Dan gurney's Anglo-American Racing (AAR) Formula 1 team.

The car retains its original chassis, which may have been one of the very last Monacos of its type ever to leave the Cooper factory. The car originally had a 'pointed fin' 1961-type Monaco Mark III bodyshell but may not have been completed in 1961 as a running car. It may have been retained as an uncompleted chassis/body unit and put into storage. A later owner completed the car to running order fitted the Mark II bodywork which it wears today.

In 2009, this Mark III Monaco was offered for sale by Bonhams Auction at the Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club in Carmel, CA. It was estimated to sell for $170,000 - $210,000. The lot would leave the auction unsold.

by Dan Vaughan

Sports Racer
Chassis number: CM/3/62

The space frame Cooper Monaco was introduced in 1958. It was the car to beat in sports car racing. A total of 16 were produced in-series, this being the only one with tail fins. It was initially exported to Texas and sold to Alan Connell and Harry Washburn while competing against the likes of Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and Roger Penske. The car scored multiple wins at Riverside and Sebring, as well as a 3rd place finish in the SCCA Nationals at Bridgehampton in 1962.

This Cooper was raced very little from 1967 to 1998, after which it was returned to England for restoration to its original specs. Power is supply by the as-built Coventry-Climax 2.5-liter FPF racing engine. As restored it has been raced in VSCCA and SVRA competition including the Lime Rock Historic Festival and the Goodwood Revival in 2006, where it placed third in the Madgwick Cup.

Sports Racer
Chassis number: CM/3/61

Built by the Cooper Car Company in Surbiton, England, the firm was famous for pushing the rear-engine revolution in racing, starting with their 500cc racers, moving into various Formulas and becoming World Champion Constructors in 1959 and 1960 with cars driven by World Champion Sir Jack Brabham.

In late 1958, Coopers unveiled the next generation of rear-engine sports racer, named the 'Monaco' in honor of their Grand Prix (F-1) victory in Monte Carlo that year. With no driveshaft running between the seats, the car was a barely widened Grand Prix machine, sharing much of the same suspension, steering and running gear. Choice of motors, however, were strictly up to the private owners.

This car was the third chassis produced as the Mark III Version of the Monaco - with some changes to the chassis and suspension from previous versions. These cars also received new bodywork that included the two rear Cadillac-style 'fins' that were thought to appeal to American buyers. At this time, Coopers also changed their nomenclature for chassis numbering and the Mark III became the Type 61M.

This chassis was originally built up for the U.K. driver Peter Berry, but he withdrew the order. Cooper's Grand Prix driver, Bruce McLaren had driven for Team Cunningham in the 1960 West Coast races and thought that a properly prepared 'Monaco' could really be competitive. He convinced Peter Berry not only to take up the order but also finance his American adventure. (The other two CM Mark IIIs were driven by Jack Brabham and Roger Penske.)

McLaren's choice of motor was the Coventry-Climax 2.7-liter FPF unit that had, in fact, been used to power Cooper's entry in the 1961 Indianapolis 500. The car was tested briefly at Silverstone in September and got under the record sports car time set by Stirling Moss in a Lotus 19.

The car's American racing debut came about at Virginia's International Raceway, in April of 1962 when Team Cunningham driver Walt Hansgen was at the wheel. The rest of the season saw the Cooper-Buick one of the fastest cars in the 'C-Modified' and 'Formula Libre' events, including wins at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen.

The car appeared at the Riverside Grand Prix on October 15th, in 1962 in Cooper's traditional British Racing Green and white striping. McLaren had been right - the car was fast and he led the race until a water leak forced him to slow and take second. The winner was Jack Brabham in another Cooper Monaco.

One Week later, McLaren was at Laguna Seca for the Pacifica Grand Prix and was quick again, but the motor was tired - and a piston seized in the race making him a DNF and leaving Moss to take the win in the UDT Lotus 19. At this point, the chassis was sold to Briggs Cunningham - and the motor was shipped to New Zealand to be used in McLaren's Tasman Series Cooper Formula car.

Cunningham had the chassis shipped to Lance Reventlow's RAI shops in Los Angeles. Revenlow, heir to the Woolworth Stores fortune, had been running his successful SCARAB sports racers and had also created his own rear-engine machine, matched to a small block aluminum Buick motor. A similar 3.5 liter unit was installed in Cunningham's T-61M and the resulting car had more horsepower and weighed about 20 kilos less than with the Coventry-Climax motor.

For 1963, Walk continued his winning ways with the Cooper, including victories at Bridgehampton, Cumberland, Indianapolis Raceway Park and the final Team Cunningham 1st Overall at the second event held at Bridgehampton on September 15th of 1963. The Cooper-Buick was then sold and went thru several owners until being repatriated in the U.K. in 2003 where it underwent a restoration by an ex-Cooper works mechanic and appeared at several vintage racing events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The car is now owned and driven by Jeffrey Heller, Berkeley, California and appears at various West Coast vintage and classic events.

by Car Owner

by Dan Vaughan

Sports car racing had been slowly growing in popularity since the conclusion of the Second World War, peaking near the close of the 1950s. The competition had grown, and designs had become perfected. Cooper began work on their racer in 1958, with the intention of competing during the 1959 season. The resulting vehicle was named the Monaco, in honor of Trintignant's accomplishments at that race in 1958. A Cooper Monaco prototype was displayed at Hollyfield in November of 1958.

Sports car racing requirements at the time stated one working door, and two seats, along with a host of other requirements. They had to comply with FIA regulations used in Europe and built solely for racing. Superchargers were not allowed; the use of superchargers bumped the car into another class. The vehicle's engine size determined its racing class.

The Cooper Monaco chassis was made up of four large tubes resting on a wide wheelbase. The engine bay was designed to accept a variety of engines, such as the Bristol engines which had been used in Cooper's open-wheeled Formula racing cars. As competition increased from other marques such as Lotus, Cooper continued to refine their Monaco by giving them more rigid frames, improved suspension, engine modifications and continued to perfect the design. The Monaco and the Cooper Formula cars shared many similarities and mechanical components in an effort to minimize problems during development and to streamline the building process.

The spaceframe chassis was designed for a mid-engine layout with seating for two. The rear-mounted engine meant no central transmission tunnel was needed which helped in weight reduction and allowed for more power to reach the rear wheels. A Citroen-ERSA four-speed transaxle was mated to the 1.5- or 2.0-liter FPF engines. The engines were mounted at an 18-degree angle and attached via four points on rubber bushings. The 12-gallon aluminum fuel tank was mounted outboard on the left side of the chassis rails. The driver and outboard battery were located on the right-hand side. This configuration was chosen to keep the driver as far away from the fuel source as possible and to distribute the weight more evenly.

The rack-and-pinon steering was centrally located. The front suspension was comprised of double wishbones and coil springs and damper units. In the rear was the tried-and-true transverse leaf-spring setup with a single lower wishbone. Girling disc brakes were at all four corners and measured 10.25 inches in diameter.

The entire package had a wheelbase of 91 inches with a length of 141 inches. As expected, the vehicle's weight was pretty well distributed, with 44% in the front and 56% in the rear.

The Cooper Monaco's immediately dominated the racing circuit and eventually became one of the most successful mid-engined sports racing cars ever constructed. When introduced, Cooper did not plan on running any works cars. The first few examples sold were tax-free kit cars. In total, eight examples were registered in 1959, each with unique specifications and purposes.

The Cooper Monaco MKII Type 57 was raced during the 1960 season and was nearly identical to the MKI, except for a longer nose. The MKII was produced in smaller quantities and most were sold in Britain where they provided many podium finishes for their drivers.

In 1961, Cooper introduced their third iteration of the Monaco, the Monaco MKIII Type 61. By now, the Monaco was basically a Formula 1 car in a two-seater configuration. These versions had straight tubes in the frame, replacing the curves and angles, and similar to the Lowline Formula 1 cars. There was a wide radiator intake. The suspension was improved with the use of coil springs and wishbones at the rear; this was the first time a production Cooper car would contain this setup. To improve aerodynamics and to appeal to the American market, the cars were given tail fins and a slightly revised body.

There were three Monaco Mark III's registered, including the prototype machines. One went to Roger Penske, another went to Texan Hap Sharp, and the third was sold to British privateer Peter Berry.

In 1963, Carroll Shelby's Cobras were doing very well in SCCA Competition. They won the A/Sports Racing National Championship and US Road Racing Championship. Though these street-derived Mustang Cobra vehicles were fast, they could not compete with the USAC-sanctioned 'Fall Series' held on the West Coast. This series would eventually evolve into the Canadian American Challenge Series (CAN-AM), which had few rules and restrictions resulting in high horsepower cars with lightweight, aerodynamic bodies, large wings, and tires.

Carroll Shelby had all of the ingredients to compete in the Fall Series, except the car. He used his connections in England to resolve that problem. He approached John Cooper in search of finding a car that could house a 289 cubic-inch Ford V8 engine. Cooper had enjoyed great success with his mid-engined Coventry Climax-powered sports cars, and their successor, the Monaco. Charles Cooper and his son John had created a series of non-production car-based sports racing cars using a multi-tubular chassis designed to hold Bristol engines. From this, other series of cars were constructed. There was potential in the 1100cc Coventry Climax FWA engines, due to their lightweight construction, power, and durability. In 1955, a lightweight and aerodynamic body were constructed to house these engines. These sports racers were known as 'Bobtails'. The Monaco cars were further evolutions of the Bobtails.

Shelby purchased two cars, CM/1/63 and CM/3/63, and powered them with an American cast-iron V8 engine. The engines featured four dual chock downdraft Weber carburetors and matted to a BMC/Huffaker four-speed transaxle. The gearbox proved to be problematic, so it was replaced by a Colotti four-speed unit, which, too, was not without its problems. The body was constructed of aluminum and clothed the 1.5-inch 18 gauge tubing and fully independent suspension with coil springs and shock absorbers. They were delivered early in the season but they were not completed until the close of the USRRC season.

Carroll Shelby nicknamed these cars, the 'Cooper Ford', which persisted until it was replaced by Steve Smith of Car & Driver who thought up the name 'King Cobra'. This was the perfect name for these newly created sports racers.

by Dan Vaughan