John Cooper Grand Prix Carpet Bagger - The Story of the Man and his Cars

At the age of eight, John Cooper was presented with a miniature car built by his father Charles: from that point onwards, John's life was to revolve around racing cars... The story really begins with two written-off Fiat 500 `Topolinos' that were cannabilised, in the austere days following World War II, by John and his father to make the first JAP engined 'Cooper' 500. So successful was this unlikely machine in Formula 3 racing, that John was soon manufacturing Cooper 500s in undreamt of quantities and, unbeknown to him, taking the first steps towards becoming one of the country’s greatest racing car constructors. The late forties and early fifties illustrated the dynamism of John Cooper through the proliferation of different models built in the never-ending search for more speed, better handling and new areas of competition. Then the association of Cooper and Coventry-Climax led to the unforgettable green and white Formula I car that gave John Cooper the Formula I Manufacturers Cup and Jack Brabham the Formula I World Championship in 1959 and 1960. The Fl Cooper-Climax was a revelation when it first appeared on the race tracks of the world and was truly the forerunner of the modern Formula I car. In the early sixties, through his past relationship with BMC and friendship with Alec Issigonis, John Cooper was able to design a high-performance version of the then new BMC Mini. Once again John's efforts were to meet with incredible success as motoring enthusiasts throughout the world gave instant acclaim to the little fireball called the Mini Cooper. Suddenly, here was a car which could almost run rings around most of the contemporary sports cars and yet was practical and relatively very cheap. The Mini Cooper, through its success in all forms of competition, has gone on to become a legend in its own time. As you read this book, you will be carried through three decades of motor racing on a tidal wave of enthusiasm and zest for life which epitomise John Cooper. You will come to know the man, his cars and the Cooper racing team. You will be taken behind the scenes to gain a fascinating insight to the real racing world and will learn of those great drivers who include such illustrious names as Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham and Phil Hill.