Description:

Sold new in 1950 by John Crouch the Cooper agent in Australia to Paul Roberts. It was sold again in 1951 to future 3 times F1 World champion Jack Brabham by Crouch. It was Brabhams first road racing car after moving out of Speedway midgets. Brabham sucessfully raced it with an 1100cc Vincent HRD motor at many road races and hillclimbs until he sold it when he moved to Coopers in England in 1954.It was raced continuously by a number of owners until 1961 when it was involved in a major accident whilst being towed back from a race meeting. The car was rebuilt by Ken Clelland with a new space frame chassis and fitted with a Triumph Tiger 110 air cooled 650cc motor which remains in it today. It spent 20 years under a house until unearthed in remarkable condition in 2000. The engine, gearbox and clutch have been rebuilt and only require a new exhaust and some adjustment to the brakes to be ready to race. It has been accepted by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport to race in its current condition as a GroupM Historic.


History

1950 Built by Cooper Car Company as a Cooper MkIV !950 Sold by John Crouch Australian Cooper Agent to Paul Roberts. Roberts returned car to Crouch as unreliable after blowing up 1100cc JAP Engine 1951-1954 Car sold to Jack Brabham without engine Brabham fits BSA 500 but finds it too slow.Brabham fits Vincent HRD100cc motor and races car till 1954 winning many races including the "All powers Handicap" and the under 1500 cc Handicap at Mt Druit in 1952 and 3rd place in the NSW Hillclimb Championship. He repeated the performance the following Year at Mt Druit 1954 Brabham sells car to Jack o'Dea who gets fastest lap at the "Argus TT"in 1956 at the Formula 1 track at Albert Park. He also came 2nd in class at Templestowe Hillclimb that year. 1959 The car passed through two more owners Reg Smith and Owen Bailey and was bought by Keith Soames in 1959. Keith hillclimbed the car very successfully at Bathurst now home to Australias most Famous Sedan Car Race The Bathurst 1000. He won his class and 2nd fastest time of day overall in the NSW Hillclimb Championship in 1959 when the car was 10 years old! After being rebuilt as the DonLand Special was widely raced by its builder and from 1978 through 1982 raced by Peter Tucker Junior as an Historic Racer. It then spent 20 years under his fathers house until unearthed in 2000. The car is as built in 1961 with the engine and gear box rebuilt using original NOS parts

Competition History

Templestowe Hill 69.33 sec Foleys Hill20.13 sec Albert Park Circuit 2min.13sec
Performance Data

• 500cc/F3
  
• Albert Park Melbourne
  

Engine

• Phil Pilgrim
  
• Triumph Motorcyle
  
• T-110 Tiger
  
• 650cc
  
• 40+@ 6500rpm
  
• Naturally Aspirated
  
• Alloy Head
  
• T-110 D6566 1959
  
• 1 Piece
  
• Overhead Valve
  
• Triumph
  
• Multi Plate
  
• 0 Hours
  
• Nil
  
• Dry Sump
  

Fuel System

• Fuel Tank
  
• Amal Monobloc
  
• 43 years
  
• 2 gallons
  
• Mechanical Rear Axle
  
• Unleaded
  

Oil/Water System

• Nil
  
• Tank Type
  
• Rear
  

Electrical System

• Lucas Magneto
  
• Nil
  
• Nil
  
• Nil
  
• Nil
  

Transmission

• Triumph
  
• Triumph Manual
  
• 4
  
• Sequential
  
• Nil
  

Rear End

• Cooper
  
• Chain Drive
  
• Nil
  
• Cooper
  
• Unknown
  

Body

• Alloy and fibreglass
  
• British Racing Green
  
• Original
  
• Good
  
• Has patina of age but in good condition
  

Chassis

• Spaceframe
  
• Ken Clelland
  
• Steel square Tube
  
• Epoxy Enamel
  
• Excellent
  
• Cooper/Fiat 500 Transverse Leaf Original
  
• Cooper Transverse Leaf Original
  
• Telescopic Thought to be original
  
• Drums,Front Fiat 500/Rear centre
  
• Cooper/ Fiat Original
  
• Front Fiat 500 Rear 105e Anglia
  
• Michelin X
  

Interior

• Alloy
  
• Alloy
  
• Nil
  
• Sparco Harness
  
• Nil
  
• Cooper original
  
• Good
  

Spares

• Misc Engine
  
• Fiat 500 Wheel