John Cooper (car maker)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Newton Cooper CBE (July 17, 19 ! " #ecem$er %, &&&' wa( a co)founder, with hi( father Charle( Cooper, of the Cooper Car Company* Born in +ur$iton, +urrey, En,land, -. he $ecame an auto racin, le,end with hi( rear)en,ined cha((i( de(i,n that would e/entually chan,e the face of the (port at it( hi,he(t le/el(, from Formula 0ne to the 1ndianapoli( 2&&* Charle( Cooper ran a (mall ,ara,e in +ur$iton that (peciali(ed in maintainin, racin, car(* 3i( (on John left (chool at a,e 12 to $ecome an apprentice toolmaker and (er/ed in the 4oyal 5ir Force a( an in(trument maker in World War 11* 5fter the war, he and hi( father $e,an $uildin, (imple, ine6pen(i/e (in,le)(eat racer( for pri/ateer(, often from (urplu( military hardware* 7he car( were e6tremely (ucce((ful and 8uickly in hi,h demand, and in 19%9 they founded their own company to $uild more* 1n (tereotypical Briti(h fa(hion, Cooper alway( downplayed the (tory a$out how they decided to put the en,ine in the $ack of their racin, car(, in(i(tin, it wa( a matter of con/enience* 7he ori,inal de(i,n for the fir(t rear en,ined Cooper racin, car wa( drawn up $y 0wen :addock, a de(i,ner employed $y Cooper Car Company*;1< Becau(e the car wa( powered $y a motorcycle en,ine, they put the en,ine in the $ack, dri/in, a chain* =We certainly had no feelin, that we were creatin, (ome (cientific $reakthrou,h>***We put the en,ine at the rear***$ecau(e it wa( the practical thin, to do,= Cooper (aid*; < 1nitially, John raced hi( own car( on a re,ular $a(i( $ut a( the company ,rew he found le(( time a/aila$le to compete* 3e did, howe/er find time to (et a num$er of record( at :ontlh?ry at the end of 192!* 1n the early 192&(, it (eemed a( if e/ery a(pirin, youn, Briti(h racin, dri/er $e,an $ehind the wheel of a Cooper, and Cooper@( Formula 0ne car( were dri/en $y the le,endary dri/er( of the time A Jack Bra$ham, +tirlin, :o((, :aurice 7rinti,nant, Bruce :cBaren* 1n a nine)year period, the team took 1C Drand Eri6 win(, a( Bra$ham and the team won $ack)to)$ack World Champion(hip( in 1929 and 19C&* While in +e$rin,, Florida for the 1929 -nited +tate( Drand Eri6, Cooper ,ot to know 5merican dri/er 4od,er Ward, the rei,nin, -+5C National Champion and 1ndianapoli( 2&& Winner* 5fter Ward had $een a(tounded $y the cornerin, a$ility of Cooper@( little car( on the road cour(e, he offered to arran,e a te(t for them at 1ndianapoli( :otor +peedway, (ayin,, =Fou@/e ,ot to try out your car around the 0/al* 1ndy@( waitin, for you>= Cooper took one of hi( Formula 0ne car( to the +peedway in the fall of 19C&, a( dri/er(, con(tructor( and racin, per(onalitie( ,athered in =amu(ed tolerance, mi6ed with o$/iou( curio(ity,= accordin, to Cooper* When Bra$ham, an 1ndy rookie, $e,an hi( warmup lap(, he wa( unaware of the re8uirement to ,radually $uild up hi( (peed on the track* 3e clocked hi( (econd lap at 1%%*9 mile( per hour, fa(t enou,h for the third row on the pre/iou( race@( ,rid> Ward wa( (o enthu(ed, Cooper had to a,ree to let him dri/e the car, too* From that point, the 1ndianapoli( e(ta$li(hment realiGed the writin, wa( on the wall and the day( of their front)en,ined road(ter( were num$ered* Within a few year(, John Cooper@( re/olution of open)wheeled racin, wa( complete* (Cooper, pp* 9%"99, 92"97' Cooper@( de/elopment of the Briti(h :otor Corporation :ini A the :ini Cooper A wa( adored $y $oth rally racer( and ordinary road dri/er(* Before John Cooper@( death, the Cooper name wa( licen(ed to B:W for the hi,her performance /er(ion( of the car(, in(pired $y the ori,inal :ini, (old a( the :1N1* John, alon, with hi( (on :ike Cooper, (er/ed in an ad/i(ory role to B:W and 4o/er@( New :1N1 de(i,n team* Cooper wa( the la(t (ur/i/in, Formula 0ne team principal from the formati/e year( of the (port,

and he often lamented later in life that the fun had lon, (ince ,one out of racin,* 3e helped e(ta$li(h Britain@( domination of motor(port technolo,y, which continue( today, and he recei/ed the CBE (Commander of 0rder of the Briti(h Empire' for hi( (er/ice( to Briti(h motor(port* 3e remained head of the We(t +u((e6 family ,ara,e $u(ine(( (which had outlet( for :ini Cooper at Ea(t Ere(ton and 3onda at Ferrin,' until hi( death at a,e 77 in &&&* Footnotes Jump up H =4acin, car de(i,ner who(e rear)mounted en,ine propelled Jack Bra$ham and Cooper@( to /ictory in Formula 1=* tele,raph*co*uk* &&&)&9)&!* 4etrie/ed &1 )&2)1%* Jump up H =John Cooper ) 5 Iery Briti(h :ar8ue, 5 Iery Briti(h :an=* ,randpri6*com* &&1)& ) !1* 4etrie/ed &&9)&1) 1* See also John Cooper Work( References John Cooper profile at 7he 2&& 0wner( 5((ociation John CooperJ 7he :an Who Beat 1talia John Cooper Work( (redirect( to Cooper Bike( we$(ite'* John Cooper (1977'* 7he Drand Eri6 Carpet$a,,er(J 7he 5uto$io,raphy of John Cooper* #ou$leday* 1+BN &)!92)&!&91)9 7he Duardian, January 2, &&1, Ea,e J 0$ituary $y 5lan 3enry*