Vehicle Description
1961 COOPER-CLIMAX T54 "KIMBERLY COOPER SPECIAL"
1961 Indy 500 racer piloted by Jack Brabham
Finishing 9th, this car started the "Rear Engine Revolution"
The one and only T54 ever built
Multiple winner of shows and events, restored in '90
Driven and shown at Goodwood in '11 and Pebble in '10
Extensively documented
No history of the Indianapolis 500 is complete without a major
consideration of Sir Jack Brabham's participation in the 1961 race
with a revolutionary rear-engine Cooper, a car that would change
the sport forever. Designed and constructed in less than 4 months,
the unique Cooper T54 & Brabham qualified 13th and finished ninth.
This caused many to rethink their beliefs about what a proper Indy
car should be and soon the winning formula was rear-engined
cars...all thanks to this T54.
Years later, this car was found in pieces and expertly assembled in
1991 and inspected by Sir Jack Brabham. The car won the Phil Hill
Trophy at the Monterey Cup and awarded the Road & Track trophy at
the Newport Beach Concours. Guest appearances at the Goodwood
Festival of Speed in '94 & '02. Best in class at Amelia Island
Concours in '04 and in '06 the car was the highlight of the Rolex
display at the Monterey Historics. After these accolades, T54 was
on the lawn at Pebble Beach in 2010 and was invited to be one of
only 33 cars to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis
Speedway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2011. More recent
outings were the '13 Desert Concours in Palm Springs where it won
its class and in 2016 it was the star of the Jack Brabham Tribute
at the Goodwood Revival. This special race car was important when
built, raced by a legend and highly awarded in its post-track
career and will be a cornerstone of any motorsports collection.
