To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' The
Elkhart Collection event, 1 - 2 May 2020.
- One of three examples built
- Sold new to successful privateer Michael Head, the British
military attache to Sweden
- Six victories at Goodwood and Silverstone during the 1956 and
'57 seasons
- Unique Cooper design powered by Jaguar's racing-specification
XK engine
- Subject of period road test in an August 1957 issue of
Autosport magazine
- Sympathetic recommissioning with input from Williams F1
technical guru Patrick Head
- Entered at the Sussex Trophy, Monaco Historic Grand Prix, La
Leggenda di Bassano-Trofeo Giannino Marzotta, and the Elkhart Lake
Vintage Festival
- Highly authentic example including original Williams and
Pritchard aluminum coachwork and correct D-Type-specification
engine
While John Cooper may be most widely known for his work on the Mini
model, his reputation among racing enthusiasts ranks second to
none. After founding an eponymous firm in 1948 with his father
Charles, Cooper became one of the most prolific sports- and
race-car builders the world has ever known. His designs were often
far advanced for their time, and he was notably one of the pioneers
of rear-engine architecture.
Cooper initially enjoyed great success building cars around 500 cc
engines, producing competitive models for Formula 2 and 3,
sports-car racing, and other formats. As a boutique builder for
privateering customers, Cooper soon earned a stellar reputation
among top-tier racing entrepreneurs and drivers, eventually
fielding specific requests to build specialized sports cars. From
his Austin 7 Special of 1936 to the Cooper-Cosworth V8 F1 of 1969,
Cooper built 91 different models over a 33-year period, a testament
to the breadth of his work. Along the way his teams took numerous
victories, including the 1959 and '60 Formula 1 Constructors' and
Drivers' Championships.
In 1954 Cooper was approached by Peter Whitehead, the respected
Jaguar privateer who ran some of the factory's fastest cars.
Whitehead pined for a lighter version of the C-Type, so he
commissioned Cooper to create a sports racer utilizing a
racing-specification XK engine. Cooper had never built a car based
on such a large motor, and the XK's sheer size influenced him to
rearrange several mechanical elements.
Cooper Works draftsman Owen Maddock drew up plans, and soon an
all-new 91-inch-wheelbase chassis was formulated using
large-diameter steel tubing. The company's basic transverse
leaf-spring suspension was beefed up with double wishbones with
Armstrong telescopic shock absorbers, and 16-inch Dunlop disc
wheels were mounted with Dunlop racing tires. The wet-sump XK motor
was mounted towards the rear of the engine compartment, mated to a
standard Moss gearbox that transferred power to a modified
Cooper-Bristol Mk II magnesium final-drive unit.
The new T33 Cooper-Jaguar was anchored by multi-pad Dunlop disc
brakes and tipped the scales at approximately 1,848 pounds,
substantially lighter than the D-Type. With seating forced to the
side and the gearbox to the rear, the T33 chassis was mounted with
curious head-faired coachwork similar to a Porsche racing spyder.
Whitehead drove the car to numerous victories, including a minor
race at Snetterton where he beat two C-Types.
Cooper ultimately built two more cars before Whitehead approached
him again a year later about building a more developed version. The
resulting Cooper-Jaguar Mark II, classified as the T38, was
publicly introduced at the 1955 Brussels Motor Show. The coachwork
was changed to a more conventional sports-racing body by Williams
and Pritchard, and a 4-liter dry-sump lubrication system was
adopted for the XK engine, which was canted at an angle for a lower
profile. Whitehead then campaigned the Mark II at Silverstone and
through Europe, even attempting Le Mans in June.
Two more examples of the striking T38 were built through early
1956, bringing total Mark II production to just three cars.
Beautiful to behold and impressively agile on the track, the T38
remains a remarkable testament to the potential of combining two of
England's most celebrated competition concerns.
In mid-1955 John Cooper received an order for a T38 from Michael
Head, the British military attache to Sweden who raced Jaguars in
his spare time. Head apparently participated in as many as 100
races over the years, taking 26 victories along the way. His chosen
speed machines included an XK 120 Lightweight, a C-Type once driven
by Stirling Moss at the 1952 Mille Miglia, and a D-Type owned by
Duncan Hamilton (the factory team driver who won the 1953 Le Mans
in a C-Type).
According to a 2014 interview with Head's son Patrick, a racing
luminary in his own right who served as the technical director of
Williams' successful Formula 1 program, Michael Head had wanted to
purchase a D-Type, but the price rose exorbitantly after he placed
his initial order. Having already competed against the
Cooper-Jaguar Mark I, Head was aware of the car's potential and
contacted Cooper to place an order.
Chassis no. CJ/2/55 was the second of three T38 examples built, and
when delivered to Head in early 1956, the car was not even
complete. Cooper was preoccupied with Formula 2 builds and Formula
1 designs, so Head negotiated delivery of the car as a rolling
chassis to be completed by himself. Dunlop subsequently fitted
brakes to the car, while Williams & Pritchard mounted their sleek
roadster coachwork fashioned out of thin-gauge aluminum.
Following completion, the Cooper-Jaguar was registered as HOT 95,
which continues to authentically adorn the car today. Head
proceeded to regularly race the T38, debuting at Goodwood in March
1956 with a 2nd-place finish. During 22 races that year, the owner
achieved podium finishes nine times, including six victories at
Goodwood and Silverstone. He continued to campaign the car in 1957
with an appearance at the demanding Finnish El�intarhanajo and
finished 1st at Goodwood in June. Head also lent the car to
journalist John Bolster for a road-test review that was printed in
an August 1957 issue of Autosport magazine, where the writer
recorded a top speed of 136.3 mph after reaching the quarter mile
in 14.8 seconds.
By early 1959 the Cooper-Jaguar Mark II was sold to David
Chamberlain, and he continued running the car at events at Goodwood
and Brands Hatch, even managing two 2nd-place finishes at
Silverstone in September 1960. In a testament to the design's
longevity, Chamberlain entered the car in events as late as 1962,
finishing as high as 5th at Snetterton in August 1961.
The T38 then passed through a short succession of European
caretakers over the following decades, including ownership during
the 1980s by Roland Urbain, the French Jaguar enthusiast and
author. Around 2011 the Cooper's owner contacted Patrick Head at
Williams and arranged to bring him the car for a reunion of sorts.
Head received a standing offer to race the Cooper at Goodwood if
opportunity permitted, for which he was afforded a semi-permanent
loan. After consulting his father's archives and becoming inspired
by the memories, Head decided to conduct a sympathetic restoration
so that the T38 could be recommissioned for Goodwood.
Jaguar specialist Chris Keith-Lucas's CKL Developments was
commissioned to oversee the work, and the engine was delivered to
specialist Sigma Engineering for a partial rebuild and tuning. An
approved fire system was fitted, a new fuel cell was installed, the
brakes were rebuilt, and the final-drive ratio was lowered for
better suitability...for more information please contact the
seller.
