1959 Cooper-Climax Type 51, 2-Litre

Customers flocked to Cooper's garage door to buy their revolutionary rear-engined racing cars. Then in 1955 the centre-seat Type 39 'Bobtail' sports car using a water-cooled Coventry-Climax 4-cylinder engine in the back appeared. In 1956 the 'Bobtail' spawned the first water-cooled rear-engined Cooper-Climax for Formula 2 – the marque's Type 41.

And by 1959 the rear-engined Cooper-Climax theme had reached the Type 51 variant – as now offered here – and with full 2 1/2-liter Formula 1 Climax FPF engine – it would carry works No 1 driver Jack Brabham the Drivers' World Championship that year. The Cooper Car Company in parallel won the Formula 1 Constructors World Championship.

This particular Type 51 - chassis 'F2/3/59' - is mentioned in the Cooper Car Company's surviving chassis register as having been sold to British garage proprietor, seasoned amateur racing driver and entrant George Nixon. It was delivered to him in 1 ½-liter Formula 2 specification, since the Type 51 was itself a dual-purpose Formula 2/Formula 1 design.

Nixon had been racing since the mid-1940s, up to international Grand Prix Formula 1 level in an ERA, achieving a 10th place finish in the 1948 British Grand Prix amongst many other respectable results at this level.

By the late 1950s Nixon was primarily an entrant and had become a very good customer of the Cooper Car Company, having bought in successive years a T39 ‘Bobtail’, T43 Formula 2 Cooper-Climax, T45 Formula 2 Cooper-Climax and then in 1959 T51- F2/3/59 as offered here, probably due to this very good relationship the ledgers show that Nixon’s car was amongst the first cars to be delivered. Intended for use in International Formula 2 events, this was a very hotly contested category during this period with races throughout Europe and many contemporary Grand Prix drivers taking part.

Race appearances for the car during 1959 included:

Amateur driver Chris Summers – entered by Nixons Garages – race at Mallory Park, Leicestershire, on May 18, 1959 – a club level event, DNF

Professional driver to Formula 1 level – and Cooper Racing Drivers' School instructor - Ian Burgess drove it in the Reims F2 Coupe de Vitesse race in France on July 5, 1959 - DNF

Professional driver to Formula 1 level Henry Taylor drove it at the Grand Prix de Rouen-les-Essarts, on July 12, 1959 - 8th

Ian Burgess at Clermont-Ferrand, France, on July 26, 1959 – finished, but too far behind to be classified

Ian Burgess in the Formula 2 Kentish Trophy International at Brands Hatch, England, on August 3, 1959 – a most commendable 5th

Ian Burgess at Brands Hatch, England, again on August 29 - 9th

This appears to be the cars final event in Nixon’s ownership since it was then advertised for sale by him in the September edition of Autosport Magazine, described as recently stripped down “Absolutely As New”

This was' a very respectable International career for a privately-entered Cooper-Climax at that time, and its career later continued in private hands, at less elevated level for several years.

Subsequently F2/3/59 was purchased by leading Cooper collector Ken Moore it is believed from an advertisement in Autosport magazine in the early 1980s. Moore entrusted the restoration to respected British specialist Peter Denty, Peter remembers the car as delivered to him as complete even unusually retaining the original bodywork, but tired and fitted with a supercharger, it was thought for hill-climbing. Denty undertook a complete restoration for Moore between 1983 and 1985, see photos on file.

During this period Denty ended up owning the car and on its completion, it was sold, becoming part of the Cooper Collection owned by cult film director David Cronenberg, based in Canada.

Records held by the Cooper Car Club show subsequent owners to be John Burnham (USA) who raced the car sporadically circa 2000-2006 and he subsequently sold F2/3/59 to Mike Taggart (USA) for his collection. The car would remain in his collection unused until passing to collector/gentleman racer Nick Grewal in 2019, passing to the current owner shortly after. At some point the Coventry Climax FPF engine had been rebuilt as a 2-Litre (as used by Cooper in Formula 1 1957/58) in which form it remains today, this is believed to be engine number 1056, originally fitted to Alan Mackay’s Cooper Type 45- F2-6-58.

Whilst in the current ownership F2/3/59 has been subject to a thorough strip down and overhaul by respected Cooper specialist Jack Williamson Engineering/Dorset Racing in the UK. During this extensive work every aspect of the car was examined and wherever necessary improved/renewed, this work included gearbox rebuild, engine rebuild by Formula Race Engines including a new cylinder head by Crosthwaite and Gardiner, new con-rods, pistons, camshafts and much else, following which the engine was dyno tested (208bhp at 6250rpm). Crack testing and renewal where needed of safety critical components, brake system rebuild, re-wire and a great deal of other work besides- see copious invoices on file.

Following this work the car has been track tested once and set up by an experienced racing driver, this is the only use the car has had following this major overhaul, which amounts to virtually a complete restoration. The car is also offered with fresh FIA HTP.

So here we offer a truly iconic Cooper-Climax – a Formula road-racing car made absolutely by pure-bred Racers for fellow enthusiasts. F2/3/59 has period international racing history with a leading privateer team, has a record of long-term collector ownership and is offered fresh from a major overhaul, for the new owner to enjoy at the world’s leading Historic Formula 1 Grand Prix car events at Goodwood and beyond.