Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Chassis No: 4-F2-27-59
Mot Expiry: N/A

According to a leading historian, who has carried out extensive research into Cooper Car Company and motor racing archives, there is some evidence that this particular car's identity can be traced back to full Cooper factory team F1 use during the 1959 season in which works driver Jack Brabham won the British GP at Aintree in July after already finishing second at Zandvoort in the Dutch GP in May. The car retired from the German GP at Avus and crashed during the Portugese GP at Lisbon in August, again with Brabham driving. After having to push what is reckoned to have been another Cooper across the line at Sebring in December, the Australian clinched the 1959 world drivers title.
There is then compelling evidence that the damaged car was stripped down back at the Surbiton works and rebuilt by Brabham himself in the final months of 1959 for his own use in New Zealand and Australia in the opening months of 1960. With full F1-spec 2.5-litre Coventry Climax engine, Brabham won everything, being first in the New Zealand GP at Ardmore, first in all three Tasman races at Longmore and winner of all four Phillip Island races in Australia.
After being in storage down under during the 1960 F1 season, Brabham returned to Oz to drive the car to victory at Bathhurst in October 1960. Following its sale to Bib Stillwell, the new owner came second in the car at Caversham in November and won two events at Warwick Farm in December.
Stillwell used the same 2.5 engine to power his new Cooper Monaco, fitting a 2.2 Climax instead. In this form, it was then sold to Leo Sternberg who drove to FTD and a hillclimb record at Penguin in Tasmania in both 1963 and 1964. Subsequently preserved there in dismantled state by Peter Turnbull until 1974, when it was retrieved, restored and raced by John Blanden until 1981. Peter Giddings owned the car until 1986, before it was acquired by Dick James and occasionally raced in the US, passing into vendor ownership in 1994.
The documents file is really impressive, containing one of the most detailed historical accounts of any car we have encountered as well as the all-important FIA papers needed to gain entry into the top historic race events. The overall condition of the car, which is presented in Cooper green with white stripe, as well as Coventry Climax 4-cylinder 2.5-litre engine is reportedly all good - and what super Cooper works team and Brabham provenance.