The Cooper-Climax T55 is a Formula One car built by the Cooper Car Company for the 1961 Formula One season. Its best result was third-place for Bruce McLaren at the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. [1][2][3]

Cooper T55
Tony Maggs' T55 pursues Phil Hill's Ferrari at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorCooper Car Company
Designer(s)Owen Maddock
PredecessorCooper T53
SuccessorCooper T58
Technical specifications
ChassisSteel spaceframe
Suspension (front)Double wishbone, coil spring and damper
Suspension (rear)Double wishbone, coil spring and damper
Axle trackF: 1,190 mm (47 in)
R: 1,220 mm (48 in)
Wheelbase2,310 mm (91 in)
EngineCoventry Climax FPF 1.5-litre straight-4, naturally aspirated, rear mid, longitudinally mounted.
TransmissionCooper 6-speed manual gearbox.
Weight500 kg (1,100 lb)
TyresDunlop
Competition history
Notable entrantsCooper Car Company
Notable driversAustralia Jack Brabham
New Zealand Bruce McLaren
South Africa Tony Maggs
Rhodesia John Love
Debut1961 Monaco Grand Prix
RacesPodiums
141

Development

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The T55 was a stop-gap development of the Cooper T53 for the start of the 1961 Formula One season, pending the introduction of a new chassis to take the Climax FWMV V8 for the new 1.5 litre formula. Smaller and lighter than the T53, it was powered by the 170 hp (130 kW) naturally aspirated Coventry-Climax FPF four-cylinder engine driving through a new Cooper six-speed gearbox.[4][5]

Racing history

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The T55 debuted at the non-championship 1961 Aintree 200. Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren finished first and second, and Brabham set fastest lap. However, it would be unable to match the power of the new Ferrari 156 in the World Championship events, where McLaren's third place at Monza would be its best result. Cooper would finish fourth in the Constructors' championship.

The works team continued with the T55 at the start of 1962, along with the V8-powered T60, primarily driven by Brabham's replacement Tony Maggs, although McLaren used it in some non-championship events. John Love then obtained one of the cars and campaigned with it in several South African events, including its last World Championship appearance at the 1965 South African Grand Prix.[6]

Complete Formula One World Championship results

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Year Entrants Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points1 WCC
1961 Cooper Car Company Climax FPF
1.5 in-line 4
D MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA 14 (18)2 4th
Jack Brabham Ret 6 Ret Ret 4
Bruce McLaren 6 12 Ret 5 8 6 3 4
1962 Cooper Car Company Climax FPF
1.5 in-line 4
D NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA 29 (37)2 3rd
Tony Maggs 6 Ret 9
John Love John Love 8
1963 John Love Climax FPF
1.5 in-line 4
D MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA 25 (26)3 5th
John Love 9
1965 John Love Climax FPF
1.5 in-line 4
D RSA MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX 143 5th
John Love Ret
1 Points were awarded on an 8-6-4-3-2-1 (1961) and 9-6-4-3-2-1 (1962 onwards) basis to the first six finishers at each round, but only the best placed car for each make was eligible to score points. In 1961 and 1962 only the best five results from the season were retained, and only the best six results for 1963 and 1965.
2 Includes points scored by other Cooper-Climax models
3 All points scored by other Cooper-Climax models

References

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  1. ^ "Cooper T55 • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com.
  2. ^ "1961 Cooper T55 Climax - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com.
  3. ^ "1961 Cooper T55". www.classicdriver.com.
  4. ^ "1961 Cooper T55 Brabham". May 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "1961 Cooper T55". conceptcarz.com.
  6. ^ Brown, Allen. "Cooper T55 car-by-car histories". OldRacingCars.com.