1960 Cooper T52 Formula Junior

The over-the-top factory team cars like the Lotus 27 and Lola Mk 5 were the reason Formula Junior died off

by Thor Thorson

Powered by JAP and Manx Norton motorcycle engines, Cooper’s innovative mid-engined racing cars dominated the 500-cc Formula 3 scene in the 1950s. These cars provided many future stars, most notably Stirling Moss, with their first taste of “real” motor racing. What had been a strictly pragmatic solution to the problem of accommodating the motorcycle transmission’s chain final drive resulted in a superbly balanced car, and this demonstrably superior arrangement was continued on the next generation of Coopers built for the nascent Formula Junior. The first of these was the T52, one of which was driven by future Formula 1 World Champion John Surtees in his four-wheel debut. The T52 followed Cooper’s established layout, built around a tubular steel spaceframe with independent suspension at both ends. Double wishbones and coil-spring dampers were used at the front, with a single lower wishbone and transverse leaf spring at the rear. BMC’s A-Series engine was...