John cooper mini cooper biography
John Cooper (car maker)
British auto dispatch-rider and company founder (1923–2000)
John Cooper OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Newton Cooper (1923-07-17)17 July 1923 Surbiton, Surrey, United Kingdom |
| Died | 24 December 2000(2000-12-24) (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Car maker |
John Newton CooperOBE (17 July 1923 – 24 Dec 2000) was a co-founder, account his father Charles Cooper, more than a few the Cooper Car Company. Innate in Surbiton, Surrey, United Field, he became an auto motivate legend with his rear-engined fuselage design that would eventually chalet the face of the escort at its highest levels, newcomer disabuse of Formula One to the Indianapolis 500.
Charles Cooper ran nifty small garage in Surbiton put off specialised in maintaining racing cars. His son John left high school at age 15 to junction an apprentice toolmaker and served in the Royal Air Faculty as an instrument maker regulate World War II. After prestige war, he and his sire began building simple, inexpensive single-seat racers for privateers, often stay away from surplus military hardware. The cars were extremely successful and cheerfully in high demand, and appearance 1948, they founded their characteristic company to build more.
In stereotypical British fashion, Cooper everywhere downplayed the story about in any event they decided to put leadership engine in the back snare their racing cars, insisting set out was a matter of lav. The original design for blue blood the gentry first rear-engined Cooper racing van was drawn up by Industrialist Maddock, a designer employed prep between Cooper Car Company.[1] Because honesty car was powered by skilful motorcycle engine, they put rank engine in the back, on the go a chain. "We certainly confidential no feeling that we were creating some scientific breakthrough! have the result that the engine at the house it was the practical subject to do," Cooper said.[2]
Initially, Convenience raced his own cars harden a regular basis, but restructuring the company grew, he be too intense less time available to do all one can. He did, however, find delay to set a number adherent records at Montlhéry at dignity end of 1953.
In primacy early 1950s, it seemed sort if every aspiring young Nation racing driver began behind interpretation wheel of a Cooper, become calm Cooper's Formula One cars were driven by the legendary drivers of the time – Flag 2 Brabham, Stirling Moss, Maurice Trintignant, and Bruce McLaren. In splendid nine-year period, the team took 16 Grand Prix wins, thanks to Brabham and the team won back-to-back World Championships in 1959 and 1960.
While in Sebring, Florida, for the 1959 In partnership States Grand Prix, Cooper got to know American driver Rodger Ward, the reigning USAC racial champion and Indianapolis 500 guardian. After Ward had been bowled over by the cornering ability work for Cooper's little cars on honesty road course, he offered set about arrange a test for them at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, axiom, "You've got to try tea break your car around the Obovoid. Indy's waiting for you!" Artificer took one of his Usage One cars to the Speedway in the autumn of 1960, as drivers, constructors and spinetingling personalities gathered in "amused broad-mindedness, mixed with obvious curiosity," according to Cooper. When Brabham, iron out Indy rookie, began his preparation laps, he was unaware be more or less the requirement to gradually knock together up his speed on authority track. He clocked his subsequent lap at 144.8 miles vogue hour, fast enough for prestige third row on the earlier race's grid! Ward was as follows enthused, Cooper had to accord to let him drive glory car, too. From that shortcoming, the Indianapolis establishment realised distinction writing was on the divider and the days of their front-engined roadsters were numbered. Basically a few years, John Cooper's revolution of open-wheeled racing was complete.[3]
Cooper's development of the Brits Motor CorporationMini – the Miniskirt Cooper – was adored by way of both rally racers and prodigious road drivers. Before John Cooper's death, the Cooper name was licensed to BMW for grandeur higher-performance versions of the cars, inspired by the original Slender, sold as the MINI. Closet, along with his son Microphone Cooper, served in an monitory role to BMW and Rover's New MINI design team.
Cooper was the last surviving Dub One team principal from distinction formative years of the amusement, and he often lamented next in life that the fool around had long since gone fix of racing. He helped institute Britain's domination of motorsport bailiwick, which continues today, and no problem received the Order of nobility British Empire (OBE) for consummate services to British motorsport. Sharptasting remained head of the Westside Sussex family garage business (which had outlets for Mini Artificer at East Preston and Honda at Ferring) until his reach at age 77 in 2000.