Cooper T52

The Cooper T52 was the first series of

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...

racing cars produced by the

Cooper Car Company The Cooper Car Company is a British car manufacturer founded in December 1947 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles's small garag ...

, built for the 1960 racing season. Its chassis frame comprised four longitudinal tubes with hoops at the cowl and behind the driver. Unequal length A arms supported the car with coil springs at the front and a transverse leaf spring at the rear. BMC provided the power-plant with the 'A' series engine married to a

Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...

box.

John Surtees John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...

debuted on four wheels in a Cooper T52 at Goodwood in March 1960 when he came second to

Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...

. The T52 was often outpaced by the

Lotus 18 The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula Junior, Formula Two, and Formula One. Overview Lotus 18 was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only ...

but Henry Taylor managed to win the prestigious Monaco Cup and the Albi Grand Prix driving a MKI Formula Junior T52. {{Cooper Car Company Cooper racing cars Formula Junior cars Tasman Series cars