The Cooper T66 is a

Formula One racing car A Formula One car (also known as an F1 car) is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver, intended to be used in competition at Formul ...

from 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 gara ...

, which was in use from

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

Development history

The Cooper T66 was the

's entry for the

1963 Formula One season The 1963 Formula One season was the 17th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 14th FIA World Championship of Drivers, the sixth International Cup for F1 Manufacturers FIA Yearbook, 1974 page 121 and numerous non-championship For ...

and was a development of the previous year's T60, with lead driver

Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the most successful in Formula One championship history, ...

providing significant input to the design. The chassis again consisted of a steel tubular frame but with steel panels welded to the underside to provide additional stiffening, and was clad with aluminium bodywork. Overall the car was slimmer than the T60. The front and rear suspension had double wishbones and coil springs but with revised geometry to correct the T60's tendency to nose-dive under braking. The Climax FWMV V8 engine was mated to Cooper's own 6-speed gearbox.

Racing history

Cooper raced the T66 for the first time at the

1963 Monaco Grand Prix The 1963 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on 26 May 1963. It was race 1 of 10 in both the 1963 World Championship of Drivers and the 1963 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 100-lap race was won b ...

, driven by

and

Tony Maggs Anthony Francis O'Connell Maggs (9 February 1937 in Pretoria, South Africa – 2 June 2009) was a racing driver from South Africa. He participated in 27 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 15 July 1961. He achieved three pod ...

. Neither car qualified well, and McLaren finished third with Maggs in fifth place. He followed up with second at a rain-soaked Spa, but the rest of the season was less encouraging, McLaren managing no better than another third place at Monza. Maggs finished second in France but suffered from retirements and at the end of the season McLaren was sixth in the World Championship with only 17 points and Maggs was eighth, with Cooper fifth in the Constructors' Championship. McLaren also had second place finishes in the non-championship races, the Glover Trophy and the BRDC International Trophy. Cooper introduced the T71 for the 1964 season but the T66 made a couple of appearances with the last works appearance being at the

1964 Austrian Grand Prix The 1964 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One World Championship motor race held at Zeltweg Airfield on August 23, 1964. It was race 7 of 10 in both the 1964 World Championship of Drivers and the 1964 International Cup for Formula One Manufact ...

in the hands of Phil Hill who had replaced Maggs as McLaren's teammate. Also for 1963, Rob Walker purchased a T66 for

Jo Bonnier Joakim Bonnier (31 January 1930 – 11 June 1972) was a Swedish sportscar racing and Formula One driver who raced for various teams. He was the first Swede to both enter and win a Formula One Grand Prix. Early life Jo Bonnier was born in Stockh ...

to drive but problems delayed its race debut until the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...

. The car was even less successful than the works cars, with Bonnier's best result being fifth. The Walker car continued into 1964, but mostly as a spare, and its last race was at the German Grand Prix, driven by

Edgar Barth Wilfried Edgar Barth (26 January 1917 in Herold – 20 May 1965 in Ludwigsburg) was a German (East German until 1957, then West German) Formula One and sports car racing driver. Racing career Barth was born in Herold. He began his care ...

. One of the works cars was used for several years in the

Tasman Series The Tasman Series (formally the Tasman Championship for Drivers)Tasman Championship for Drivers, CAMS Manual of Motor Sport with National Competition Rules 1974, pages 80 to 83 was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 ove ...

while the Walker car was fitted with a 4.7 litre Shelby Cobra

Ford V8 Ford engines are those used in Ford Motor Company vehicles and in aftermarket, sports and kit applications. Different engine ranges are used in various global markets. 3 cylinder A series of Ford DOHC 12-valve inline-three engines with Twin Ind ...

and driven in various

Formula Libre Formula Libre, also known as Formule Libre, is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the oppor ...

and

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...

events, scoring several wins in the Libre class.

World Championship results

( key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ¹Two points scored by Cooper T60

Non-Championship Results

( key)

References

{{F1 cars 1964 Cooper Formula One cars 1960s cars Cars of England 1963 Formula One season cars 1964 Formula One season cars