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The Zerex Special (
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, ...
called it the Cooper Oldsmobile in 1964, and it was also nicknamed the Jolly Green Giant) was a
sports racing car Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is o ...
. Originally a
Cooper T53 The Cooper T53 is a Formula One car built by British motorsport team Cooper for the 1960 Formula One season. Jack Brabham drove it to his second World Championship that year, and with teammate Bruce McLaren gave Cooper its second Constructors' Cham ...
built for the
1961 United States Grand Prix The 1961 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on October 8, 1961, at the Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York. It was the eighth and final race in both the 1961 World Champi ...
, it was rebuilt for usage in American
sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...
, and featured open-top bodywork. Initially using a 2.75-litre version of the
Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer. History Pre WW1 The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocat ...
FPF
straight-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...
, it later used a Traco-
Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...
3.5-litre V8. The car won numerous races throughout its four-year career, being driven by drivers such as McLaren and
Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, t ...
.


Design development and ownership history

In 1961,
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 ...
constructed chassis F1-16-61 for the
United States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
. Built to the T53 specification, the car was driven by
Walt Hansgen Walter Edwin Hansgen (October 28, 1919 – April 7, 1966) was an American racecar driver. His motorsport career began as a road racing driver, he made his Grand Prix debut at 41 and he died aged 46, several days after crashing during testing for ...
, who competed with
Briggs Cunningham Briggs Swift Cunningham II (January 19, 1907 – July 2, 2003) was an American entrepreneur and sportsman. He is best known for skippering the yacht ''Columbia'' to victory in the 1958 America's Cup race, and for his efforts as a driver, team o ...
's team. However, he crashed out of the race after 14 laps, becoming the second driver to retire from the race. The wreck was sold by Cunningham to
Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937) is an American businessman and entrepreneur involved in professional auto racing and a retired professional auto racing driver. He is most famous for his ownership of Team Penske, DJR Team Penske, t ...
, who replaced the damaged chassis tubing and added full-width enveloping bodywork and named the car the Zerex Special. Penske would then use the car in
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 ...
races that year, and
Timmy Mayer Timothy Andrew Mayer (February 22, 1938 – February 28, 1964) was a racecar driver from Dalton, Pennsylvania in the United States. He participated in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, on October 7, 1962. He retired with ignition fa ...
would do the same in 1962. Sold to
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, ...
in 1964, the car was rebuilt with a widened chassis. A 2.75-litre
Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer. History Pre WW1 The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocat ...
FPF
straight-four engine A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the ...
was used in the new car, which was officially known as the Zerex Special, and unofficially as the Jolly Green Giant. In 1964,
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, ...
purchased the car, and replaced the chassis with a tube frame unit of his own design, as well as fitting a 3.5-litre Traco-
Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...
V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...
in place of the Cooper Climax unit; as a result, he named it the Cooper-Oldsmobile. The car was sold again at the end of the 1964 season to Dave Morgan, who would use it for a further two years. At the end of the 1966 season, Leo Barboza purchased the car, and used it in Venezuela.


Racing history


1962

The Zerex Special's first appearance came towards the end of the 1962 season, at the
Los Angeles Times Grand Prix The Los Angeles Times Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Riverside International Raceway. The race was held throughout the track's existence, from 1957 until 1987. The race was sponsored by the ''Los Angeles Times'' to raise money for ...
(the fourth round of the
USAC Road Racing Championship The USAC Road Racing Championship was a sports car racing series in the United States held from 1958 until 1962. The series was organized by the United States Auto Club as a fully professional alternative to the Sports Car Club of America's SCCA Na ...
) in October; Roger Penske, driving for
Updraught Enterprises In meteorology, an updraft is a small-scale current of rising air, often within a cloud. Overview Localized regions of warm or cool air will exhibit vertical movement. A mass of warm air will typically be less dense than the surrounding region, ...
, won the race by 14 seconds from Jim Hall and his
Chaparral 1 The Chaparral 1 was a sports racing car, designed, developed and built by Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes, and raced by Jim Hall, between 1958 and 1961. It is considered to be the first true "Chaparral," prior to the introduction and founding of ...
. Penske then competed in the
Pacific Grand Prix The Pacific Grand Prix ( ja, パシフィックグランプリ) was a round of the Formula One World Championship twice in the mid-1990s and non-championship events in the 1960s. The non-championship events were held at Laguna Seca from 1960 th ...
, and took second behind
Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...
's
Lotus 19 The Lotus 19 or Monte Carlo is a mid-engine sports-racing car designed by Colin Chapman of Lotus and built from 1960 until 1962. Lotus 19 The 19 is a mid-engine, rear wheel drive sports racer with a fiberglass body over a space frame, original ...
Climax in the first race, before repeating the feat in the second race, this time behind the Lotus 19 of
Lloyd Ruby Lloyd Ruby (January 12, 1928 – March 23, 2009) was an American racecar driver who raced in the USAC Championship Car series for 20 years, achieving 7 victories and 88 top-ten finishes. He also had success in endurance racing, winning the 24 Hour ...
. However, Gurney had retired from the second race due to a gear shaft problem, resulting in Penske taking the overall win. Penske then entered the Zerex Special privately at the Grand Prix de Puerto Rico, and this time won the race by three laps from the Cooper Climax of
Timmy Mayer Timothy Andrew Mayer (February 22, 1938 – February 28, 1964) was a racecar driver from Dalton, Pennsylvania in the United States. He participated in one World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, on October 7, 1962. He retired with ignition fa ...
. Penske took the
1962 USAC Road Racing Championship The 1962 USAC Road Racing Championship season was the fifth and final season of the USAC Road Racing Championship. It began April 1, 1962, and ended October 21, 1962, after five races. The series was contested for Formula Libre at the first two ...
title (he had previously used the car in Cooper T53 form in the first two races), beating Gurney by 60 points.


1963

The USAC Road Racing Championship folded at the end of the 1962 season, so Penske drove the car for John Mecom's
Mecom Racing Team The Mecom Racing Team was led by John Mecom Jr. and was active between 1960 and 1967 in the World Sportscar Championship racing, Formula One, and American Championship Car Racing scenes. The Mecom Racing Team and later the Mecom Group were led by J ...
in the
SCCA National Sports Car Championship The SCCA National Sports Car Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Sports Car Club of America from 1951 until 1964. It was the first post-World War II sports car series organized in the United States. An amateur championshi ...
instead. He started 1963 in the same way that he'd finished the previous year; taking the victory, this time at
Marlboro Motor Raceway Marlboro Motor Raceway (MMR) is a now-defunct motorsports park located in Prince George's County, just outside Upper Marlboro, Maryland. MMR closed after the 1969 season and local Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing moved to the more advanced ...
, beating
Bob Holbert Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...
's Porsche 718 RSK into second place. Penske skipped the second round, and instead his next entry came at the
Greater Cumberland Regional Airport Greater Cumberland Regional Airport is a public airport in the town of Wiley Ford in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is two miles (3 km) south of Cumberland (population 21,518) in Allegany County, Maryland. Although the ...
round; another victory, this time ahead of Hansgen's Cooper Monaco Climax, followed. Penske then partnered
Hap Sharp James "Hap" Sharp (January 1, 1928 – May 7, 1993) was an American race car driver who drove in six Formula One Grands Prix. He was most famous however, for being a co-owner and driver of the revolutionary Chaparral sports racing cars built by ...
in the second round of the
United States Road Racing Championship The United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover ra ...
(USRRC), held at Pensacola Airport Course; the car's unbeaten streak finally ended, as an oil pressure issue forced the pair out after 74 laps. Penske then drove the Zerex Special in a round of the
Canadian Sports Car Championship Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, held at
Mosport Park Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-Race track, track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road cou ...
; he took fourth, and was the last car on the lead lap. He then returned to the SCCA series, for the
Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...
round, but retired due to a blown engine after 24 laps. A trip to Europe for the Guards Trophy at
Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
followed; Penske took the win, finishing ahead of
Roy Salvadori Roy Francesco Salvadori (12 May 1922 – 3 June 2012) was a British racing driver and team manager. He was born in Dovercourt, Essex, to parents of Italian descent. He graduated to Formula One by 1952 and competed regularly until 1962 for a su ...
and his Cooper Monaco. The
Road America 500 The Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America (formerly the Road America 500) is a sports car racing, sports car race held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The event began in 1950, and in 1951 was added to the SCCA National S ...
, however, would prove rather less successful, as Penske retired. Next up was the race where the car had taken its debut win; the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. This time, however,
Dave MacDonald David George MacDonald (July 23, 1936 – May 30, 1964) was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. At the age of 27, he was killed in the 1964 Indianapolis 500, alon ...
won the race in a Cooper King Cobra
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
, and Penske finished second, a lap behind. An aborted attempt at entering the Pacific Grand Prix followed, instead,
Augie Pabst August Uihlein Pabst Jr. is an American sports car driver from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In ten years of racing, he won two national championships - the 1959 USAC and 1960 SSCA road racing championships. Pabst made one NASCAR start at Riverside Intern ...
was the next person to drive the car, retiring from the Nassau Trophy after 26 laps, and being classified in 41st position. Penske had also driven a
Ferrari 250 GTO The Ferrari 250 GTO is a GT car produced by Ferrari from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIA's Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. It was powered by Ferrari's ''Tipo 168/62'' Colombo V12 engine. The "250" in its name denotes the disp ...
in the USRRC, and was classified in joint-18th, with six points; level with Chuck Cassel,
Charlie Kolb Charlie Kolb (14 May 1907 – 27 February 1994) was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL). In 1933, Kolb was appointed as captain / coach of the Albury Rovers Football Club Albu ...
, Don Sesslar,
Jerry Titus Jerry Titus (October 24, 1928 – August 5, 1970) was an American race car driver, mechanic, and journalist. Life Jerry Titus was born in Johnson City, New York on October 24, 1928. Born exactly one year before the stock market crash leadin ...
and Enus Wilson. However, he also won the Class D Modified category of the SCCA National Sports Car Championship.


1964

In 1964, the car was bought by Bruce McLaren, who ran it with his own
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...
team. The Cooper-Oldsmobile's debut came in the second round of the
British Sports Car Championship The British Sports Car Championship, was a British domestic motor racing championship which was originally created for sports cars complying with Appendix C of the International Sporting Code. For 1966 the championship was for Group 7 (racing), Gro ...
, held at
Oulton Park Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...
; however, an oil pressure issue after nine laps forced him to retire. Things would be rather different at the next round, held at
Aintree Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. It i ...
; he won by 24 seconds from
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 ...
's
Lotus 30 The Lotus 30 was a Auto racing, racing automobile, Colin Chapman's first attempt at a large displacement sports car racing machine following the success of the more conventional tube frame Lotus 19,19b and Lotus 23., it was designed by Colin Ch ...
Ford, despite being in a lower category. The fourth round, held at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...
, saw McLaren take another win; this time, from Roy Salvadori's Cooper Monaco
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
. The car was finally rebuilt into the "Cooper-Oldsmobile" for McLaren's next race, which was in the Canadian Sports Car Championship at Mosport; he beat Penske's
Chaparral 2A The Chaparral 2A is a sports prototype race car designed and developed by both Jim Hall and Hap Sharp, and built by American manufacturer Chaparral, to compete in the World Sportscar Championship The World Sportscar Championship was the worl ...
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
in the first race, and Pabst's Lola Mk.6 Chevrolet in the second, taking the overall victory as a result. McLaren returned to the UK, and won the Guards Trophy Brands Hatch; this time, beating fellow countryman
Denny Hulme Denis Clive Hulme (18 June 1936 – 4 October 1992), commonly known as Denny Hulme, was a New Zealand racing driver who won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship for the Brabham team. Between his debut at Monaco in 1965 and his ...
and his
Brabham BT8 Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British race car, racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team ...
Climax by 42.4 seconds. McLaren then entered the
RAC Tourist Trophy The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's ol ...
, but, having set the fastest lap, the clutch failed after 18 laps, and he was forced to retire.


1965

Dave Morgan purchased the car prior to the start of the 1965 season, and his first race with the car was a second place in a non-championship SCCA round, held at a track in
Stuttgart, Arkansas Stuttgart is a city in and the county seat of the northern district of Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States. Established by German settlers, it was named for its larger German counterpart. Known as the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World", t ...
. Morgan then ran the car in the Governor's Trophy, held at the Oakes Field Course in
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
; he took sixth overall, fourth in the Sports 5000+ category, and fifth in the Over 2-litres division. Although
Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939), known as Jackie Stewart, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Cha ...
was initially selected to drive the car in the Nassau Trophy, Morgan drove once more; this time, finishing ninth overall, and third in the Sports 5000+ category.


1966

Morgan retained the car in 1966, and his first race of the season came at a SCCA regional race, held at Green Valley Raceway; he finished second to the
McLaren Elva The McLaren Elva is a limited-production mid-engine sports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive. The car is the fifth addition in the ''McLaren Ultimate Series'', joining the F1, the P1, Senna, and the Speedtail. The open-top sports car is ...
of
Joe Starkey Joseph K. Starkey (born 1941) is an American sportscaster who has served as the radio play-by-play announcer of California Golden Bears football from 1975 to 2022. He previously worked as the sports director of KGO radio in San Francisco, Califor ...
. The Governor's Trophy & Nassau Tourist Trophy would prove to be rather less successful; he lasted five laps before retiring, and was classified in 41st. He would go on to take seventh at the Nassau Classic, and eleventh at the Nassau Trophy. This was the last known race of the car, as it was used in Venezuela by Leo Barboza after 1966.


References

{{reflist, 30em McLaren racing cars Cooper racing cars Cooper Formula One cars Sports prototypes