18 replies to this topic

[Barry Boor]

This car was entered at Monaco in 1959 but did not appear - car not ready, it says.

Question is, was it ever ready? Indeed, did it exist at all?

[David McKinney]

Emery's Cooper-Connaught raced in the Oulton Park Gold Cup later tin 1959

A similar car appeared a year later, in Geoff Richardson's hands and entered as a Cooper-Alta

I don't believe they were the same car

[Roger Clark]

I don't know the difference between a T51 and a T45 but I'd be very surprised if this was a 1959 Cooper.

[David McKinney]

Emery's was allegedly a T51 (according to the Formula 1 Register)

Richardson's was, I suspect, likewise, though it had a T43 number

[Barry Boor]

Pardon my lack of knowledge but I wonder if the engine would have been from one of the Connaughts that Emery, Bruce Kessler and, allegedly, Bernie Ecclestone tried to qualify at Monaco in 1959.

[David McKinney]

Probably not

Emery had used a 2.5 Alta engine in his F1 Emeryson, and Richardson had his own B-Type Connaught - bought at the same auction that Bernie got his two

[Doug Nye]

Just as a matter of interest, where was this alleged entry first listed?

DCN

[Roger Clark]

Emery's Cooper-Connaught raced in the Oulton Park Gold Cup later tin 1959

A similar car appeared a year later, in Geoff Richardson's hands and entered as a Cooper-Alta

I don't believe they were the same car

Who was the entrant of Emery's Gold Cup car?

[Roger Clark]

Just as a matter of interest, where was this alleged entry first listed?

DCN

The Autosport preview of the race listed a Cooper-Alta driven by W Whitehouse.

Edited by Roger Clark, 12 April 2011 - 16:45.

[Alan Cox]

Who was the entrant of Emery's Gold Cup car?

The driver, as noted in the programme.

[David McKinney]

Just as a matter of interest, where was this alleged entry first listed?

Not sure which car you’re referring to, Doug

On deeper investigation, I suspect neither Emery’s nor Richardson’s was a T51, and I haven’t a clue about Whitehouse’s

Here’s a run-down
Emery’s
•Entered by Emeryson Cars Ltd for Emery Monaco GP 10/5/59 – listed by Formula 1 Register as Cooper T51 with GP Alta engine DNA
MotorSport ignores
Autosport preview lists as Cooper-Connaught
Autocourse entry-list as Cooper-Connaught

•Entered for Emery in Oulton Park GC 26/9/59. F1R says finished but not classified
MotorSport lists as Cooper-Connaught, classifies 8th
Autosport preview lists as “Connaught’, in report Cooper-Connaught
Autocourse gives results only, as Cooper-Connaught, 9th
F1R gives entrant for this race as Richardson and engine as GP Alta; in addenda changes engine to Connaught and clarifies that it was not Richardson’s Cooper-RRA. Gives the c/no. here as F2-29-59 (beyond the range of the number-list in Cooper Cars)

No car with this c/no has been heard of since (AFAIK), and photographs from Oulton look more like a T45 than a T51

Richardson’s
•Entered by Richardson Silver City Trophy race Brands Hatch 1/8/60 – finished 14th and last – listed by F1R as a T43 with GP Alta engine
•Same entry details Lombank Trophy Snetterton 17/9/60 - DNF
•Same entry details Oulton Park GC 24/9/60 – DNF
•Lombank Trophy Intercontinental race Snetterton 26/3/61 – now a T45 with GP Alta engine – DNA
•International Trophy Silverstone 6/5/61 – same description, but now a T43 again...
Motorsport ignores in all three 1960 races; Silverstone 1961 mentions Cooper-Alta in passing
Autosport previews for all 1960 races call it Cooper-RRA, reports give no details, but whenever car is mentioned it is as Cooper-RRA; no mentions 1961 except one to a “Cooper”
For non-championship F1 races and I-C races, Autocourse carried results only, so no mentions

F1R at no stage mentions a c/no
There is however photographic evidence to suggest a connection with an ex-Walker car which, although carrying a T43 c/no, would have been a T45 or T51

Whitehouse’s
•Entered by Compton & Ecclestone Ltd for Brian Whitehouse Monaco GP 10/5/59 – described by F1R as T43-Climax. DNA
Motorsport ignores
Autosport mentions in preview as Cooper-Alta (and driver as W Whitehouse); no mention in report
Autocourse lists as Cooper-Alta entered by Compton & Ecclestone Ltd

For the remainder of 1959 Whitehouse used a Cooper-Climax, possibly a T43, in F2

[Robin Fairservice]

In the March 2007 "The Automobile" there is an article about Geoff Richardson and his cars. He says that he bought the F1 Connaught, B5, from Brian Naylor after the auction. He was very disappointed with the engine which only gave 194/5bhp on his Dyno. He claims that the Connaught Dyno ws not set up correctly. At the end fo 1959 he decided to order a new Cooper, but he feels that he was messed about by John Cooper and most of the 1960 season had gone by the time he received it. He put one of two Conaught/Alta engines in it to race. He referes to the car as a Cooper-Connaught. He seems to have given up on it by the end of 1961.

Who bought which cars at the auction? Did anyone finish up with the mid engined car C8?

[David McKinney]

While The Automobile article suggests Richardson's car was brand new, I stick with my belief that it was an ex-Walker car. So either Richardson never knew he was getting a second-hand car, or the magazine didn't ask the right questions

C8 was the uncompleted front-engined car which was not, I believe, sold at the auction, but was subsequently finished off by Alan Brown and sold to Paul Emery, appearing in the 1959 US GP

I don't recall what happened to the rear-engined prototype, though I'm fairly sure it didn't sell at the auction

[Roger Clark]

I don't recall what happened to the rear-engined prototype, though I'm fairly sure it didn't sell at the auction

Was it built?

[Allan Lupton]

Was it built?

No, see this thread for more.

[RAP]

Emery regularly entered his car in Libre races in 1959, sometimes for Roberta Cowell. Similarly Richardson did Libre races in 60 and early 61.

The other interesting thing is Emery's entry to the 1958 GP de Maroc on 19th Oct. F1R shows this as the Emeryson but this seems highly unlikely. At Brands on 5 Oct 58 he was entered with the Cooper Connaught although he was a non-starter. Previewing this in its 3 Oct edition Autosport says "A new Grand Prix car, designed and built by Paul Emery will make its debut at Brands on Sunday. If successful it is expected to compete in the Casablanca GP on 19th October. The new car which employs a Cooper chassis and a 2.5 Connaught engine is the most powefull entry for the big event."

Perhaps the forthcoming 2nd Edition will see this changed .............

RAP

[D-Type]

I cannot imagine Paul Emery having a current anything. In 1959 the T51 was current. He would have had a T41, T43 or a Bobtail (T39) or possibly an early T45 chassis - but he would not have had a T51.

[RAP]

I cannot imagine Paul Emery having a current anything. In 1959 the T51 was current. He would have had a T41, T43 or a Bobtail (T39) or possibly an early T45 chassis - but he would not have had a T51.

I tend to agree; Autosport doesnt say it is a new CHASSIS but a new "car" ie a new creation ?

RAP

[Stephen W]

I tend to agree; Autosport doesnt say it is a new CHASSIS but a new "car" ie a new creation ?

RAP

If a driver, in this case Paul Emery, purchased a second hand race car it was often referred to as a "new car" i.e. a new car to the driver. If the car was sold as a roller then when an engine was fitted it may well have been slightly different (e.g. instead of a Climax it could have been an Alta unit).