34 replies to this topic

[Terry Walker]

The ex-Len Lukey Cooper Climax made its debut at Barbagallo Raceway (nee Wanneroo Park) yesterday.

Edited by Terry Walker, 25 June 2012 - 01:07.

[Terry Walker]

[Terry Walker]

And at Caversham in 1961 for Gold Star round:

[Dick Willis]

Good to see it back in Australia again, our Cooper population needs some boosting

[Barry Boor]

Do we know which chassis this is?

[David McKinney]

F2-10-58. Taken to Australia by Brabham for the November 1958 Melbourne GP and the January 1959 South Pacific Championship at Orange, and remained in that country until coming to the UK early this century

Whether it's the same F2-10-58 as raced in F2 by the British Racing Partnership in earlier 1958 events I have never been sure...

[Lola5000]

is that the car Walker sold oversea not long after buying it?

[Dick Willis]

Yes

[ken devine]

The Cooper Climax in action , the car folllowing is Holden powered.






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[austmcreg]

Whilst it is nice to see it back in Australia, how sad that it has lost those lovely dual throat SU carbs and had them replaced by Webers.

This car certainly had the original SUs on it when Keith Lukey drove it at Geelong Speed Trials in 1990s.

Maybe a sign of the times, but I hate it when original cars are cut about to fit roll bars too! It is possible to do it sympathetically.

Rob Saward

[Lee Nicolle]

Whilst it is nice to see it back in Australia, how sad that it has lost those lovely dual throat SU carbs and had them replaced by Webers.

This car certainly had the original SUs on it when Keith Lukey drove it at Geelong Speed Trials in 1990s.

Maybe a sign of the times, but I hate it when original cars are cut about to fit roll bars too! It is possible to do it sympathetically.

Rob Saward

it is hardly cut about, that rollbar is clamped on with a swing away rear support.
Honestly I do not consider it to be all that effective as a rollbar but the car does not seemto be cut. And a car like that is a fairly serious racing car. Even if driven with great restraint.

Is it me but that front carby seems to have a very large hole where the jets are accessed.

Edited by Lee Nicolle, 25 June 2012 - 09:02.

[BMH Comic]

Good to see it back in Australia again, our Cooper population needs some boosting

Be careful what you hope for Dick!! Might end up with a couple more South Aussie Breweries!!

The car ran superbly and John is very much getting used to it and lap times are dropping quite dramatically. I think mainly due to John fitting his XOS frame into the car a bit better.

I think the carby argument is a mute point. It’s had them so "as it was is how it shall be" .

I fail to see why someone should change anything on a car because an individual liked it as it was when they saw it last. Car went back to the factory early in life and was rebuilt. No doubt was changed to come to Aus for the series and I bet London to a Brick that most of the really trick bits didn’t end up in the car when sold here. So what should it have??? I know one thing, its none of my business!

[Fred.R]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, wrong carbs ? they look like DCOE late ones at that with idle by pass adjustment,

Should it not have sand cast Weber 58 DCO

either way, nice the car

[Lola5000]

Yes

Oh ok,whats wrong with people like that,all the money in the world and they sell O/seas a special OZ car,great to see it back here.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Fred.R
.....Should it not have sand cast Weber 58 DCO?

I'm no expert, but I think they were only on the larger engines, AFAIK this car ran a 2-litre or 2.2-litre...

[Catalina Park]

Maybe something more along these lines...

[eldougo]

Whilst it is nice to see it back in Australia, how sad that it has lost those lovely dual throat SU carbs and had them replaced by Webers.

This car certainly had the original SUs on it when Keith Lukey drove it at Geelong Speed Trials in 1990s.

Maybe a sign of the times, but I hate it when original cars are cut about to fit roll bars too! It is possible to do it sympathetically.

Rob Saward

I agree about the SU instead of Webers. It having been in the UK they, let small detail like that pass with out question.
The saying "as it was is how it shall be"

[terry mcgrath]

This is certainly great news.
Pity it couldn't have made its debut at Albany a couple weeks earlier.
What hasn't been mentioned who is the lucky owner.
terry

[austmcreg]

Maybe something more along these lines...

Yes! From when it first came to Australia in 1958 with Brabham, through a number of local owners who raced it hard, through later hard times, a local restoration and an unsympathetic owner who sold it overseas it managed to retain its original carbs. It then took a UK 'restoration' to lose them. Now it has late Webers like all the others. How sad. AFAIK most (all?) the production Climaxes at that time had SUs. I know the Derek Jolly Lotus 15 with 2 litre FPF (same engine as this car) had the same type SUs.

I bet there is a Climax owner in UK who has them and treasures them for what they are. Just that they are now on the wrong car!

Not enough people care about these things.

Rob Saward

[Peter Morley]

I thought that someone like Burlen was making new twin choke SU DU6 carburettors?

[ken devine]

Terry the owner is John Rowe who previously owned the Blue Mercury special that raced at Albany.

[BMH Comic]

This is certainly great news.
Pity it couldn't have made its debut at Albany a couple weeks earlier.
What hasn't been mentioned who is the lucky owner.
terry

Yes it would have been nice Terry but then it would have stolen the limelight from the two very significant cars at Albany that were attending the event on the 75th Anniversary of the first Albany around the houses.

They are the Bartlett Special and the Lagonda. 75 years later and both of the vehicles are still in the same families and now only one owner older. Both cars have been passed down to the sons of the original owners and both lovingly and faithfully restored by them. That would near on be unique for an event anywhere would it not?


Also Catalina Park. Did like the SU Carby photo earlier, can provide JR's address if you want to post them to him as a gift!!

[Ray Bell]

Catalina has pulled that photo from eBay...

Or someone has, look at the watermark in the lower right corner.

[Wilyman]

it is hardly cut about, that rollbar is clamped on with a swing away rear support.
Honestly I do not consider it to be all that effective as a rollbar but the car does not seemto be cut. And a car like that is a fairly serious racing car. Even if driven with great restraint.

Is it me but that front carby seems to have a very large hole where the jets are accessed.

Lee,
Apart from the jet access 'ole the casting detail seems to differ [to me] between the the two Webers?

A beautiful James Allington cut-away can be seen in Doug Nye's book, Cooper Cars.

An interesting comment on the suspension changes ie wishbone rear allowing the transverse spring to do its job of springing only.

OT. Steering details mentions the Zero Ackerman set-up. Something I queried on single seaters some time back. Much poo-poo and derision?

[Lee Nicolle]

Lee,
Apart from the jet access 'ole the casting detail seems to differ [to me] between the the two Webers?

A beautiful James Allington cut-away can be seen in Doug Nye's book, Cooper Cars.

An interesting comment on the suspension changes ie wishbone rear allowing the transverse spring to do its job of springing only.

OT. Steering details mentions the Zero Ackerman set-up. Something I queried on single seaters some time back. Much poo-poo and derision?

The jet access hole is what I was referring too. Very weird. And that cover really is nesecary, even if people regularly leave the covers off

[Repco22]

Yes it would have been nice Terry but then it would have stolen the limelight from the two very significant cars at Albany that were attending the event on the 75th Anniversary of the first Albany around the houses.

They are the Bartlett Special and the Lagonda. 75 years later and both of the vehicles are still in the same families and now only one owner older. Both cars have been passed down to the sons of the original owners and both lovingly and faithfully restored by them. That would near on be unique for an event anywhere would it not?

That's not quite right Thomas. The original importer of the Bartlett Special, which was an ex Brooklands car, was Clem Dyer, not Alan McIntosh. At this point it's customary to say; " That's Clem DYER, not Clem DWYER."
Here's Len Lukey in the Cooper at Caversham in 1959, alongside Alec Mildren and Stan Jones. Jones' car had a 2.2 Climax motor while, IIRC, the other two were 1960cc.


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Pic by David Van Dal.

[ken devine]

A close finish.







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[BMH Comic]

That's not quite right Thomas. The original importer of the Bartlett Special, which was an ex Brooklands car, was Clem Dyer, not Alan McIntosh. At this point it's customary to say; " That's Clem DYER, not Clem DWYER."
Here's Len Lukey in the Cooper at Caversham in 1959, alongside Alec Mildren and Stan Jones. Jones' car had a 2.2 Climax motor while, IIRC, the other two were 1960cc.

Of course you are quite correct there again wise one!!, I suppose you have the advantage of having been there at the time. Just so Im absolutly correct, there were no owners between DYER not DWYER (as you quite correctly remind us) and McIntosh??

Therefore the Bartlet is three owners since the 1936 not two? The Lagonda was new I believe so its a two owner car full stop.

[Repco22]

Of course you are quite correct there again wise one!!, I suppose you have the advantage of having been there at the time. Just so Im absolutly correct, there were no owners between DYER not DWYER (as you quite correctly remind us) and McIntosh??

Therefore the Bartlet is three owners since the 1936 not two? The Lagonda was new I believe so its a two owner car full stop.

We're getting a touch OT here Thomas but just to tidy up; "Correct again wise one"? Who, ME? "there at the time"? Cheeky! However, I believe the Bartlett Special had other owners between Clem Dyer and Alan McIntosh but can't tell you who they were. A couple of points that have not been made: Both the Bartlett Spl. and the Lagonda were owned by Clem Dyer. And more importantly, Dyer was one of three visionaries who introduced Round the Houses racing to WA in Albany in 1936.

[ken devine]

One of the owners of the Bartlett was Holmes who drove it at Bunbury.

[gouldo]

Regarding the roll bar, I am really very surprised they allowed it to race. Does not look safe at all.

[Repco22]

Regarding carbs; Here's Jones' 2.2 litre motor at that 1959 Gold Star Caversham round which Lukey won, two heats to Stan's one.


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Pic by David Van Dal.

[Fred.R]

Regarding carbs; Here's Jones' 2.2 litre motor at that 1959 Gold Star Caversham round which Lukey won, two heats to Stan's one.


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Pic by David Van Dal.

Sand Cast Webers, as it should be

[austmcreg]

Regarding carbs; Here's Jones' 2.2 litre motor at that 1959 Gold Star Caversham round which Lukey won, two heats to Stan's one.


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Pic by David Van Dal.

So nice to see colour photos of this car in Jones' hands, before it was sold to Austin Miller. I never knew what colour it was - thanks for posting them. I imagine the red was probably a throwback to its short time with Stillwell before going to Jones. It looks in good condition here, as it should - a year later in Miller's hands it was a bit of an old nail, crashed with replacement (local) chassis, everything else replaced, but still the same car.......

The 2.2 Climax in this car was of course a 1959 engine, by which time the sand-cast Webers were usual on these engines. My earlier comments on the use of the dual throat SUs relate to the 1958 1960cc FPF engines as per the Brabham/Lukey/Leighton car at subject of this thread.

Rob Saward

Edited by austmcreg, 02 July 2012 - 11:30.

[Catalina Park]

Something I discovered while looking for info about the twin throat SU carburettors was because of the very small space for the float bowl between the throats the small floats were a special dope coated type that were not able to be used with alcohol fuels.