10 replies to this topic

[sandy]

This is not a very good photograph but I put it up on the basis that some of the people standing at the rear may be of interest. I am not sure of where or when I took the photograph but think that it was Albert Park 1956.

Is that Phil Irving on the right?

I am sorry about the misleading title. Am trying to change it.

Edited by sandy, 25 November 2012 - 00:35.

[sandy]

You would think that the last person in the world to be dudded over buying a racing car would be Jack Brabham. However firstly he bought Peter Whitehead's Cooper Alta which was a disaster. (Who bought it then, did they also pay through the nose and for nothing or did they get it for a song? Did it ever subsequently perfom well?).

Then Jack bought the ex - BRM Maserati 250F in early 1956. This also turned out to be a costly failure. But assuming that it had been in good nick when he bought it how would have he performed? His mastery with the front engined Cooper Bristol showed that he was comfortable with front engined cars. However he was not so successful when with Aston Martin.

Would he have been in the class of the best of the 250F drivers?

My gut feel is that he would have been at the level of Behra, Mieres or Musso.

I regret my unfortunate and impolite reference to Sir Jack in the title and if I can just work out how to change it would do so.

Edited by sandy, 25 November 2012 - 00:23.

[275 GTB-4]

Sandy...you have created this thread twice...please delete one? and correct the spelling of Sir Jack's name in the title?

My comment about these purchases are that far from being dudded, Jack (having an engineers mind) probably thought they were good ideas at the time....however, without "factory" backing/support, the poor results could have been predicted?

[David McKinney]

I don't believe Brabham ever raced this car at Albert Park, so the picture will either be from somewhere else, or with a later owner

[David McKinney]

First, 275, he's used the same title for two different topics

I think, without checking the books, the problem with the 250F was that Brabham didn't have the resources (financial) to run it properly. He had shown by then that he had the ability to do much better with it than he did. He's been quoted as saying he didn't like the car, but that could well be hindsight of an unsuccessful season colouring his later judgment

[sandy]

I don't believe Brabham ever raced this car at Albert Park, so the picture will either be from somewhere else, or with a later owner

Well here is a Cooper at Albert Park, probably with a later driver or possibly a Cooper Climax.

And just for what it is worth here is a 250F at Albert Park - Stan Jones I think.




And here is another photo of a 250F at Albert Park - Sir Stirling Moss I believe.

Edited by sandy, 25 November 2012 - 08:24.

[sandy]

To finish up with Sir Jack Brabham and 250Fs I was reading The Jack Brabham Story by Sir Jack Brabham OBE and Doug Nye (and what a great book it is too, achieving that most desireable of effects - entertaining as well as being informative) and it occured to me as to just how much and how often Sir Jack is seen to be laughing, achieving that most desireable of effects - racing, winning and openly enjoying doing so.

Edited by sandy, 25 November 2012 - 09:01.

[David McKinney]

Well here is a Cooper at Albert Park, probably with a later driver or possibly a Cooper Climax.

No, that's the right car. The high tail is the giveaway

[Dutchy]

Isn't the car pictured Bristol rather than Alta engined?
I thought it is the car that was built for Jack to race in the 1955 British GP.

[Tim Murray]

Yes indeed. The confusion has arisen because there were originally two separate threads, both with the same title. The first was about the Cooper-Bristol photo in what is now post 1 of this thread. The other started with what is now post 2 in this thread, asking about Brabham's Cooper-Alta and Maserati 250F. In hindsight it might have been better to keep the threads separate and retitle the Cooper-Bristol one.

Edited by Tim Murray, 26 November 2012 - 14:17.

[David Shaw]

Could the first photo have been at Fisherman's Bend at the 1956 Victorian Trophy in February, when Jack DNF'd with the car?

Wasn't Reg Smith the next owner of this unique Cooper Bristol?