12 replies to this topic

[Gary C]

Hi everyone, while watching the latest Motorfilms Quarterly DVD just now, it struck just how close I live to these former F1 teams premises. The only thing I don't have are the actual addresses from years ago. Can anyone help me with the Surbiton address For Cooper Cars and the Brabham address in Weybridge (I think) as I'm now planning a trip to see if anything is left of the buildings! Thanks in advance!

[WGD706]

Charles Cooper moved into 243 Ewell Road Surbiton in 1934. This was a corner shop at the Junction with Hollyfield Road. At that time it was a corrugated building, with a small stream 'out back'. It is rumored that Charles kept ducks on the stream. The Cooper family would for awhile live in the flat, above the corner shop. The site was first known as Cooper's Garage and it operated a 24hr breakdown service. Later it would also posses a Vauxhall dealership.
Having the police station across the road, turned out to be an added bonus. Because as the Ambulance came down the hill (from the ambulance station) they would ring their bell, to inform the police station, they were attending an accident, on the Kingston By Pass. It is said that at this sound, Charles would crank up his breakdown truck and follow the emerging police car.
The growth of the Cooper company into a Formula One team is a story in it's self and very much involves Charlie's son John. Anyone wanting to know more should, purchase a copy of Doug Nye's excellent book Cooper Cars - 4th Edition.
By the end of the sixties the Cooper Formula One team was no more. For awhile the site was used as a Cooper Cars Sales dealership.
Still looking for Brabham!
Warren

[WGD706]

In 1961 Brabham produced his first “Brabham” car, a Formula Junior; Ron Tauranac would design it and it was built in Victoria Road, Surbiton in premises where Repco’s UK marketing division used the warehousing facility while sub-letting production space to MRD (Motor Racing Developments) to produce the Brabham cars.
Of course, you could try writing to the man himself:
Sir Jack Brabham, OBE (SP, SC)
c/o Jack Brabham (Ewell) Limited
5 Ruxley Lane
Ewell KT19 0JB
ENGLAND

[David Holland]

Brabham cars were intially built at Weylock Works, Byfleet Road, New Haw, Weybridge, Surrey KT15 3JE before Bernie moved them to Roebuck House, Cox Lane, Chessington, Surrey KT9 1DG.

Ralt took over the New Haw works and Roebuck House became part of the FOCA set-up but I'm not sure what it is now.

It would be interesting to see what has become of old F1 workshops. The first Lotus base is now a Builders Merchants, BRM's is a bus depot and Cooper's is a police station. Many have been demolished in the name of progress - Connaught's a couple of years ago, the Alta base in Tolworth turned into a block of flats in the late eighties and I believe the Dunstable base for ERA has been flattened recently.

[Gary C]

does anyone have the 'later' Cooper Cars address ??

[Gary C]

.......or were in the same place (the 1934 address) until they closed ?

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by Gary C
does anyone have the 'later' Cooper Cars address ??

I would think Ursula does ....

[David McKinney]

I'm sure it was 243 Ewewll Road at least till the Chipstead days

[UAtkins]

Sorry, Doug Nye is your best bet for this. My memory is too vague, Dad's address book has mostly phone numbers so I'm not much use. Sorry.

Ursula

[Adam F]

Per DCN's Cooper Cars book, Cooper moved from Hollyfield Road and "the old team workshop in Langley Road" to the former Thomson & Taylor premises in Canada Road, Byfleet between Dec. 1965 and Feb. 1966, about a year after Cooper was purchased by Chipstead Motor Group.

Adam

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by David McKinney
I'm sure it was 243 Ewewll Road at least till the Chipstead days

The F1 team moved out of the main Cooper premises around '64-ish, but
not terribly far... can't remember where and I'm not in the same place
as my copy of Cooper Cars!

pete

[Doug Nye]

Cooper Cars settled in Canada Road off Oyster Lane, Byfleet, the place in which the company eventually died, after its acquisition by the Chipstead Motor Group. If you drive around the south side of Brooklands on the public road, heading west you come to the narrow bridge in the railway embankment with the Brooklands site and the remains of its Byfleet Banking to your right, and there's a small trading estate to your left. That's the Canada Road location, turn in there, bear right and the last industrial building on the right, hard up against the railway embankment is - as I recall it - the final resting place of the Cooper Car Co. It's in the back carpark there that Ron Dennis began work with Chipstead, cleaning imported Moskvitch and Lada cars as part of their pre-delivery inspection. Later Bob Jankel and Panther Cars took over the premises, I think, and it was there that they built their six-wheeler roadster road car.

DCN

[Gary C]

Thanks indeed for the all the info everyone! I'll let you know what my trip reveals.....