22 replies to this topic

[Wrotham]

Built in 1953 from a Cooper 500 JAP engined car purchased from Ivor Bueb. Does anyone know who owns it now or where it is?



Any information will be most welcome in trying to locate this unique car.

[bradbury west]

When my Lotus 20 came from the US in 1989 I recall something like this described at the time by the importer as a Cooper Consul coming with it. ISTR it had an Aston DB2 /DBmk3 rear screen. I think David Baldock bought it, so he might be a useful startpoint.
Roger Lund

[Derwent Motorsport]

Surely the body is much later than 1953? More late sixties, shades of a Lenham Midget?
As the Ford Consul only came out in 1951, I would doubt that anyone would be using parts in a special. If it was based on a Cooper 500cc then there can't have been much left as obviously then whole configeration would be totally different.

[Sharman]

Surely the body is much later than 1953? More late sixties, shades of a Lenham Midget?
As the Ford Consul only came out in 1951, I would doubt that anyone would be using parts in a special. If it was based on a Cooper 500cc then there can't have been much left as obviously then whole configeration would be totally different.

We are only talking a Consul engine here and people used to write things off even in those far off days, there was a Lotus 6 Consul as well which I confused with Peter Gammon's Empire Trophy winning Lotus 6 MG and was deservedly jumped on by the forum

Edited by Sharman, 22 December 2010 - 17:28.

[Geoff E]

The registration number 90 APL dates from 1956.

[David McKinney]

When my Lotus 20 came from the US in 1989 I recall something like this described at the time by the importer as a Cooper Consul coming with it. ISTR it had an Aston DB2 /DBmk3 rear screen. I think David Baldock bought it, so he might be a useful startpoint.
Roger Lund

David Baldock had/has the ex-Mike Cannon coupé - A30 engine in a 500 chassis. Built 1952 and registered RXD3 or RKO3 (depending on which photo you're looking at)

[RWB]

The line of the rear wing looks a little like Rosemary Seers' open Cooper RKT930. That had a Zephyr engine and was racing 1956.

[Cirrus]

I'll ask Duncan Rabagliati next time I see him - this sort of thing is right up his street.

[Leigh Trevail]

The registration number 90 APL dates from 1956.

Geoff... I make it May or June of 56, but where did you get that number from. Also I know of a Consul engined special built in 1952.

[Geoff E]

Geoff... I make it May or June of 56, but where did you get that number from? Also I know of a Consul engined special built in 1952.

It is in the title of this thread

[Leigh Trevail]

Oh, so it is!

[bradbury west]

David Baldock had/has the ex-Mike Cannon coupé - A30 engine in a 500 chassis.

I was told it was a Cooper Consul and that it was sold to Baldock , as I offered to buy it. I recall looking at the engine and layout since it was based on an F3 500. Perhaps DB sold it on. It also perhaps explains why I still have a set of Ford Consul gaskets in my garage as the importer lost interest once he had my bank draft, and the 20, plus spare 3x711M blocks etc, were on the trailer.
Roger Lund

[David Birchall]

Since the original Cooper 500 would not have been road registered it follows that the car would be registered when it was converted to road use. I think the body, with those rear fins looks quite fifties.

[David McKinney]

I was told it was a Cooper Consul and that it was sold to Baldock , as I offered to buy it. I recall looking at the engine and layout since it was based on an F3 500. Perhaps DB sold it on. It also perhaps explains why I still have a set of Ford Consul gaskets in my garage as the importer lost interest once he had my bank draft, and the 20, plus spare 3x711M blocks etc, were on the trailer.
Roger Lund

I'm not saying Baldock didn't own the Cooper-Consul as well as the car I mentioned

[Tim Murray]

Google throws up a mention in this thread on the Autopuzzles site:

That's the Cooper-Consul, built by Tony Kunesch between 1953-56 on a Cooper 500 chassis with a 1500cc Ford Consul engine.
It had a lightweight tubular frame covered by Aluminium bodywork and was registered 90 APL.
The body was left unpainted throughout Kunesch's ownership.
Kunesh used the car every day for 5 years, clocking up nearly 50,000 miles before it was sold in 1961.
The car was sold to Californian Michael Tangney in 1987 but was brought back to the UK by Duncan Rabigliati at some point
and sold with the rest of his collection, now fully restored, in the late 1990s.
I don't know of the current whereabouts of this car.

[RWB]

The Brooks auction catalogue 8-4-98 says it is based on an ex-Ivor Bueb F3 Cooper chassis number 5-15-48.

[David McKinney]

The Brooks auction catalogue 8-4-98 says it is based on an ex-Ivor Bueb F3 Cooper chassis number 5-15-48.

An F3 Cooper with a 5 prefix should have a 51 suffix...

[Peter Morley]

The line of the rear wing looks a little like Rosemary Seers' open Cooper RKT930. That had a Zephyr engine and was racing 1956.

My dad's owned RKT930 for years and it is currently/eventually being restored.
It was built in 1953 and as you say raced around 1956.
Given you recognise the car I assume you are familiar with it, do you by any chance have any photos of it - we've only found a few (1 in Autosport, a couple from Brighton speed trials and 1 or 2 others).

[RWB]

An F3 Cooper with a 5 prefix should have a 51 suffix...

Yes if it was "MkV" but might just work if it stood for "T5"?

[David McKinney]

I'll believe you if you can show that terminology was in use in 1948

[rbm]

The Brooks auction catalogue 8-4-98 says it is based on an ex-Ivor Bueb F3 Cooper chassis number 5-15-48.

chassis 5-15-48, this breaks down as 5 = 500, 15 = chassis number, 48 = 1948 (my own being 5-10-48)

so this was based on a 2nd batch 1948 mk2 cooper 500. Not formula 3 (or a T number) - no one had invented them yet

Richard

[RWB]

Now I understand! Thank you Richard.

[David McKinney]

Wot 'e said