30 replies to this topic

[ry6]

I am trying to find out about two Cooper juniors which came to South Africa in 1962 with Trevor Blokdyk and Ray Cresp (the speedway rider).

They were evidently ex Midlands Racing Partnership cars which the pair acquired through Richard Attwood.

Now were they T56's or T59's?

I was told that the T52 was a 1959 "Mark 1" junior ; the T56 a 1961
"Mark 2" junior and the T59 a 1962 "Mark 3" junior so the models appear to be "related" to some extent.

From memory the T52 had a very long and high rear end section and the T56 seemed better proportioned at the rear end.

Also the T52's were mostly Austin engined.

[David McKinney]

Your understanding about the MkI/II/III is right, Rob, except that the first one was 1960, not 1959. I'm not too good at telling a T56 from a T59, but both were "low-line" models, like a scaled-down T53 F1 car, whereas the T52 was "high-line" like the T43/45/51 series. I don't think MRP raced this model, though they did campaign the T56 and T59. Any help?

[Frank de Jong]

Well, with a little help from Doug Nye (Cooper Cars, 4th edition), this is according to him a Mk1:

This is a Mk2:

And here the Mk3, on the right a Mk2 for comparison:

The chassis listing of the FJ cars does not mention any car staying inside the UK (?!), no sales to MRD mentioned.
The Mk1 made its debut actually in december 1959 (boxing day), so that may have caused some confusion. It would be fair to cal this a 1960 car.

[ry6]

Thanks chaps.
It gets interesting.
Our cars (to me) looked a bit of a cross between the 56 and 59.
Bearing in mind the resourcefulness of the locals and having to upgrade cars from year to year, as they raced them for a few seasons, this may have been the case.

[Allen Brown]

Anyone still interested in this?

I was just reading a 1966 Autosport (like you do) and found a profile on Trevor Blokdyk. I remember talking to somebody about Blokdyk's Cooper but I can't remember where it was. Maybe it was this thread I'm remembering.

Anyway, Autosport (18 Mar 1966 p417) says Blokdyk bought a Mk 2 Cooper in 1961 and brought it back to SA. His first race in it was at Kyalami where he quaified 4th and then he won one at Pretoria. THe article gives this impression that it was this car that he raced in Europe in 1962 and, as a 1500cc, in South Africa in 1963. It's not quite so clear whether he kept it for 1964 as it mentions he also drove Gigi Lupini's ex-Love 1959 Cooper-Maserati.

In 1965, he bought a new Brabham-Ford and the rest is well known.

So, a 1961 Mk 2 Junior- i.e. a T56?

Allen

[Richard Neale]

The Trevor Blokdyk car was indeed a T56 and is currently back in the UK awaiting restoration. It's a wonderful time warp thing and Trevor's crash helmet is still on the seat where he left it !
Trevor ran the car as a F1 with an Alfa engine and then a Ford Twin cam which is still fitted.

I have some pics if someone will 'upload' them for me?????

[Allen Brown]

I'd be happy to.

[Allen Brown]

Here are Woody's pictures.








Allen

[Allen Brown]

I guess I should have shrunk them a little. Sorry.

Allen

[Allen Brown]

I hate to do four posts on the trot on a thread but can I draw your attention to this post on Ten Tenths where I seem to have posted pictures of the very same car and yet identified it as a T65. The T65 identification came from Ted Walker who I trust on these things.

Is it a the same car? If it is, is it a T56 or a T65? Or is it a T56 uprated to T65 specs?

Allen

[Richard Neale]

Thanks for up ; loading the pics Allen.

Just had a look at the 'other post' ~~~ The car was certainly a T56 which evoled ~~~~

[Pedro 917]

Does anyone know what happened to the Cooper FJ of Ricardo Rodriguez?
Here are some pictures from the book 'La Curva de la Muerte" written by his widdow Sara in 1995.
What type is it? Looks like a MK II :

[Richard Neale]

Pedro ~ Do you know what year the pics were taken???
Most unusual ~ as T 56 FJs are not allowed to run rear Anti Sway bars at present as the view is they didn't use them in period, but in your pic, what do we see? A rear Anti Sway bar !!!!!!

[Pedro 917]

Richard, Sara's book is in Spanish and doesn't even say where the pictures were taken. It says the Copper F Junior....
But over the years, I've been writing down race results of Pedro & Ricardo and I have a DNF at Nassau on 3 December 1959, a third place in Mexico City on 20 December 1959, a seventh place at Chicago, Meadowdale in May 1960 and a win in Mexico City on 15 January 1961. In all races, the car was driven by Ricardo.

[Keir]

The car looks pretty natty, but not too bad. The restoration shoudn't be too expensive!!

[rolando]

Luc> Have you ever seen the movie 'Muchachas que trabajan'?

It is a very boring movie, the kind my mother used to watch, but it includes a very interesting racing footage with Ricardo Rodríguez driving the FJ Cooper in the Magdalena de Mixhuca circuit. Ricardo was co-starring with Angélica María one of the most popular actress in Mexico at that time.

[Richard Neale]

As the T56 was not available in '59 or '60 I guess that makes the pics and the film 1961 ???

[Richard Neale]

Where can one find a copy of the Movie ?????????????????

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Richard Neale
Where can one find a copy of the Movie ?????????????????

You type "Muchachas Que Trabajan" into Google and hit the 'I feel lucky' button and it takes you here:

http://lagunafilms.com/LF-590.htm

I guess you then click on 'CLICK PARA ORDENAR'.

It retails for $9.99.

Allen

[Richard Neale]

Thanks Allen ~ I guess the simple solutions are always the best ~ That was too obvious for me to think of !!!!

[Pedro 917]

Strange coincidence Rolando!
I bought the first poster on ebay last week and it was in the mail this morning....

Thanks for the link Allen!

[ry6]

Richard the Blokdyk Cooper pics are fantastic.
It seems wonderfully preserved. To me so much nicer than the
overrestored cars we see these days.
This is just how I remember this car which Trevor drove so well.
I will try to post a pic of it B&W if Wolf or Felix Muelas can help and IF I can
get access to internet over the weekend.

[Richard Neale]

Rob, Some period pics would be great!

[Wolf]

A thousand appologies to Rob and everybody... I have recieved his E-mail few days ago, but was careless enough to forget all about it.

Photo shows Trevor winning the 1964 August 120 at Roy Hesketh in Cooper-Lotus twin-cam Ford.

[Richard Neale]

Great Pic Wolf !

[Jeff Weinbren]

Does anyone no much about the Cooper which was owned in South Africa by Jo Eckhoff?. I do recall his unfortunate accident in it in Rhodesia or Mozambique?.
Jeff Weinbren.

[ry6]

Perhaps we should start a new thread about this one?
It was not a junior but a 2.2 liter Climax engined T51.
Believed to be ex-BRP/Stirling Moss. The chassis # attributed (I am always sceptical) was F2/1/59.

Jo Eckhoff was killed in Lourenco Marques in July 1961 when he crashed the Cooper during the Govenor General's race.

Jo was a hard charger, seemingly unafraid to drive this powerful car quickly, having graduated from a GSM (Delta) Dart-Peugeot sportscar.

Gordon Henderson acquired the wreck and used bits - like wheels and suspension corners to build his Scorpion Mk 1 Alfa (Monaco Alfa).

Gordon and Clive Mitchell then shoehorned the Climax into a little Alfa Guilietta. It was called the Alfa Monaco (after their garage Monaco Motors).

This Alfa went like the clappers but Clive told me "the Climax was too much for the gearbox, brakes etc."

[ry6]

Photo of Trevor Blokdyk #2 winning at Roy Hesketh by Malcolm Kinsey.

I am asking Wolf to post a photo of Jo Eckhoff's Cooper. This photo by Tony de Wijn using a very basic (read cheap) camera - but Tony was a good photographer and did not have access to prohibited areas from which professional photographers were able to capture close ups.

[Wolf]

This time Wolf will do it timely...

Rob's photo of "Jo Eckhoff in his 2.2 Cooper Climax at the Easter Motor Races, Roy Hesketh Circuit, on 3 April 1961":

[Richard Neale]

Yet another amazing pic and story of a past hero!

[macoran]

posting for ry6


Jo Eckhoff getting MAD understeer at Quarry Corner, Roy Hesketh Circuit. Race was 1961 Coronation 100 at Easter.

Not quite a "junior" this 2.2 litre car!