24 replies to this topic

[Allen Brown]

Does anyone have any pictures of Jack Brabham in his Cooper T53 at the Pau Grand Prix, 3 April 1961?

 

I am revisiting the history of Jack Brabham's World Championship-winning 1960 Cooper T53 'lowline', in the hope that newly available pictures will help.

 

The story so far:

• Jack Brabham had his own private T53, which he first used at the December 1960 South African GP.  It looked much like the works cars.

• In January 1961, Jack and Bruce McLaren used the works T53s at the New Zealand GP.  These were the cars that had gone to Riverside for the US GP in November 1960.  They were due to return to the UK from New Zealand, while Jack's personal car was due to be used in the Australian races.  However, his private T53 was delayed on its boat from South Africa, so Jack acquired his NZ GP car, and used that in Australia instead.

So during the 1961 European season, Jack owned two virtually identical T53s.  Close examination has revealed small differences, so I now know that the ex-works/ex-NZ GP/ex-Australia car was the one Flockhart crashed at the International Trophy, and the private ex-SA GP car was the one Brabham used in minor F1 races and in Intercontinental.

 

Still with me?  Good.

 

I cannot find any pictures of Brabham at the Pau GP on 3 April.  That would be the final piece in the puzzle.

 

I am happy to (privately) share all my findings so far with anyone who can help with a picture.  (As it uses lots of copyrighted pictures, I can't publish it here or on ORC.)  I'm at allen@oldracingcars.com

 

Many thanks

Allen

[cooper997]

I take it this relates to the ex Gibbs T53.

 

April 14, 1961 Autosport has the Crombac credited report with one RH rearview 3/4 photo of the Cooper being worked on.- engine cover up. I make the assumpion Jabby probably supplied the photo.

 

Same chassis must have gone to Brussels for the April 9 race that Brabham won.. Car's on the same Autosport's cover and in the report from that race.

 

Stephen

[Tim Murray]

FWIW, in his ‘Notes on the cars at Pau’ article in Motor Sport, DSJ wrote that the car Brabham used at Pau was the same one he’d used in South Africa.

[cooper997]

And just to show how bloody awkward Cooper history is, the 1961 Warwick Farm International programme mentions Jack's Cooper is his South African car.

 

But in the next breath (and I think I gleaned this from Modern Motor) the Brabham Cooper that Ron Flockhart used at Ballarat was JB's ex NZ/WF car.

 

Logistics complicate history.

 

Stephen

[funformula]

As it´s the front cover picture from the Autosport issue of April 14th you might be already aware of this one.

https://www.ebay.ie/...=item4b164b0dd4

 

This issue of Autosport covers the GP´s Pau and Brussels 1961 which held place at April 3rd and April 9th.

I presume the picture is taken at the Brussels GP but Brabham may have used the same chassis then.

 

Another picture from the same location here:

http://3.bp.blogspot...ham_mclaren.jpg

Edited by funformula, 15 November 2018 - 20:11.

[Ray Bell]

The Warwick Farm programme notes would have been written before the shipping problems cropped up...

[Allen Brown]

FWIW, in his ‘Notes on the cars at Pau’ article in Motor Sport, DSJ wrote that the car Brabham used at Pau was the same one he’d used in South Africa.

 

Thanks Tim.  I believe the great man was quite right here, which is why photographs of the car would be so useful to compare with the T53s he drives later in the season, when the identity was less clear.

 

For over 30 years, I have believed that JB only had one T53 during the 1961 European season, so didn't know comparisons were needed.  

[Allen Brown]

And just to show how bloody awkward Cooper history is, the 1961 Warwick Farm International programme mentions Jack's Cooper is his South African car.

 

But in the next breath (and I think I gleaned this from Modern Motor) the Brabham Cooper that Ron Flockhart used at Ballarat was JB's ex NZ/WF car.

 

Logistics complicate history.

 

Stephen

 

 

The Warwick Farm programme notes would have been written before the shipping problems cropped up...

 

 

I agree Ray.  Photographs of the NZ GP car match the Warwick Farm one, and those match the Ballarat car.  One uncertainty is where the South Africa GP car went after it finally landed in Australia.  Looks like JB didn't race it, so did it go straight back to England?  Or did it wait at the dock to be shipped back at the same time as his other car?  Any clues about this in Modern Motor?  My Aussie mags don't go back this far.

[funformula]

Don´t know if it´s of any help but here are two more from Brussels 1961

 

https://www.motorspo...1961&is_popup=1

 

https://www.gettyima...enfoto/78967765

[Ray Bell]

Did Jack, perhaps, leave the car in Australia for a month or so to see if he could sell it to a local?

That was his usual game...

[MarkBisset]

Allen,
Quickie article with a photo of Jack's WF car if that helps;
https://primotipo.co...rwick-farm-100/
Mark

[cooper997]

I've noted withn June 1961 Motor Racing's JB column that his Cooper wasn't back from Australia (due to a dock strike) for the May 6 Silverstone meeting. Hence fluffing around with the Vanwall and ultimately running a Yeoman Cooper. Although Jack Brabham Motor Racing Ltd was entrantt for Flockhart

 

Mixed amongst the same timeframe, David McKay procured the T51 from Brabham at the Hume Weir International, having been used by Salvadori. So if there was potential of a spare T53 available around then, why would he go for the old nail?  Although that's probably answered by David passing the hat around to find Aus£3750 for the older car.

 

There's a couple of George Phillips photos of the 'Brussels' T53 in the centre of April 21, 1961 Autosport. That potentially means Rupert will have found something soon amongst the REVS archive..

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 16 November 2018 - 04:19.

[Allen Brown]

I've noted withn June 1961 Motor Racing's JB column that his Cooper wasn't back from Australia (due to a dock strike) for the May 6 Silverstone meeting. Hence fluffing around with the Vanwall and ultimately running a Yeoman Cooper. Although Jack Brabham Motor Racing Ltd was entrantt for Flockhart

 

Mixed amongst the same timeframe, David McKay procured the T51 from Brabham at the Hume Weir International, having been used by Salvadori. So if there was potential of a spare T53 available around then, why would he go for the old nail?  Although that's probably answered by David passing the hat around to find Aus£3750 for the older car.

 

There's a couple of George Phillips photos of the 'Brussels' T53 in the centre of April 21, 1961 Autosport. That potentially means Rupert will have found something soon amongst the REVS archive..

 

Stephen

 

Thanks for that Stephen.  The June 1961 edition is missing from my particularly tatty collection of 'Motor Racing'.  

 

The 6 May 1961 Silverstone International Trophy was the only appearance we've found so far in Europe of his NZ GP/Australia car.  (The stripes are slightly different, there is a bit of black tape just behind the driver's left shoulder, four rivets (or bolts, or something) visible on the bottom edge of the radiator opening, and a different seat.)  As his ex-SA GP car had already done the Pau and Brussels races, is there any explanation in the column of why he didn't use that car?  

 

Ray makes a good point about the NZ GP car staying in Australia to find a buyer.  Odd that it didn't, as JB would have had far less chance of making a sale in Europe.  

 

After the 6 May race, I cannot find any further reference to that ex-works/ex-NZ GP/ex-Australia T53.  Could Flockhart's accident have been heavy enough to mean it was never repaired?

[cooper997]

Allen, at the minute this is the best I can do for the June 1961 Motor Racing JB column. Red arrow indicates the piece of the jigsaw.

 

 

I'm not aware of anything published relating to the Flockhart incident. Again, a Rupert speciality to dig something from REVS. Unless Mark Bisset's skills can come up with something also.

 

Stephen

 

[Allen Brown]

Thanks Stephen.  Interesting that he makes no mention of Flockhart driving his older car, which was actually the Australia car - if I've got this right!

[Hugo Boecker]

Sporting Motorist May 1961 has a picture of Brabham #2 at the 61 Pau GP

Edited by Hugo Boecker, 16 November 2018 - 15:00.

[Allen Brown]

Sporting Motorist May 1961 has a picture of Brabham #2 at the 61 Pau GP

 

Fantastic!  Any chance to could send me a scan or a picture of it?  My email is allen@oldracingcars.com

[Hugo Boecker]

Watch your e-mails

[DCapps]

That potentially means Rupert will have found something soon amongst the REVS archive..

 

Stephen

 

I will take this opportunity to send deserved praise in the direction of that hard worker in the REVS and other similar vineyards, our faithful servant, Rupert, whose abilities at scouring archival materials is nothing short of remarkable.

[Odseybod]

Someone has to ask the idiot question, so it might as well be me.

 

I assume the 1961 Pau GP was a non-Championship F1 race, because it doesn't figure in Louis Stanley's GP annual for that year.

 

Or have I misunderstood?

[cooper997]

Correct Tony, International but non-championship event. There's a brief writeup titled 'OTHER FORMULA 1 RACES' published in Blunsden/Brinton's 'MOTOR RACING YEAR 1961' with a 1st lap Station Bend  photo of Clark leading Brabham's Cooper and others on page 89. Hard to pick detail on the Cooper from the photo though.

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 18 November 2018 - 02:52.

[Rupertlt1]

There are plenty of Cooper pics at Revs for 1961, but not at Pau.

 

See: https://library.revs...&date=1961-1961

 

RGDS RLT 

[cooper997]

As mentioned in post 2.

 

April 14, 1961 Autosport Pau report.

 

 

Stephen

[cooper997]

Here's a couple of pages from David McKay's Modern Motor Warwick Farm feature. Red arrows indicate relevant info to this quest.

 

 

 

Stephen

[Allen Brown]

I am still working away on this, and my thanks to everyone who has helped on this thread and offline.  As far as I can now tell, the history of F2-17-60 is as follows:

 

• First raced by Jack Brabham as a private entry at the South African GP in December 1960
• Shipped to Australia but arrived too late, so Brabham acquired the 1960 works car that he had been racing in New Zealand and drove that in Australia instead
• Returned to Europe and raced by Brabham at Pau in April 1961, then at other non-championship F1 and Intercontinental races until he acquired his ex-works T55 later in the year
• Taken to New Zealand in January 1962 as a spare car to the T55, and raced at three NZ races after he broke the gearbox on the T55 during the NZ GP
• Driven by Salvadori at Sandown Park in March 1962
• Sold to Lex Davison, after Davison had wrecked his ex-Yeoman Credit car
• Sold to Tony Osborne in 1963
• ... and then other adventures that I will relate later.