27 replies to this topic

[bill patterson]

A friend of mine has recently purchased the ex-Hap Sharp Cooper T53 (Chassis No. F1-15-61) which competed in the 1961 and 1962 US Grand Prix.

Can anyone point me towards a website that would have photos of the car in its GP days and later?

Also, any ideas on the color of the Cooper in 1961 and 1962?

[Jerry Entin]

Hap Sharp sold his F1-15-61 Cooper T53 to Alan Connell in March of 1962. Alan Connell ran the car in light metallic blue and his favorite race number 5 for the first time in the USAC-sanctioned Bossier City race in Louisiana on April 1, 1962. Alan ended his race career with the same Cooper in the November 4, 1962 Mexican GP, offering the car [minus engine] for $4,000 at the end of the season.

Which makes you wonder what car Sharp drove in the 1962 U.S. GP. Another chassis or did he borrow his old mount from Alan Connell for this one race?
All research Willem Oosthoek.

[David McKinney]

Any possibility that it was Hap's earlier T53 he sold to Connell, and kept F1-15-61?

[Barry Boor]

In the '62 U.S. Grand Prix, Hap Sharp's Cooper was plain white.

[raceannouncer2003]

If you got to the LAT photo site and type in "Hap Sharp", three photos of Sharp should come up, two from the 1962 USGP and one from the 1961 USGP. In the 1961 photo, the car appears to be in "factory" colours, while in the two 1962 photos, the car looks white:

http://www.latphoto.co.uk/

Also, this thread with photos discusses the July 29, 1962 Hoosier GP at Indianapolis Raceway Park:

http://forums.autosp...light=Hap Sharp

Apparently Alan Connell and Hap Sharp both drove Coopers there. Which ones were they?

Vince H.

[Jerry Entin]

Here are the pictures Vince found:
http://www.latphoto....ow=12&x=25&y=11
There were some differences between the Coopers that Alan Connell and Hap Sharp raced:
In the April 1962 Bossier GP Alan's blue T53 had one rear view mirror, mounted on the left side of the windshield. In the Hoosier GP Sharp's white Cooper featured two mirrors mounted on the body, not the windshield.

Connell's Cooper did not feature a fuel cap on the left side of the Cooper. Sharp's T53 had fuel caps on both sides.
all research Willem Oosthoek.

[raceannouncer2003]

Jerry

When I go to the LAT site, where it says "Search For" (Advanced Search), I type in "Hap Sharp" in quotes, click "Search" on the right and I get the three photos.
Does someone know what the chassis numbers were for the Coopers Connell and Sharp drove in the Hoosier?

Vince H.

[Jerry Entin]

Thanks Vince:
It seems as though the first question to be answered is: How many T53 Coopers did Hap Sharp have? John Cooper complained once about the fact that during 1961 Sharp called the Cooper Car Co. almost on a daily basis, on a variety of subjects, and John questioned the cost of trans-Atlantic telephone calls.

The Alan Connell archives mention that Alan bought his T53 from Hap Sharp. It seems as though Sharp's white T53 must have been a different one. And then there was that Indy 500 back-up car. Does this add up to three T53s originally owned by Hap?
All research Willem Oosthoek.

[RA Historian]

It was my understanding that Sharp had two Cooper T-53s. The first was the factory backup from Indy 1961. He bought it in May, 1961, and ran it at Road America in June, 1961, as an "exhibition" entry in the Formula Junior 100 mile race. The car was still in the factory colors. Sharp effortlessly cranked out a series of 2:36 laps, at a time when the lap record was in the 2:44 range, had some fun, and retired voluntarily before the end of the race in order to to upset the order of the Juniors, which were the race.

This is the car, I believe, that was sold to Alan Connell, with Sharp buying another Cooper which he used in various Formula events over the next few years.
Tom

[Allen Brown]

Hap Sharp had the ex-Indy car in 1965 and donated it to the Speedway in 1970 so unless he bought it back from Connell, it must be the F1 Cooper that he sold to Connell. Tom - didn't Sharp run the 2.5 at the 1964 RA June Sprints as well?

My source for saying he had it in 1965 is Competition Press & Autoweek 19 Jun 1965 p3 where Sharp's Cooper was described as "the ex-Brabham 2.5 Cooper". This was the report on the Colorado Grand Prix at Continental Divide, 16 May 1965, an early Formula A race.

I've always been intruiged by this subject - why did Sharp have two almost identical F1-style Coopers? Is it possible the car he drove at the 1961 US GP was actually the ex-Indy car re-engined?

Colours, fuel fillers and mirrors may well be the solution to this. Anyone got a picture of the car in the Indy museum to hand?

[Jerry Entin]

Unless Hap Sharp owned three T53 Coopers, it may very well be that his white Cooper was the Indy 500 back-up car. Would the two fuel intakes shown in the Hoosier photos be an indication? In the back-up car's 1961 June Sprint exhibition run it had one mirror mounted on its body. It also had those special Dunlop wheels with knock-offs that don't show in 1962 photos. I suppose they could have been replaced, with an additional mirror added to the body. As Allen Brown mentions, the Indy back-up car is said to be in the Speedway Museum, donated by Hap Sharp.

Alan Connell's T53 had a single mirror mounted on the left of the windshield. No fuel cap on the left side of the car and standard Cooper wheels. In addition, during 1964 Harry Washburn appears in an identical T53 at Green Valley, Texas, with another mirror added to the right side of the windshield. It leads me to believe that Washburn was the owner after Alan Connell.
all research Willem Oosthoek.

[David McKinney]

My last guess brought a positive response (for a while at least), so here's another...
Might Sharp have lent or leased the 1960 car to Connell, and later to Washburn?
If not, might he have bought it back, run it at Continental Divide in 1965, then passed it on to the IMS Museum?

[Jerry Entin]

David: Hap Sharp and Alan Connell were good friends and frequent polo rivals long after their racing days. But I doubt that Connell borrowed or leased his T53 from Sharp. Alan must have bought it, indicated by his ad in the December 8, 1962, issue of CP, where the now retired driver offers [among his other cars]:

- Cooper Intercontinental chassis for $4,000 [no number listed]
- 2.5-liter engine numbered 1242 for $6,000
- 5-speed gearbox for $3,000

Sharp was living quite a distance away by then, in Midland. But for Washburn, a regular visitor to Green Valley, a track close to Fort Worth where Connell lived, the T53 may have been an offer impossible to resist.
all research Willem Oosthoek.

[Allen Brown]

Originally posted by Jerry Entin
... during 1964 Harry Washburn appears in an identical T53 at Green Valley, Texas, with another mirror added to the right side of the windshield. It leads me to believe that Washburn was the owner after Alan Connell.
all research Willem Oosthoek.

Jerry

This is news to me. Could Willem tell us more about this race?

Bill, what history does your friend have on his new car? Can he trace it back as far as the '60s or '70s? Is it the same car Chris Bullimore used to run in UK historics?

Allen

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Is it the same car Chris Bullimore used to run in UK historics?

It certainly should be

[Jerry Entin]

Allen: Here you go from Willem:
The 1964 Green Valley race information comes from a newspaper-type publication called Southwest Racing News. It is the April 27, 1964 issue [Volume 2, Number 4], published in Dallas. It is the only copy of this magazine I have ever seen and I wish I could put my hands on a complete set. Young Carl Haas must have known about the publication, since the back page contained a full ad for his products: Elvas, Stirling Moss Express Parts Service, Coventry-Climax parts and Hewland 5-speed gearboxes: "We deal in all types of race cars", according to Haas Automotive Imports of 5619 North Broadway, Chicago.
Back to the race [held the weekend of April 18-19, 1964]:
" Harry Washburn, husky Louisiana racing ace, continued his winning ways at Green Valley Raceway in the recent Texas Region Divisional SCCA competition, copping the 20-lap feature race over what was perhaps the strongest field ever assembled at Bill McClure's racing hippodrome. Harry's big win did not come easy in his 2.5-liter Cooper-Climax, as he was pitted against Delmo Johnson's powerful Grand Sport Corvette, George Koehne's Genie-Ford, Mason O'Keiff's Lotus Formula Libre, Bill Fuller Jaguar /Chevy, Charlie Barns' Merlyn, Homer Rader's Lotus and Jack Saunders in Herb Stelter's open wheel Kurtis/Chevy."
Results [both races combined CM to FM, Formula Libre and Formula Junior; 25 entries]:
Race 6, preliminary
1. Delmo Johnson, Corvette Grand Sport [CM]
2. Mason O'Keiff, Lotus Formula Libre
3. Harry Washburn, Cooper Formula Libre ["both short axles became unglued"]
4. Jack Saunders, Kurtis Formula Libre
Race 11, feature
1. Harry Washburn, Cooper Formula Libre
2. Mason O'Keiff, Lotus Formula Libre
3. Bill Fuller, Jaguar D/Chevy [CM]
4. Charlie Barns, Merlyn [FM]
5. Homer Rader, Lotus 23 [FM]

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Tom - didn't Sharp run the 2.5 at the 1964 RA June Sprints as well?

Yes, he did, Allen. I was at the 61 event, and have photos of Sharp in the Cooper, but missed the 64 event due to prior commitments to the Army. I missed several June Sprints over a 10 year span but always managed to attend the 500 and Can Am weekends. Advantages to being an officer rather than an EM, I guess!
Tom

[Frank S]

Not much help for the principal question, but worth showing:
April 1962 Pipeline GP at Hilltop Raceway Louisiana - magazine article

[bill patterson]

Bill, what history does your friend have on his new car? Can he trace it back as far as the '60s or '70s? Is it the same car Chris Bullimore used to run in UK historics?

Allen

I shall chat to the new owner, Joe Fairley, and update on what he has in his History File


Bill

PS Thank you everyone for your posts

[bill patterson]

Is it the same car Chris Bullimore used to run in UK historics?

Yes, it is the Chris Bullimore car. Will post some info as soon as I've spoken to Joe Fairley

[Jerry Entin]

Bill: Here is some more information found by Willem Oosthoek in regard to the Hap Sharp run Cooper:
Looking for a race report of Hap Sharp's win at CDR on May 16, 1965, I was pleased to find a photo of his Cooper/Climax in the August 1965 issue of SCG.
What is strange about the Cooper is that, while it was raced in white in 1962, at CDR three years later it shows up painted in the old factory colors: two stripes on the nose and the top of the hood white as well. Why on earth would Hap go through the trouble?
The report claims the winning car was the same 2.5-liter car used by Brabham to win the 1960 World Championship. According to Allen this was chassis F2-8-60. So now we are back to three Sharp-owned Coopers:
F2-8-60 [the 1965 CDR car]
F2-12-60 [the Indy back-up car, presumably used in the US GPS in 1961 and 1962]
F1-15-61 [the car that went to Connell, then Washburn]

all research Willem Oosthoek.

[David McKinney]

If the CDR car was F2-8-60, that takes to seven the number of cars with that number
Literally...
Much more likely it was F2-12-60 (I know of only three of those) and the report was confused about what the Brabham connection actually was

[Allen Brown]

I agree with David, that sounds like a bit of confusion. Yes, it was ex-Brabham and yes, it was a 1960 Cooper, but not actually his title-winner.

My theory is:
1) the ex-Indy spare, used at RA 1961, (libre 1962?), RA 1964 and CDR 1965, always a 2.5 and always in works colours.
2) the 1961 1.5 F1 car used at the 1961 US GP then sold to Connell for 1962.
3) an unidentified white car used at the 1962 US GP.

Allen

PS My thanks to Jerry and Willem for that 1964 GV race info. Mason O'Keiff's car would presumably have been the Lotus 27 he raced at that year's Run-Offs and at CDR in May 1965.

[T54]

1) the ex-Indy spare, used at RA 1961, (libre 1962?), RA 1964 and CDR 1965, always a 2.5 and always in works colours.

With all due respect Allen, not quite.
I have a letter that Jim Hall sent to me in 1989. In this letter, Jim Hall says clearly in hat letter that HE donated the Indy back-up car, F2-12-60, to the Indianapolis Speedway museum in October 1969.

Jack Brabham as well as John Cooper both told me that this car, the "back up" car, never turned a wheel at Indy during the whole months of May. I do have a rare picture of the car sitting in the Indy garage, already fitted with its special Dunlop disc wheels and centerlock hubs. This was the only change made to it since the November 1960 test.
Apparently the 2.5-liter engine that was in the car in November 1960 had been sold (to whom?), but during the month of May 1961 (actually shortly after qualifying) the chassis was fitted with the 2.8-liter (well, 2.77 and change) experimental Coventry-Climax "practice" engine numbered ET-892-1205, just in case the T54 would have a problem. For the race, the T54 received a second engine sent from the UK (I got a picture of it as it arrived in its crate with a note of well wishes from the folks at C-C), numbered ET-892-1206.
This T53 chassis was sold immediately after the "500" to Hap Sharp with the 2.8-liter "practice" engine on loan until a 2.5-liter would be shipped to him from the UK. The special centerlock hubs and rear uprights for the 15" Dunlop wheels (the T54 had the same uprights but used special 16" Dunlop wheels and special half-slick tires) were retained and are clearly seen on the pictures of Hap driving the car at the June Sprints.

So what happened after that?

1/ The "practice" engine was taken from F2-12-60 and fitted to Sharp's Monaco for Jack Brabham to drive the fall races at Riverside and Monterey. The "other" engine (the "race" engine) was retained by the works after the T54 briefly returned to the UK and was later sent back to the USA (Jim Kimberly owned the chassis but not the engine or box...) without engine and gearbox. The "race" engine was then fitted in the Bruce McLaren works Monaco and sent back to the USA for the fall races. As everyone remembers, the Riverside race resulted in a one-two for the two cars, and Roger Penske bought the "practice" engine from Cooper Cars after the Monterey race to propel his new "sports" car based on the crashed T53 of Hansgen, sold to him by Briggs Cunningham.

2/ The special hubs and 15" Dunlop wheels and tires were sent to Joe Huffaker who used them on the T54 at Indy in 1963, after Kjell Kvale had bought the car from Jim Kimberly. These wheels as well as the 2-speed Halibrand rear-end fitted to the Aston-Martin engine for the 1963 "500" still exist and are located in Tacoma, WA.

3/ Cooper Cars sent a proper set of regular bolt-on mag wheels and hubs to Sharp that were fitted and remain on F2-12-60 to this day, as well as a regular FPF engine with a proper FPF engine number. This is the car donated by Jim Hall to the Indy museum.

Today, the "practice" engine is back in the T54 making its history a full circle. I am told that Bruce McLaren used the "race" engine in his Tasman car, then in the ex-Zerex until it blew up and sawed the block in half, after which he fitted the Traco Olds in it. Tony Mantle told me that he knew of the surviving big-valve head from that engine.

I hope that it makes the story of F2-12-60 a bit clearer.
Regards,

T54

[David McKinney]

Originally posted by T54
I am told that Bruce McLaren used the "race" engine in his Tasman car

That ties in with what was being said locally at the time (except that it was a series of races in New Zealand and Australia, not the Tasman series, which did not start until 1964)
The Brabham and McLaren Cooper Monacos in the 1961 US fall internationals were private entries, not works cars. McLaren's acquisition of the 2.7 engine, in August, was apparently with the NZ and Australian races in mind, and it went into Peter Berry's Monaco for its US haunt. Brabham was apparently a bit miffed that he'd missed out on the engine, but acquired the one from F2-12-60 to run in Hap Sharp's Monaco before going into Brabham's own T53 for NZ and Australia

[Allen Brown]

Philippe

I carefully read your post and I don't disagree with or question anything you posted but I am unsure which part of my post is 'not quite':

Originally posted by Allen Brown
1) the ex-Indy spare, used at RA 1961, (libre 1962?), RA 1964 and CDR 1965, always a 2.5 and always in works colours.

Were you just making the point that it was a 2.8 rather than a 2.5 in Indy trim? Was it still a 2.8 at the 1961 June Sprints?

My only reason for emphasising the two-point-something was that it wasn't - in my theory at least - ever a 1.5-litre F1.

Allen

[T54]

Were you just making the point that it was a 2.8 rather than a 2.5 in Indy trim? Was it still a 2.8 at the 1961 June Sprints?

Allen,
Yes. As a matter of fact I have a copy of a period report saying so to add to what Jack told me. And you are correct to assume that it remained in factory colors until repainted in simili-Indy car after being donated to the IMS.

That ties in with what was being said locally at the time (except that it was a series of races in New Zealand and Australia, not the Tasman series, which did not start until 1964)

David, you are correct of course. By "Tasman" in my Euro-'Murican peanut bain, I meant "out there down under".

[David McKinney]

Don't worry, Philippe, it happens all the time
As one with a peanut New Zealand brain and associated national pride, I get irked that the Tasman Series, which was a joint NZ/Australian promotion, is frequently retro-applied to what was a New Zealand series for seven years before our cousins on the other side of the Tasman Sea joined in