Fantasy Junction

Description

1961 Cooper Monaco Type 61 Sports-Racer
Chassis no. CM-3-61
White with Black Interior

Named for Maurice Trintignant’s victory at the Monaco Grand Prix behind the wheel of a Cooper-Climax in May 1958, the Cooper Monaco was a sports racer that was introduced in late 1958 and continuously refined through the Mark II version (1960) and Mark III, which replaced the somewhat old-fashioned transverse rear leaf spring with a double wishbone coil spring suspension. The chassis was also revised to creat a stronger and stiffer platform, and the body panels were hand-crafted as always by Cooper’s veteran panel-bashers. The rear fenders also rose into distinctive pointed fins which were presumably intended to increase directional stability.

This particular car has an exceptionally distinguished history, having been originally purchased by Peter Berry and driven by Bruce McLaren in 1961 in both the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside and the Pacific Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. This car is the last of three surviving Mark III cars in the surviving factory chassis register, with the other two having been supplied to Hap Sharp in June of 1961 and Roger Penske in August of 1961.

This car was fitted with a 2.7 liter Coventry Climax engine that Bruce McLaren already owned and McLaren completed the assembly of the car at the Cooper works alongside factory mechanic Mike Barney. McLaren tested the car at Silverstone, lapping the circuit a second faster than Stirling Moss’ best time in the Lotus-Climax 19. Larger Aston Martin-type calipers and thicker discs were used for the first time on a Monaco, and the car was rigged in full International Appendix C regulation spec, with lights, screens, two proper seats etc. Only when they arrived at Riverside for practice did Bruce and Mike Barney appreciate that the Americans did not bother with such niceties. They also discovered that Jack Brabham’s personal mechanic Tim Wall had also been there for a week, preparing Hap Sharp’s stripped lightweight Monaco for Jack to drive, using a sister 2.7-litre engine, with wily Jack never having mentioned a word of such plans to Bruce.

McLaren nevertheless opted to run the Berry car in full Appendix C trim just in case he should win and a rival protest. Brabham took pole on sticky Dunlop D12 tires and while McLaren could keep up, Brabham ultimately prevailed in the lighter Monaco, with McLaren taking second following a water leak which had blown coolant onto the car’s rear tires in the closing laps. The following weekend saw McLaren finish 4th at Laguna Seca behind formidable competition in the form of Moss, Gurney and Brabham.

Peter Berry then sold the car to the Briggs Cunningham team who had it converted by Lance Reventlow’s Scarab team, RAI, to run a period Buick 215 V8 engine, the legendary engine whose rights would be purchased by Rover and would appear in countless British cars from the Morgan +8 to the Range Rover. In the Cooper, the Buick engine was mated to the Monaco Mark III’s original Cooper C5S five-speed transaxle. The aluminum V8 power unit was more powerful and around 20kg lighter than the Climax it replaced. Cunningham’s legendary engineering director, Alfred Momo, soon decided that the Monaco was a far more practicable racing proposition than the Maseratis the team had been campaigning.

In 1962 and 1963, the car was campaigned by Briggs Cunningham and driven by Walt Hansgen in a variety of sports car races in the United States, including the 1962 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, where the car won, as well as the Bridgehampton 500km in September of 1963, which the car also won, both times driven by Hansgen. The car was raced by a few more owners and then placed in storage before being returned to the United Kingdom in 2003 for a comprehensive restoration, with most of the mechanical work carried out by an ex-Cooper works mechanic of the period. Significant portions of the chassis were replaced as part of the restoration, and the original sections of the chassis is included for provenance. Its original 215 Buick V8 is included and the car is currently fitted with a correct motor of the same type. The car was run at Mallory Park, Brands Hatch, and Spa after the restoration.

Today it is in very nice condition, with an obviously thorough restoration done to high standards. It shows minor wear from use, and a few stress cracks and chips, but is fresh overall and would make its new owner proud to show in the most prestigious paddocks around the world. The chassis and interior were prepared to high standards and are nicely detailed throughout. The dashboard was done in an authentic manner with vintage instruments and components throughout other than some modern safety concessions. The engine compartment, chassis, and suspension are all impressively clean and beautifully restored, speaking to the quality and attention to detail of the restoration.

The car has extensive documentation including invoices and correspondence. Since completion, it has been run at Mallory Park, Brands Hatch and Spa, as well as a few test days and Goodwood, to which the car was invited in 2014 once again. The engine currently fitted has approximately 2 to 3 hours and the spare engine has approximately 10-12 hours.

This is a historically important Cooper Monaco with fantastic period race history and a close association with some the greatest names of motor racing. It is eligible for a large number of prestigious historic racing events and is an exceptionally rare car. The car has been beautifully restored and is complete with an extensive spares package including spare engine, internal engine components, engine ancillaries, 2 differentials, suspension components, coilovers and miscellaneous other parts.

The above vehicle information is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time it is posted to this website. Corrections or additional information is always appreciated. All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicles are subject to prior sale. All advertised to be true but not guaranteed. We assume no liability for errors or omissions.

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Fantasy Junction  •  510-653-7555  •  1145 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608