Details of Cars

Cooper T45: the little Cooper that won Monaco in 1958

COOPER

1958 Cooper Climax T45
1958 Cooper-Climax T45 at the Goodwood Revival. Photo by David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Cooper T45 was a small open-wheel racing car built by the Cooper Car Company in 1958 and designed by Owen Maddock. It raced in Formula 2 as well as Formula One, where it won a single World Championship Grand Prix — the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, driven by Maurice Trintignant.

Cooper T45 at a glance

Cooper T45 key facts
Maker Cooper Car Company
Designed by Owen Maddock
Year 1958
Class Formula 1 and Formula 2
Predecessor Cooper T43
Engine Climax, 2.0 litres; 2.2 litres for the works team
Chassis almost unchanged from the T43
Changes revised wheel suspension, engine lowered
Brakes drums until 1959, then discs
Best result win, 1958 Monaco Grand Prix
Works driver Roy Salvadori, fourth in the 1958 championship

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Cooper T45, which is short; the article is therefore shorter than the usual 600–800 words and contains no figures that the source does not give.

History of the Cooper T45

A revised T43

The T45 was the successor to the Cooper T43. The chassis remained almost unchanged, but the wheel suspension was revised and the engine was lowered in the car. Until 1959 the cars had drum brakes, which were then replaced by disc brakes. Cooper entered the design in Formula 2 and Formula One alike.

1959 Cooper Climax T45
1959 Cooper-Climax T45. Photo by David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The 2.2-litre works engine

For the Formula 1 version Climax developed a 2.2-litre engine. Because that unit was available exclusively to the works team, the private entrant Rob Walker had to resort to the two-litre engine, which had less power. In 1958 the Frenchman Maurice Trintignant surprisingly won the Monaco Grand Prix with Walker’s two-litre T45. The car lacked power on the fast stretches, though, and especially against the competition from Ferrari and Vanwall the Coopers had no chance.

Points and championship position

Works driver Roy Salvadori was third at Silverstone and second at the Nürburgring, and finished fourth overall in the Drivers’ Championship. Cooper finished third in the Constructors’ Championship, which was held for the first time that year.

Design and features

  • Carried-over chassis: the T45 kept the T43 chassis almost unchanged.
  • Revised suspension: the wheel suspension was new, and the engine sat lower.
  • Two engine sizes: two litres for private entrants, 2.2 litres for the works team.
  • Brake development: drum brakes gave way to discs from 1959.
  • Rear engine: the layout Cooper had made its own in formula racing.
Cooper Climax T45
Cooper-Climax T45. Photo by David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Cooper T45 versions

  • T45, Formula 2: the two-litre car also run in Formula One by private entrants.
  • T45, works Formula 1: the 2.2-litre Climax version reserved for the Cooper team.
  • Rob Walker’s car: a privately entered two-litre T45, the winner at Monaco in 1958.
  • 1959 specification: cars with disc instead of drum brakes.

The other Cooper sports racer in this collection is the Cooper Monaco. More cars from the marque are in the Cooper collection.

Video: Stirling Moss shows how to drive the 1959 Cooper-Climax

Video by TopGear1986 on YouTube.

Sources

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