1969

This 1969 Cooper T90 F5000 is believed to be the last racing car ever produced by Cooper. The seller recovered this car from long-term storage in Massachusetts and restored it to its 1969 London Auto Show specifications. After being displayed on the Cooper stand at the show, US-based racer Peter Rehl used it to claim the 1969 Formula A championship at the 1969 SCCA Championship Runoffs at Daytona. Rehl sold the car in 1971, and it was raced sporadically before being acquired by a private collection. It has since been fully restored and more recently won second in class at the 2013 Lime Rock Concours and could be raced or shown at a wide variety of historic events around the world. Cooper closed its doors in 1969, and the T90 was the culmination of two decades of innovative competition cars. The T90 is very similar to the the T86 Formula 1 car, but is powered by a small block Chevrolet V8 rather than the 375 horsepower Maserati V12 used in the F1 car. This engine makes at least 500 horsepower from 6800-7800rpm, and the seller notes that it has broad power band. The restoration was handled primarily by the seller and his partner, and is extensively documented on the seller’s website. The nose cone pictured above is fiberglass with aluminum wings, and an aluminum nose cone without wings is also included. During the restoration the seller replicated the original monocoque roll hoop. A tubular roll hoop was fitted at some point in the car’s history to comply with changing SCCA regulations. The rear wing is triangulated and braced to the hoop. Coopers used innovative inboard brakes front and rear. The seller notes that the discs themselves are shared with some Triumphs and are easily sourced. The car is fitted with original-style suspension control arms made by Prince Engineering. The original arms are included, but are not safe for competition. The distinctive magnesium wheels are a double-disc design unique to Cooper. The seller notes that the wheels are very light, very strong, and irreplaceable given their originality. They are fitted with original Firestone tires for display purposes only. A set of new aluminum wheels with Avon road race tires are included for competition and pictured below. The spartan interior includes a thinly padded seat, right hand gearchange, Cooper steering wheel, and simple instrumentation. Note also the custom windscreen and spun aluminum side mirrors. The Chevy small block is backed by a Hewland LG600 transaxle that has been rebuilt with new dog rings, along with several new gears and forks. The engine is a correct 4-bolt unit, but is not original as the car was not delivered by Cooper with an engine in 1969. The seller notes that the large radiator keeps the car cool despite its lack of a fan. Only about 20 minutes of test and tune time are on the engine at present. The car was fitted with a Hillborn mechanical fuel injection system when it was removed from storage. The seller sourced and fitted a correct MacKay manifold and four Weber 48 IDA carburetors. The Vertex magneto and handmade megaphone exhausts are said to be original to the car. The magneto contains an electronic starting aid to enable unassisted battery restarts. Adjustable Koni shocks are fitted at all four corners and have been dynoed. The new rear suspension uprights are thicker than stock, as the originals suffered from regular breakage. A spare set and molds to produce more are included. Peter Rehl campaigned the car at five major events in 1969 with a period photo of this car shown above. He also ran the car at two National and one Regional SCCA event to qualify for the runoffs at Daytona in September. Rehl sold the car in 1971 and it was campaigned at several more National and one Pro-level F5000 events before entering a private collection in Massachusetts. The results for the 1969 season are as follows: Badger 200, Elkhart Lake, July 20th, 1969. 7th Place. Schaefer GP, Lime Rock Park, August 2nd, 1969. 9th Place. Lime Rock GP, Lime Rock Park, September 1st, 1969. 7th Place. Le Circuit Continental, St. Jovite, September 7th, 1969. Retired due to an accident. Road Race of Champions (FA Class), Daytona, November 29th, 1969. 1st Place. The victory at Daytona made Rehl the Formula A National Champion for 1969. Here is the car as-found prior to restoration. Note the tubular roll hoop. More photos can be seen in the restoration section of the seller’s website. The seller has provided several cool photos of the car in-period shown here and in the gallery below. This is an interesting photo of the car taken while still at Cooper Works in November of 1968. At the time this photo was taken the car had not yet been painted. This car was a late entry into the 2013 Lime Rock Concours, where it claimed a second place in the “No Holds Barred” class for post-war competition cars, finishing behind a Le Mans winning Ferrari. While the car can be shown, the restoration work was focused on returning the car to the track. With the alternate wheels and tires fitted the car is ready to be used in historic F5000 competition, and the seller posits that with a conversion to Maserati V12 or Cosworth DFV power this could be a worthy historic F1 competitor. It is sold on a bill of sale.