Cooper T39 Bobtail Climax

Chassis Mk91655 is one of roughly fifty Cooper T39 Bobtails, the streamlined two-seat sports-racer that rivalled the Lotus 11 in the mid-1950s. Few survive with their history intact, and this one is unusually well documented. It was supplied new in 1956 to Joe Lubin, Cooper's West Coast US agent, and raced by Bob Drake, who won at Palm Springs on its debut season. Further wins followed at Pomona, Paramount Ranch, Santa Barbara and Riverside.

Lubin kept the car for over fifty years. It later passed to HGPCA racer Scotty Taylor, who had Hoole Racing restore it on the original chassis and bodywork, with a fresh Coventry Climax FWB engine and a rebuilt ERSA transaxle. It raced at Spa, the Nürburgring, Silverstone, Oulton Park and Donington.

The current owner has spent over £85,000 since 2023. Classic Autos rebuilt the engine in 2024 and Crosthwaite & Gardiner rebuilt the gearbox. Since then it has done one Le Mans Classic and one Goodwood Revival. It has raced at three consecutive Revivals and has been accepted for the Monaco Grand Prix Historique. It wears its original white and blue American racing colours, comes with a history file, and has FIA HTP papers valid until 2030.