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Cooper F3 T72 Restoration

Having worked with the Cooper Car Company on a collaborative line of Classic Mini parts, the prestigious brand required our restoration services back in 2014 with an important piece of Cooper and Motorsport history that needed resurrecting just in time for a very special reunion…

The legacy of the Cooper F3 T72

History

In 1964 and a young driver was given the opportunity to earn a place in a F3 team team with a trial run of the new Cooper T72 on the iconic Goodwood Circuit. Having never driven an F3 Car before, this particular driver beat all times set by current F1 champion, Bruce McLaren and was signed immediately. Sir Jackie Stewart then went on to become a multiple F1 World Champion and one of the most respected names in Motorsport.

Design

The T72 was designed by Eddie Stait and Neil Johanssen and employed a semi stressed-skin construction. John Cooper became heavily involved in the design and development of this F3 cars built by the Cooper Car Company, and raced by the likes of Stirling Moss and Peter Collins, attaining high-ranking titles in Motorsport – and we were honoured to restore and rebuild such an iconic car.

Goodwood Revival

In 2014 we began the restoration of the Cooper F3 T72. The completed T72 was to be unveiled at the ‘Goodwood Revival & reunited with it's original driver, Sir Jackie Stewart. In September, the Cooper racer was presented to Mike Cooper & Sir Jackie -  both were delighted with the results – taking us back to the Grand Prix heydays when Cooper ruled Motorsport.

The T72 Restoration Process...

Body & Interior

Mini Sport took on the Cooper T72 restoration in the summer of 2014 and immediately set about to work on completely stripping the original bodyshell before expertly smoothing the shell, priming and painting it in the original British Racing Green. All interior pieces have been sourced for genuinity to retain complete authenticity. 

Engine & Transmission

6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market), Cooper centre caps, Yokohama 165/70x10 A032R tyres. 6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market), Cooper centre caps, Yokohama 165/70x10 A032R tyres. 6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market)

Mini Sport Cooper F3 T72 Restoration

Cooper F3 T72 Restoration

Having worked with the Cooper Car Company on a collaborative line of Classic Mini parts, the prestigious brand required our restoration services back in 2014 with an important piece of Cooper and Motorsport history that needed resurrecting just in time for a very special reunion…

 

The legacy of the Cooper F3 T72

Sir Jackie Stewart Cooper T72

HISTORY

In 1964 and a young driver was given the opportunity to earn a place in a F3 team team with a trial run of the new Cooper T72 on the iconic Goodwood Circuit. Having never driven an F3 Car before, this particular driver beat all times set by current F1 champion, Bruce McLaren and was signed immediately. Sir Jackie Stewart then went on to become a multiple F1 World Champion and one of the most respected names in Motorsport.

Mini Cooper Badge Mini Cooper Exhaust
Cooper T72 Design

DESIGN

The T72 was designed by Eddie Stait and Neil Johanssen and employed a semi stressed-skin construction. John Cooper became heavily involved in the design and development of this F3 cars built by the Cooper Car Company, and raced by the likes of Stirling Moss and Peter Collins, attaining high-ranking titles in Motorsport – and we were honoured to restore and rebuild such an iconic car.

Mini Cooper T72 Restoration Front Cooper T72 Suspsension
Cooper T72 Restoration Goodwood Revival

GOODWOOD REVIVAL

In 2014 we began the restoration of the Cooper F3 T72. The completed T72 was to be unveiled at the ‘Goodwood Revival & reunited with it's original driver, Sir Jackie Stewart. In September, the Cooper racer was presented to Mike Cooper & Sir Jackie -  both were delighted with the results – taking us back to the Grand Prix heydays when Cooper ruled Motorsport.

Mike Cooper and Sir Jackie Stewart Cooper T72 Restoration Goodwood

The T72 Restoration Process...

Cooper T72 Restoration Stripped Cooper T72 Restoration Stripped Cooper T72 Restoration Stripped Cooper T72 Restoration Stripped Cooper T72 Restoration Stripped image alt image alt image alt
Cooper T72 Restored Racer

BODY & INTERIOR

Mini Sport took on the Cooper T72 restoration in the summer of 2014 and immediately set about to work on completely stripping the original bodyshell before expertly smoothing the shell, priming and painting it in the original British Racing Green. All interior pieces have been sourced for genuinity to retain complete authenticity. 

Cooper T72 Interior Seat Cooper T72 Interior Wheel
Mini Cooper Restoration Grille
Cooper T72 Engine

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION

6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market), Cooper centre caps, Yokohama 165/70x10 A032R tyres. 6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market), Cooper centre caps, Yokohama 165/70x10 A032R tyres. 6x10-inch Minilite wheels with ET-15 offset (Japanese market)

Cooper T72 Interior Seat Cooper T72 Interior Wheel
Mini Magazine Mini Sport Mini Cooper Restoration

MICHAEL JOHN COOPER

"The car had been in my garage for 40 years
& my good friend Chris Harper & the team at
Mini Sport have literally rebuilt it from the ground up.
It truly was a great moment to see the car reunited
with Sir Jackie Stewart and special thanks
must go to Mini Sport who did a brilliant job at
restoring the Cooper T72 to its
former glory!"