Cooper T39

1955 Cooper T-39 at the Le Mans Classic in 2016
1955 Cooper T-39 at the Goodwood Revival in 2019

The Cooper T39, nicknamed the "Bob-Tail", is a successful lightweight, mid-engined, sports car, designed and developed by Owen Maddock at Cooper Cars, for sports car racing in 1955. The car debuted in active racing competition at the Easter race in Thruxton in 1955, being driven by Ivor Bueb, and was later entered into the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, being driven by John Brown and Edgar Wadsworth, but was unfortunately not classified, because even though the car managed to complete 207 laps around the 8.4-mile Le Mans circuit, it didn't manage to finish within 70% of the winners' race distance. However, between 1956 and 1962, it did manage to rack up and tally an incredible streak of domination and competitiveness, scoring 91 total wins and clinching 236 podiums finishes; an incredible record. It was powered by the 1,098 cc (67.0 cu in) Coventry-Climax four-cylinder engine.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

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  2. ^ "1956 Cooper T39".
  3. ^ "Cooper T39 Bobtail - the Fastest Sports Car Down Under". 5 December 2020.
  4. ^ "1956 Cooper T39".
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  6. ^ "Cooper T39 Climax – primotipo…".
  7. ^ 1955 - Cooper T39 Bobtail williamianson.com
  8. ^ "1956 Cooper-Climax T39 Bobtail Racer". 13 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Cooper T39 Bobtail". 16 May 2023.
  10. ^ https://www.rmd.be/getcarpdf.php?c=45 [bare URL]
  11. ^ "Bonhams : 1956 Cooper-Climax 1.5 Liter T-39 'Bobtail' Sports-Racing, Center-SeaterChassis no. CS11-12-56Engine no. FWB 400/86877".