Barn Find. 1955 Cooper T39 “Bobtail”
Chassis CS11/7/55. 215 aluminum Buick V8. 1980's Monterey History.
$65,000
History
The early history of this Cooper is yet unknown. The car does retain, however, its original chassis tag still riveted to its chassis tube. So further historical research can be done.
Data from the log book and event plaques that are glued inside the cockpit of the car show the car racing at the Monterey Historics, and other Northern California historic racing events as early as 1984.
In the later 1990’s, the car was shipped to the U.S. Northeast, where it has remained packed away in dry storage in an old home garage. It has remained there ever since.
Description
The Cooper is currently powered by a 215 cubic inch aluminum Buick V8 on Weber carbs. The gearbox is a Corvair. The chassis itself, however, looks remarkably original with modifications for the 215 Buick and Corvair gearbox carried out with the intent to modify the chassis as little as possible.
Spares include the red painted Cooper wheels shown in the photos, and some additional blocks, heads, and other miscellaneous engine pieces. There also appears to be some additional rear axles with the car.
This is a fun project to restore as-is and race across the U.S. in historic races, including historic USRRC races and at the Rolex. The engine and gearbox could also be removed and replaced with a Climax engine and Cooper ERSA gearbox and raced at Goodwood and the Le Mans Classic. So there are several nice opportunities here with this Bobtail.
All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.
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