Cooper T20 race car

Builder	Cooper Car Company
Category	Race Car
Production	1952 to 1953
Designed by	Owen Maddock
Chassis	tubular
Engine	Bristol BS1 1,971cc in 6-cylinder in-line configuration
Wheelbase	90 in (229 cm)
Weight	450 kg
Track	front and rear, 50 in (127 cm)
Tires	Dunlop
Max speed	140 mph (225 kmh)

The Cooper T20 was a Formula 2 racing car built by the British race team Cooper in the 1950s.

History

With the T20 Cooper 1952 not only interrupted the series of Formula 3 racing cars, but also built with it the first vehicle for Formula 2 The name T was originally introduced by Cooper for the 500-cc racing car. These race cars ran in Formula 3 and Formula Junior.

Cooper had a large clientele of drivers and their sponsors through this commitment. Many of them had the desire to enter the highest class of motorsport and expected a car from Cooper. There they quickly found the answer and developed the T20. The T20 was based on the T15 and had like there the engine in a simple setting in front of the driver. The chassis is made up two longitudinal beams openwork, with a superstructure
tubular. John Cooper succeeds in maintain the weight of its Formula 2 below 500 kg. The suspension and the wheels were taken over by the T15. With independent lower wishbones and transverse leaf springs, front and rear and also drum brakes on both front and rear. 

As the engine came from Bristol the 2-liter engine , a six-cylinder, based on the engine of the BMW 328 already equipped to Frazer-Nash and ERA. It has several drawbacks, including its weight and height, which excludes a low and aero-dynamics. This was used with this car Cooper set aside the normal mid-engine layout and put the engine ahead of the driver. Therefore, the car had to be light and handy in order to keep up with the then dominant Ferrari. The engine made about 130 hp with 3 solex carburetors .This was 35 bhp down on the Ferrari T500 with 170 hp As expected, the car did not stand a chance against the cars from Italy, however, there were the first points for Cooper in the Formula 1 World Championship by Alan Brown at the 1952 Swiss Grand Prix. Mike Hawthorn achieved his first successes on a T20.

Driven By

Eric Brandon
Alan Brown
Tony Crook
Mike Hawthorn
David Murray
Ninian Sanderson
Adolfo Schwelm-Cruz
Jimmy Stewart
Ken Wharton