A 1955 Cooper T39, being driven by Bob Searls in the Sprint race held at Crystal Palace.
A 1955 Cooper T39, being driven by Bob Searls in the Sprint race held at Crystal Palace. In 1955 Cooper introduced their mid-engine Type 39 ‘Bobtail’ two years before their similar F1 effort. The ‘Bobtail’ used a Coventry Climax FWA engine in a steel tube chassis with a lightweight aluminum body. Chassis details were similar to Cooper Formula Junior cars with integral brake drums in wheels, transverse leaf spring suspension and a centre-mounted driving position. The first Bobtails were built with the 1100cc Coventry Climax FWA engine, but later cars in the series received the FWB, 1500cc unit. These were attached the Citroën gearbox with special gear ratios. Body details included a cut-off tail, wrap-around windscreen and drop-down doors. Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground used for many cultural, patriotic and sporting events. The sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins erected the first lifesized models of the (then) newly-discovered dinosaurs and other extinct animals in the park, following the gift of a megatherium skull by Charles Darwin. The grounds once housed a football ground, which hosted the FA Cup final from 1895 to 1914 as well as London County Cricket Club games from 1900 to 1908, when they folded, and Crystal Palace 's matches from their formation in 1905 until the club was forced to relocate during the First World War. The extensive grounds were used in pre-war days for motorcycle and, after the 1950s, for motorcar racing; this was known as the Crystal Palace circuit. Parts of the track layout remain in 2005 as access roads. The track itself fell into disuse after 1972, although it has been digitally recreated in the Grand Prix Legends racing simulation and 2010 sees the 10 years of campaigning work to reopen the track culminating in The return of Motor racing to Crystal Palace
Size: 3790px × 2478px
Location: Crystal Palace Park, Crystal Palace, London
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1955, bob, bobtsail, circuit, cooper, crystal, cut-, doors., drop-, midd-engine, motorsport, palace, race, searl, sprint, t39, tail, windscreen, wrap-
