1957 | Cooper T43

1957 Cooper Coventry Climax  Australian Gold Star Winner

This 1957 Cooper Climax, known as F2-28-57, played a significant role in the Australian Gold Star racing series, which began during the 1957/58 season. This championship was designed for Formula Libre car drivers and comprised multiple rounds (typically 8 or 9) held on various tracks across Australia. Points were awarded based on performance, and the driver with the highest overall point total at the end of the series received the CAMS Gold Star.
Despite its focus on open-wheel racing within the "Formula Libre" category, most of the cars used in the Gold Star were quite similar to those seen in Formula 1 World Championship races. This series attracted F1 drivers such as Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, and Bruce McLaren.
Early champions of the Gold Star included prominent figures in Australian open-wheel racing, such as Stan Jones (the father of future World Champion Alan), Len Lukey, Alec Mildren, Lex Davison, Bib Stillwell, and Bill Patterson. Interestingly, by 1959, nearly all of these leading drivers were using a Cooper chassis.
In 1958, Alec Mildren raced this Cooper T43-Climax, finishing second in the Australian Drivers' Championship, behind Stan Jones, who was driving a Maserati 250F. In 1959, Mildren secured second place overall in the Gold Star once more, driving the same Cooper T43 Climax and coming in second to Len Lukey.
F2-28-57 underwent a restoration in the early nineties and was repainted in the colors associated with Rob Walker, the renowned Cooper team boss for whom Stirling Moss raced. The Cooper Climax was ready for Stirling Moss to drive in a demonstration at the 1994 Australian F1 GP.
Remarkably, the car still retains its original body and chassis, along with a Coventry Climax 2-liter engine. It has recently been issued FIA/HTP papers. During the renewal of the FIA papers, period-correct SU DU6 carburetors were fitted to comply with the strict period correctness that the FIA insists on. These original carburetors are extremely rare and were only made for racing purposes (only 70 sets have ever been made). An original set was found and restored. They look great on the car and provide similar performance to the previously fitted (but no longer permitted on the Cooper T43) Weber DCOE carburetors.
In recent years, the car has been successfully raced with the HGPCA and at the Goodwood Revival. It also participated in the demo run for the Stirling Moss tribute at the Goodwood Revival in 2021.
This car is being represented by Historic Competition Services in Antwerp, Belgium. We specialize in sourcing, selling, buying, maintaining and restoring some of the most important historic competition cars in Europe and the US. Join our newsletter list to view collector cars before they hit the open market.