1961 Warwick MkII Sports/FJ

It was fashionable in Formula One in the mid 1950s to have all-enveloping streamlined bodywork for the faster circuits of the calendar. In 1954/55, the Mercedes-Benz cars ran bodywork that was genuinely streamlined and the likes of Connaught, Maserati, Vanwall and Cooper all tried full-scale bodywork, which perhaps may not have been aerodynamically streamlined, but certainly enclosed the open wheels resulting in a reduction in drag. In 1958, Rob Walker had some good results in his F2 Cooper with the streamliner body, especially at the fast Reims circuit.

For the 1959 French Grand Prix at Reims, John Cooper brought along his latest streamlined bodywork for Jack Brabham’s F1 car. It had been briefly tested in the rain at a wet Silverstone test session, however at the fast French circuit, and especially along the Soissons straight, the car tended to become airborne, and it was quickly converted back to its original open-wheeled bodywork. The complexities of downforce were not fully understood in those days and it’s not surprising that an aluminium profile built to resemble an aircraft wing would naturally want to fly when it reached ‘take off’ speed. Streamlined bodywork was not used in 1960, and in 1961, Streamliners were banned altogether.

John Moore, supplier of Lockheed brakes and clutches to the race car builders of the day, noticed the abandoned ‘streamliner’ bodywork sitting in the rafters at the Cooper Car Company whilst visiting the works one day and quickly acquired the body with a plan to race a car in both the 1962 Monoposto and Formula Championships. His idea was that the car could have dual bodywork, sports and single seater, to suit a variety of championships

John Moore also supplied Ken Tyrrell, and his next acquisition was some prototype Formula Junior uprights, Condor wheels and 8'', iron-lined alloy brake drums. With a chassis cleverly fabricated to support both the sports car and single-seater body panels, he entered both Championships, winning the 1962 Monoposto Championship including three lap records with an average speed of an incredible 93mph around the Silverstone GP circuit. The car ran a Ford E93A side-valve engine fuelled through a Weber 45DCOE and an early Mini gearbox with chain drive to the rear wheels.

John Moore sold the car to Derek Edwards who, in 1963, fitted a Formula Junior BMC engine and raced it until 1970. The car was subsequently raced by Malcom Hadley-Saw who was a member of the Essex 750 MC and his flamboyant exploits were recorded in a video called ‘’Charge of the Flight Brigade’’ at one race at Mallory Park (video incl.) In 1971, it was purchased by Bill Wheeler with ambitions to race in Formula 4 but he left for Australia before the car had turned a wheel.

In 1990, David Morgan, the 750 MC archivist, bought the Warwick and partially restored it before, in 2000, it became the property of our vendor, himself an accomplished engineer, and raced by him in the 750 MC Trophy Series with some success. The last couple of outings were at the Crystal Palace Sprints in 2010 and 2011, coming second in class to Simon Taylor’s HWM Chevrolet. We understand that it will be supplied to sale with two 1,172 cc Ford side-valve engines.

This incredible car has a history that puts it in the sweet spot of early 1960s innovation with Cooper at its heart and a car that would be welcome at prestigious motorsport events when there was a class for racers of that era. It’s accompanied by a fascinating history file, great provenance and some period photos.

A lovely piece of motorsport history first hammered into shape in the days of Mercedes’ legendary W196 Streamliner.