Cooper Monaco V8s

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by John Turner

I'm sure that a few Monaco's were fitted with Ford 289s when they arrived in the States and called King Cobras, but I'm guessing that this is a Chevy unit. I'm sure Frank Sytner turned up at the Goodwood Revival a few years back with a similar (same?) car with a polished aluminium body:-

Noting that Ted Williams is now selling this car, and that in his advert (MotorSport - Feb 2007 issue) he describes it as a 'Goodwood Outright Winner', I know this to be the Sytner car I mentioned above, particularly as the advert also confirms that it was restored by Simon Hadfield. This car # CM-04-63 is described as ex Skip Hudson and Rodger Ward, so it has a nice provenance. Wonder if we can persuade Simon to tell us any more about it!

What I'm interested in, is:

1) Whether there were any other Chevrolet engined Cooper Monaco's (Super Cooper's) built in period, and if so where are they now?
2) How many of the Ford 289 engined versions called 'King Cobra's' were built and where are they now? Or did I imagine their existence?

Actually, I've just remembered that there was recently a big engined Monaco offered at auction which I'm sure I photographed at Silverstone (The Classic?) last year, which had been driven by 'Salvo' back in the 1960s. I'll try and dig it out.

[John Turner]

Found the pics I took on the Bonhams stand at the Silverstone Classic of the ex Salvadori car, and as you can see from the notice, this had a 5-litre Maserati V8:-









So, can anyone add any info, on these 'Big' Monacos?

[allenbrown]

John

There's a big thread on this subject in 'the other place'. Lots of good reading material for you.

Allen

[John Turner]

Allen, thank you, I thought that maybe I was talking to myself. I guess you mean TNF (got a link?), and if I can find the time, I'll have a look!

In the meantime, I note that this week's Autosport (Jan 4th - page 81) carries an advert for a 1963 Cooper T61M with a Ford V8, which apparently featured in the February 2006 edition of Octane, although having flicked through that 3 times, I haven't been able to find it. Must look harder, I guess.

[Pete Stowe]

John,
The Cooper-Ford V8’s built by Carroll Shelby were known as “King Cobra’s” , but I’m not sure it’s accurate to apply that name to all Ford V8 powered Monaco’s?

One of the first , if not the first, transplants of a V8 into a Monaco was Bob McKee’s installation of an aluminium block Buick into Rodger Ward’s car. In doing this, to take the V8 power, Bob (with employee Pete Weismann) developed the McKee transaxle, which was later used in many other US sports-racers.

[Leighton Irwin]

John: Comstock Racing (a semi Ford Factory team) in Canada had 2 King Cobras built by Shelby with the Ford 289. They were driven by Ludwig Hiemrath and Eppie Wietzes. This was in the early 60's, probably 64. Epp's car was written off at Westwood B.C. (he got airborne at Deer's Leap) and for several years Eppie would not drive an open car. What happened to the other car I do not know.

[allenbrown]

John

I didn't think you'd want a link here to the other place but here it is.

Allen

[chuckbrandt]

Everyone has done a great job answering this question but I'll add specific answers to your questions.

1) The Nickey Chevrolet car as shown above is the most significant of the Chevy powered Monacos, but there were a few others. Norm Evenden fielded CM/3/64 in a few east coast races and hill climbs. It sold recently to a collector, I haven't heard what his intentions are. It was in complete but needing restoration condition. Back in the day George Wintersteen ran an ex-penske chevy powered monaco which was sold to Oscar Kovaleski who hillclimbed it. Present whereabouts of that one are unknown. Even the Lang Cooper ran chevy power at one time. Another ex-Penske ex-McLaren monaco CM/4/62 was Chevy powered through out it's run with Penske and Mecom. It eventually ended up in Sherm Deckers hands, unknown after that.

2) Shelby had his hands on 6 of the cars, 2 in '63 CM/1/63 and CM/3/63, and 4 in '64 CM/1/64 (Lang Cooper), and CM/4/64, CM/5/64, and CM/6/64. The last three and CM/3/63 were all run at the fall races in '64 at Riverside and Laguna Seca.

[John Turner]

Chuck,

That's excellent info. thanks. How's the book coming on?

Originally Posted by allenbrown

John

I didn't think you'd want a link here to the other place but here it is.

Allen

Allen, yes you are right normally, but it's relevant to the topic, and it's difficult avoiding it when we are researching a topic and trying to use whatever sources are available to us. Clearly we don't support a policy of linking to other forums under most circumstances, but we do have a commonality of posters and interests with TNF which will occasionally coincide. I'd like to think that on occasions such as this there can be a degree of reciprocity.

I have read that excellent thread and there is a great deal of great info. on there, although it has been dormant for 3 months. It may seem like a bit of a cheek, in which case you can tell me, but I wonder if I could prevail on Chuck or Allen, or indeed anyone prepared to do so, to provide an updated summary on the chassis numbers of all the V8 engined (Ford/Chevrolet/Maserati) Monacos? I will then place this thread in our chassis archive under its existing title and give due accreditation to TNF as appropriate.

[Pete Stowe]

Chuck, perhaps you can confirm the following? Having just been browsing through Competition Press for 1963 I see that by April '63 Bob McKee had replaced the Buick V8 in Rodger Ward’s car with a Ford Fairlane V8, and that by June this car had passed to Ed Hammill. This all predates the first appearance of Shelby’s King Cobra’s by several months, so would also make Bob the first to put a Ford V8 into a Monaco chassis.

[Steve Farthing]

Just to keep you up to speed,the Super Cooper CM-04-63 that Ted Williams had for sale,has been bought by Chris Jolly and is being prepared by Wren Classics Ltd to race in the Masters Series.

[John Turner]

Good news; thanks, Steve.

[chuckbrandt]

Pete Stowe, absolutely. The Ward Cooper was first shown in '61 with the buick V8. I am crediting it as the first of this type.

Chuck