1966 Cooper T81-Maserati F1-3-66

[David Lawson]

The Cooper Maserati was the swan song for this once highly successful grand prix team.

Built for the 1966 season when the 3-litre formula was introduced after five years of the 1.5-litre formula when the Coventry-Climax engine reigned supreme. All the teams scrabbled around searching for a suitable engine and Cooper opted for a modified update of a 1950s V12. The T81 was always a particular favourite of mine, it was a bit of a bus and had a brutish appearance yet was very nicely built.

Although the team struggled with reliability Jochen Rindt did manage to have the most successful season of his career to date and finished in the points in six of the nine grands prix that year outscoring his various team-mates and finishing third in the world championship. I know that Cooper continued into 1967 and 1968 but by then they were a spent force just picking up occasional places and an extremely lucky win in South Africa through good fortune, so for me 1966 and the T81 was the final hurrah.

Throughout the year Rindt exclusively drove chassis number 3 and I decided to model my slot car on the third placed German Grand Prix car, I chose this particular race as I liked the cockpit bodywork used and the additional trunking on the nose which added to the car’s aggressive lines.






Three photographs of Jochen Rindt in the Cooper-Maserati T81 at the Nurburgring during the 1966 German Grand Prix weekend.

I could have used a bodyshell by Classic as the basis of the slot car but despite being a staunch supporter of Charlie Fitzpatrick's work, the Cooper-Maserati wasn't one of his best, he probably had no drawings or many photographs to work from in those days.

I am into carving balsa bodyshells at the moment and since recently making the McLaren M2B I have almost finished a 1962 Lotus 23 sports car and I have again chosen balsa as the material for this Cooper.


I started with carving the basic shape.


I then drew on the various body panel lines which helps the eye judge if the shape and contours are correct, or should I say near enough. I am working from photographs as I haven't found a particularly accurate set of drawings of this car so I will end up with a slot car that is accurate enough to please me even if it isn't technically correct.




Two photograhs showing where I have started to shape the rear end of the car around the engine and gearbox areas.

Updates to follow as and when I've made a bit more progress.

David

[Mark Huber]

I think that the Cooper T81 almost (and I stress almost) makes the BRM P83 look svelte and elegant.

Both cars seem to be cut from the same mold... you are correct .. brutes!

I'm looking forward to your build.

A while ago I'd thought about buying the Classic Cooper shell myself. However,I didn't think it was all that close to the real car and I doubted that I'd have the skill to improve it much.

Are those pictures from Doug Nye's book or another source?

[predator]

A swan song............... yes but a Holy grail for me never produce except by classic as a shell and Fleischmann as a RTR, difficult to find for a bargain price.

[David Lawson]

Mark

I am ashamed to say I lifted the race photos from the internet, they didn't have a copyright name and were probably already lifted by the person who added them to his site...!

I do have the Doug Nye Cooper Cars book which is very nearly as good as his BRM Saga but as Mr Nye is still very active I don't like to breach his copyright.

David

[Mark Huber]

David,

It's been a week since your post. Perhaps you are caught up in Olympics fever since, based on some of your other projects, I thought you might be finished with the build by now.

I'll be interested in the color you choose for your car; in so many of the old photographs, the T81 looks almost blue. (as do some of the earlier model Coopers).

Cheers.

[alfetta]

David.
To me the back end of your carving looks more like the Cooper BRM than the Maserati engined version.
Peter

[alfetta]

Sorry I forgot to mention I'm basing my observation on the Photos on the Ultimatecarpage.com website.
Peter

[David Lawson]

Peter - there's loads more work to do, hopefully you'll see it take shape.

Mark - The Olympics have long gone now and still the car isn't finished! I use the darkest green I can find when I go into Halfords for the aerosol car spray. The blueish tint is the sunlight on the bottle green, obviously Rob Walker's Coopers were always dark blue.

As six months has passed since my first post I thought I would dig the Cooper out of the pile of stuff in my model-making room and try and make a little progress.


I did a bit of carving around the cam covers of the engine


I cut out a balsa piece for the trunking, attached it and sanded it to shape and also cut the two vents that extracted air from behind the radiator. I also added the little cowl pieces that are over the front suspension rocker arms.

The gouge on the top of the monocoque was when I dropped a screwdriver on the carving as I walked passed, that'll teach me not to leave it lying about on the floor.


I found this very nice picture of both the 1966 Coopers at Brands Hatch, the car I'm building is the second car in the photo. Don't they look magnificent cars with such presence.

I hope to post some more progress soon and hopefully well before the next six months has passed....

David

[Mark Huber]

The Cooper has a very imposing appearance. I'm thinking of a knight's steed sheathed in armor. The Lotus 25 would be an Arabian of course.

[David Lawson]

Knight's steed or perhaps a lorry that Bugatti dubbed the 1920s Bentleys - I think the Cooper-Maserati certainly looked like a lorry up against the slimmer opposition of 1966.

I've not had too much time but I've done a bit more work.



I have shaped the gearbox and added the fuel injection pump to the side of the 'box, I have added the two little scoops either side of the nosecone, done a little refining of the engine detail by shaping the cam covers and added the distributors inside the V of the engine, added the suspension radius rod brackets either side of the monocoque and finally I made a windscreen buck, vacformed it and have cut the cockpit shape into the top of the bodyshell.

As I always say, there's still lots more to do.

David

[David Lawson]

I had an hour to spare this morning so I scribed the panel lines on the Cooper.



David

[Mike Sullivan]

I don't know if you know about this already, but there was an article about the Cooper Maserati in "Model Cars" magazine in April 1966. A copy is available at www.vsrnonline.com/Mags/MC/MC_Plans_1.htm, look for plan #212.

[David Lawson]

Thanks for the link. I have actually got the original magazine with that drawing in it. I have referred to it for some measurements although there are some inaccuracies of detail in it but it is useful.

David

[f143]

Hi David, looking back at this build this time,looking for tips, how do you get such clean cut lines in the balsa especially across the grain?
And, is it just practice gauging the symetry of the shape, or do you have a method for keeping things on the same level/curve of line?
Thanks for the reply on the Ferrari, I am guessing this project also lives in the same box.
Regards
Nigel

[David Lawson]

Nigel

Keeping everything symmetrical is a matter of practice and judging by eye. I know some use cross section templates to judge their progress as they carve but I don't find that the best way for me.

I use scalpel blades for cutting and carving. When I cut across the grain I make sure it is with a brand new scalpel blade and cut in a series of very light cuts using very little pressure to avoid a jagged edge. Once cut, if necessary I clean the cut edge by rubbing with some very fine wet and dry or finishing paper.

When I cut balsa across the grain with a very fine saw I make sure I cut a millimetre or two from the line and clean up with sandpaper.

You are right, this carving is sitting in the box of unfinished projects with a dozen others but if I set my mind to it I could probably finish it in a day or so. The trouble is finding the time for everything you want to do.

David