Post by David Lawson on Jul 20, 2012 11:00:11 GMT -5
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
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