Cooper-Climax
British · 9 seasons
Notable Drivers
Season History
| Year | Pos | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1967 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 1965 | 5 | 14 | 0 |
| 1964 | 5 | 16 | 0 |
| 1963 | 5 | 25 | 0 |
| 1962 | 3 | 29 | 1 |
| 1961 | 4 | 14 | 0 |
| 1960 | 1 | 48 | 6 |
| 1959 | 1 | 40 | 5 |
About Cooper-Climax
The Cooper-Climax combination, pairing the Cooper Car Company's rear-engined chassis with Coventry Climax engines, delivered one of the sport's landmark achievements: the championships that proved the mid-engined revolution had conquered Formula 1.
Driven by the brilliant Australian Jack Brabham, Cooper-Climax won the drivers' and constructors' championships in 1959 and 1960. These were the first titles won by a rear-engined car, and they confirmed that the layout pioneered in the Coopers' Surbiton workshop was the future of Grand Prix racing.
Within a few years every serious constructor had followed Cooper's lead, and the front-engined Grand Prix car was extinct.
Key Achievements
- Drivers' Championships for Jack Brabham in 1959 and 1960
- Constructors' Championships in 1959 and 1960
- First rear-engined cars to win the Formula 1 World Championship
- Triggered the wholesale switch to mid-engined design across the grid
- 12 Grand Prix victories during the combination's peak
Legacy & Identity
Cooper-Climax turned a clever idea into world championships and, in doing so, settled the most important technical argument in the sport's history. The titles of 1959 and 1960 stand as the moment the rear-engined car proved itself supreme, a watershed that defines racing car design to this day.