Cooper Climax T53 at the 2010 Silverstone Classic. by Robert Knight - Flickr.com
The Cooper T53 was a Formula 1 racing car, built in 1960 by the British motor racing team Cooper.
The T53 was the world championship car from 1960.
The T53 was lower and slimmer than its predecessor, the Cooper T51. With competition from Lotus getting stronger, Cooper had to make rapid progress. During the Grand Prix of Argentina, the strengths of the Lotus 18 were shown although Bruce McLaren won the race for Cooper (McLaren drove, but he used the T51).
The T53 consisted of four main beams and stable suspension which had suspension arms and coil springs at all four wheels. The FPF engine from Climax produced close to 250 hp. The cars were fitted with a five-speed gearbox. The front end was shaped aerodynamically, an advantage on fast tracks such as Silverstone, Reims and Monza.
The debut of the T53 was not until late in the season. Jack Brabham drove the new Cooper racing car at the International Trophy race at Silverstone in May, where he came second. In Monaco McLaren drove the car again which was the first appearance of the T53 in the World Cup. It was a strong race and he finished second again.
The true potential of the car became apparent when Jack Brabham, World Champion of 1959, won five Grand Prix races in a row and again won the drivers world championship.