Ken Wharton’s Cooper MKV back from slumber

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Just after World War II a new and cheaper kind of motor racing emerged. Using 500cc engines it was known as Formula 3 and became extremely popular. Many drivers started their career in this class. One of them was Ken Wharton who raced the Cooper 500 MKV seen above. Father and son Cooper made their prototype racing cars by welding together two Fiat Topolino front-ends. A cheap and useful idea, but maybe their best idea was to put the 500cc JAP engine at the rear. This made it very quick, but also quite a handful. This MKV was a production model that was supplied new by the Cooper Works to Ken, who used in 1951 and 1952 for circuit racing and hill climbing. Ken Wharton went on to other racing cars, but kept the Cooper until his death in 1957 after which his father sold it. From then on the Cooper has led a reasonably sheltered life and today it still is in remarkably original condition, showing a wonderful patina. The Cooper will be offered by Coys during their "True Greats" auction on December 3rd in London. No doubt in our mind that we will soon see it back on the racing circuits. That's where it belongs.

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