# Cooper T54

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_T54
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{{Infobox racing car
| Car_name = Cooper T54
| Image = File:Cooper-Climax T54 "The Kimberly Special" - Flickr - andrewbasterfield.jpg
| Category = [U.S.A.C.](/source/United_States_Auto_Club) [IndyCar](/source/Indy_car_racing)
| Constructor = 
| Designer = 
| Team = 
| Engine name = [Coventry Climax FPF](/source/Coventry_Climax)
| Capacity = {{convert|2.75|L|cuin|1|abbr=on}}
| Configuration = <br>8-valve, [DOHC](/source/DOHC) [L4](/source/Inline-four_engine),
| Turbo/NA = [naturally-aspirated](/source/naturally-aspirated),
| Engine position = [mid-mounted](/source/mid-engine)
| Gears = 5-speed
| Type = [manual](/source/manual_transmission)
| Differential = 
| Fuel = 
| Lubricants = 
| Tyres = 
| Debut = [1961 Indianapolis 500](/source/1961_Indianapolis_500)
| Races = 
| Wins = 
| Cons_champ = 
| Drivers_champ = 
| Teams_champ = 
| Poles = 
| Podiums = 
}}
The '''Cooper T54''' is a [rear-engined](/source/rear-engined) [open-wheel](/source/Open-wheel_car) [race car](/source/race_car) chassis, designed, developed, and built by [Cooper](/source/Cooper_Car_Company), for [U.S.A.C.](/source/List_of_USAC_Championship_Car_seasons) [Indy car racing](/source/Indy_car_racing), between [1961](/source/1961_USAC_Championship_Car_season) and [1963](/source/1963_USAC_Championship_Car_season). It was powered by a {{cvt|250|hp|kW}} {{cvt|2.75|L|cuin}} [Coventry Climax FPF](/source/Coventry_Climax) [four-cylinder](/source/Inline-four_engine), but later used an [Aston Martin](/source/Aston_Martin) [six-cylinder engine](/source/Inline-six_engine), installed by automotive mechanic and engineer [Joe Huffaker](/source/Joe_Huffaker), after the car had been by [Jim Kimberly](/source/Jim_Kimberly) to [Kjell Qvale](/source/Kjell_Qvale). After competing in IndyCar racing, it competed in a variety of different motorsports, including [sprint car racing](/source/sprint_car_racing), where it was powered by larger [Ford](/source/Ford_Motor_Company), [Buick](/source/Buick), and [Chevrolet](/source/Chevrolet) [V8 engine](/source/V8_engine)s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oldracingcars.com/cooper/t54/|title=Cooper T54 history|first=Allen|last=Brown|website=OldRacingCars.com|date=2 January 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z13775/cooper-kimberly-t54.aspx|title=1961 Cooper Kimberly T54|website=conceptcarz.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://primotipo.com/2021/05/29/jacks-indy-cooper-t54-climax/|title=Jack's Indy Cooper T54 Climax…|date=May 29, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/07/31/the-1961-cooper-climax-t54-marked-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-indy-roadster-era|title=The 1961 Cooper-Climax T54 marked the beginning of the end of the Indy Roadster era|access-date=14 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.conceptcarz.com/s13775/cooper-kimberly-t54.aspx|title=1961 Cooper Kimberly T54 technical and mechanical specifications|website=conceptcarz.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thespeedjournal.com/for-sale/1961-cooper-climax-t-54/|title=1961 Cooper-Climax T54|first=Steve|last=Kemmer}}</ref>

==History==
thumb|Cooper-Climax T54 used by Jack Brabham in the 1961 Indianapolis 500
[In 1961](/source/1961_Indianapolis_500), Brabham entered the famous [Indianapolis 500](/source/Indianapolis_500) oval race for the first time in a modified version of the Formula One Cooper. It had a 2.7-litre Climax engine producing {{Convert|268|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} compared to the 4.4-litre, {{Convert|430|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} [Offenhauser](/source/Offenhauser) engines used by the front-engined [roadsters](/source/Roadster_(automobile)) driven by all the other entrants. Jack qualified a respectable 17th at 145.144 mp/h (pole winner [Eddie Sachs](/source/Eddie_Sachs) qualified at 147.481 mp/h), and while the front-engined roadsters were much faster on the long front and back straights, the rear-engined Cooper's superior handling through the turns and the shorter north and south sections kept the reigning World Champion competitive. Brabham ran as high as third before finishing ninth, completing all 200 laps. Although most of the doubters in the American Indycar scene claimed that rear-engine cars were for drivers who like to be pushed around, as Brabham put it, it "triggered the rear-engined revolution at Indy" and within five years most of the cars that raced at [Indianapolis](/source/Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway) would be rear-engined.<ref>Brabham, Nye (2004)pp.133–136</ref>

In 1963, [Pedro Rodríguez](/source/Pedro_Rodr%C3%ADguez_(racing_driver)) entered the [Indianapolis](/source/1963_Indianapolis_500), in an [Aston Martin](/source/Aston_Martin)-powered Cooper T54, but failed to qualify.

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:Indianapolis 500
Category:Cooper racing cars
Category:American Championship racing cars
Category:Open wheel racing cars

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cooper T54](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_T54) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_T54?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.