Manufactured in Surbiton, England in 1961, this racing car started life as a Cooper Climax Formula 1 car with a 1.5 litre V8 engine and alloy body.
Driven initally by Bruce McLaren, it later went to Phil Hill, the No. 2 driver for the Cooper Team, followed by the McLaren Team. Bruce's best results with it were third at the Monza Grand Prix and fourth in the South African Grand Prix. During the 1964 Austrian Grand Prix, Pill Hill crashed the car, causing it to catch fire and suffer serious damage.
Bruce Abernethy brought the car back to New Zealand, and rebuilt it with the help of Bruce McLaren. It was converted to Tasman Series specifications, with a fibreglass body and the 2.7 litre engine, before being sold to the New Zealand Grand Prix Association where it was used it to train new drivers. They obtained sponsorship from Rothmans and Dennis Marwood raced it quite successfully for two seasons under their Driver Promotion Scheme.
Bruce McLaren's father Les was responsible for organising the car's donation to MOTAT in 1978. During its time at MOTAT, it has undergone full restoration and now looks as it did when it last raced in the Tasman Series.
| Type | Formula I Racing Car |
| Model | Cooper Climax |
| Manufacturer | Cooper Car Company |
| Country manufactured | England |
| Date | 1961 |
| Engine type | Petrol, 4 cylinder inline Coventry Climax |
| Engine capacity | 2.7 litre |
