1961 Cooper T56 Mk. II - Formula Junior

Ric Sorgato
Oct 5, 2023
5 min read

Updated: May 9, 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

Formula Junior car raced by Tony Settember (F1 driver), Odoardo Govoni (Overall 2nd position - Italian FJ Championship '62) and Mario Casoni (Winner of the '63 Italian Mountains Championship)
Vehicle preserved in its '63 original racing conditions with documented Palmarès
A matching-numbers example featuring its original Cosworth 105E engine and a 5-speed ERSA gearbox
Entry ticket for the most prestigious historic events around the globe, such as the Monaco GP Historique or Goodwood Revival

THE FORMULA JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

These days, most car enthusiasts complain that Formula One is no longer what it used to be. For some, the main issue are FIA’s strict rules, that have apparently wiped away most of the thrill and fun in favor of safety and performance balance across all cars; others miss instead the crazy days of the 1970s, with six wheeled cars, turbine “aided” engines and rockstar drivers. They all have their reasons, as it’s rather obvious that Formula 1 has gone through a lot over its many decades of existence. One thing, however, has remained unchanged: the long path a pilot must follow to end up in that 20-ish people élite lined up on the starting grid of the most prestigious automotive championship on earth.

#48 Odoardo Govoni, T56 Mk. II - GP Cesenatico 29th April 1962

Before landing a seat in F1, minor Formulas (usually F2 and F3) are a mandatory step to gather racing experience and, most importantly, catch the attention of teams on the lookout for young promising talents. In facts, both series are over seven decades old - with FIA officially patronizing F2 and F3 starting in 1948 and 1950 respectively. Other lesser-known championships have also existed in the past, with a notable one being Formula Junior, recognized by FIA in a short range of time spanning from 1958 and 1964.

The idea behind the series, conceived by Italian count Giovanni “Johnny” Lurani, was to offer young pilots a chance to race at little expense: the rulebook stated that most mechanical components of the cars should be of regular production derivation; minor elaborations were allowed, but the limits were rather strict. Engine displacement was fixed at 1.000cc for 360kg cars and 1.100cc for the slightly heavier 400kg ones: the latter was the preferred combination, and almost all cars that put a seal on the Championship came from the 1.100cc class.

British manufacturer Cooper set its eyes on the championship, providing chassis to most entrants, who usually paired them with one of two engines derived from the 1959 Ford Anglia and tuned by Keith Duckworth of Cosworth Engineering.

Quickly and unexpectedly, Formula Junior sparked an overwhelming enthusiasm, at the point of briefly overshadowing both Formula 2 and Formula 3 and became both the entry-level single seat racing category and the only step before Formula 1 for some drivers, lucky enough to race in the right years and most importantly talented enough to make the cut into the major league: one of them was the American Anthony “Tony” Settember, a Manila-born pilot of Italian origins who raced in most professional competitions between Europe and North America. After debuting in a Jaguar XK120 and a Mercedes 300SL in the late 1950s, he turned to open-wheel racing in the early 1960s, competing in both Formula Junior and Formula 1 before enrolling in a Le Mans 24 Hours and eventually heading back to North American series.

THE COOPER T56 MK.II - CHASSIS NUMBER "AS2"

Tony purchased the present Cooper T56 Mk.II, a popular choice amongst Formula Junior racer, with the precise aim of competing in the series - which he did, with the most notable result being a 7th place in the 1961 Messina Grand Prix, held in the namesake Italian city. His well documented ownership of the car is also evident from the chassis number being "AS2", with AS standing of course for “Anthony Settember”. The next custodian of the Cooper was Odoardo Govoni, an Italian privateer who had allegedly turned down an offer by the Drake himself for a seat in Scuderia Ferrari. It should sound as no surprise, then, that behind the wheel of the car Govoni secured a second place finish in the 1962 Formula Junior Championship. Govoni then lent the car it to his cousin Mario Casoni, who enrolled in the Italian hillclimb series and honored the lending by winning the Italian Mountains Championship. Soon after, in 1965, the Cooper changed hands once again, when collector Paolo Gratton acquired it for his private museum in the town of Gorizia.

The car was eventually purchased from Gratton’s wife at the end of 2020, and is currently residing in a private collection which includes - amongst others - a first series Jaguar E-Type, an early Porsche 911T, a Renault R4 Parisienne and an Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible. The owner, who exclusively owns museum-grade vehicles, had initially resolved himself for an extensive restoration of the Cooper, but then decided to preserve it in untouched conditions not to lose its wonderful racing history. He is now offering it to its next lucky custodian, along with the unique opportunity to enroll it in the most prestigious historic events around the globe - including, yet not limited to, the Goodwood Revival and the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

UNDER THE LOUPE

In its present conditions, the car is a sensational time capsule, and a perfect testimony of what a purebred racecar looked like in the early 1960s. It becomes all the more impressive when it’s put into the right context: when this Cooper T56 with its 1.100cc engine was racing in Formula Junior, Formula 1 cars relied on 1.500cc engines and were built around a tubular chassis that didn’t differ from the Cooper’s one for much more than the wheelbase - a mere 5cm longer in the upper series.

As mentioned above, our Cooper shows a rich racing history, well documented by the printed material included in the sale and clearly visible throughout the bodywork, and frame.

The first details to catch an enthusiast’s eye are certainly the tail section and roll cage, replaced by second owner Odoardo Govoni before enrolling it in the 1962 Formula Junior championship. In its original configuration, the car showed the lower tail section with a fin on top, native of the Cooper T56 Mk.II, which can be seen in most period pictures.

Taking a closer look, another notable improvement carried out by Govoni pops out: the choice of a single twin-choke Weber carburetor, in place of the two carburetors originally fitted to the Cosworth 105E engine.

Finally, the bright red livery has covered the original shade of blue, which is still visible through some marks on the paint coat.