|
|
|
|
Classic Grand Prix C2639A Jack Brabham |
|
|
Jack Brabham Jack Brabham was born in 1926 in Sydney Australia. As a triple world champion his name became synonymous with Grand Prix racing and in 1979 he was honoured as the first driver in history to be knighted for his services to motor sport. Brabham established himself in Australian racing before moving to Europe in 1955 where he began driving as a member of the Cooper 'works' team in 1957. It was a very successful partnership resulting in Brabham's first two Formula One World Championship titles, in 1959 and 1960, while Cooper Climax won the Constructors title two years running. The spectacular 1960 World Championship was clinched on 14 August at Oporto in Portugal with 2 races of the season still remaining but Brabham, driving the revolutionary rear-engined T53, had achieved five straight victories in the season so far and he was impossible to beat. - From Hornby. |
|
|
|
|
Cooper Climax T53 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix Engine: 2,462cc inline four / double overhead camshafts Transmission: 5 speed gear box / dry 2 plate clutch Chassis: Space-frame / coil springs / cast magnesium alloy wheels |
|
|
|
|
Scalextric have released a couple of new Classic Grand Prix cars. Following on the Vanwall and Maserati released in 2004, branded as Goodwood Revival Limited Edition, now we have the Cooper Climax T53 1960 Portuguese Grand Prix and the Ferrari 156 1961 German Grand Prix. The cars are due for release shortly. Here the Jack Brabham's Cooper is shown. |
|
|
|
|
This is a small car reminding me of the early 1970 Scalextric set cars, but with so much more detail and character. It has a simple racing livery: British racing green and white stripes. Although simple, it has some interesting details: Look under the carburetor cover to see the shiny bits underneath; look at the detailed dashboard and wheel; look at the face of the driver - is that not Jack himself? |
|
|
|
|
The model has a thin, narrow body and it looks almost impossible to get a normal slot car motor inside. Well it is, so Scalextric have used a smaller motor. Even so, the front of the motor is coming through the driver's chest. I get the impression that rear of the car has been stretched a little to fit the motor between the driver and the rear axel. I'm sure that some of our experts can tell us just how elongated it is. The narrow motor is in-line, rear-mounted and is the same as those found in the modern F1 cars. The reference is W9049 and it has a 18K RPM. It has a short shaft and plastic pinion. |
|
|
|
|
Rear tires - diameter: 22.2 mm, width: 7.5 mm, tread width: 4.2 mm,
rim diameter: 13.5 mm. These tyres, with a shallow tread are very narrow, but are soft. A little sanding will help them grip better. The car comes with quite a strong neo-button magnet under the motor. On the track, is zips along with it's 9:27 gears (1:3 ratio) in a very nervous manner indeed. With a little time and after the magnet is removed, I may comment more on handling. The last photo (below right) shows the Cooper with the Cartrix W196 Mercedes, The Scalextric Ferrari 156 and the Cartrix Maserati 250F. The photo shows just how small the Cooper is and how the layout changed with the rear-engined setup. |
|
|
|
|
A great car, adding to the wealth of Classics that are becoming available these days. I look forward to seeing this car in some classic races soon. More information For more info on the Cooper Climax, check out our good friend Dennis David's Grand Prix History site: Cooper. And for more info on Jack Brabham, on the same site: Brabham. |
|
|
- Nuro 08/2005
| |
  |
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 18th May 2013 - 07:37 |