Charles Cooper (motor manufacturer)
| Charles N. Cooper | |
|---|---|
Charles Cooper, c.1961
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| Born |
Charles Newton Cooper 14 October 1893 Paris, France |
| Died | 2 October 1964 (aged 70) Surbiton, United Kingdom |
| Citizenship | British |
| Occupation | Racing car manufacturer |
| Organization | Cooper Car Company |
| Spouse(s) | Elsie Cooper (née Paul) |
| Children | John Cooper |
Charles Newton "Charlie" Cooper (14 October 1893 – 2 October 1964) was a British motorsport mechanic, designer and entrepreneur.
With his son John Cooper he founded the Cooper Car Company, which produced a string of successful racing cars through the 1950s and '60s. While John provided the enthusiasm and vigour that drove the Cooper company forward, it was Charles' shrewd business brain that provided the stability – and profitability – that laid the foundation for their sporting success. Regular works driver Jack Brabham won the World Drivers' Championship in both the 1959 and 1960 Formula One seasons driving the Coopers' revolutionary mid-engined cars, and the Cooper team itself took the World Constructors' Championships. Although they never again achieved the heights of a World Championship, the Coopers' innovative vehicles left a lasting influence on racing car design. Before 1959 all Formula One World Champions had driven front-engined cars; since 1959 no front-engined car has won the World Championship again.
Charles Cooper was born in Paris, France, in 1893 and spent his early years in France and Spain. He was the son of Charles Renard Cooper, a British travelling actor and theatrical manager. His mother was Franco-Spanish, and died when Cooper was very young. Following his mother's death Cooper's father moved Charles, his twin sister Judy and elder sister Lettie back to his native country, and set up a family home in Malden.
On leaving school, Charles Cooper was taken on as an apprentice at Napier & Son's engineering works in Acton. It was while working at the Napier plant that Cooper got his first taste of motor sport, working on the racing and record-breaking cars of company director and pioneering driver Selwyn Edge. Soon after completing his apprenticeship World War I broke out. Britain declared war on 3 August 1914, and only three weeks later Cooper enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps. He saw active service throughout the war, invalided home after being gassed during the capture of Valenciennes in late 1918, only weeks before the signing of the Armistice with Germany.
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