August 16, 2006:

COOPER TO BE THE FEATURED MARQUE AT THE 33RD ROLEX MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES

Monterey, CA – August 16, 2006… The legendary Cooper Car Company is the featured marque at the 33rd Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, August 18-20, 2006.

The Cooper Car Company, perhaps best well known by Mini enthusiasts, was founded in 1947 by Charles and John Cooper and left an indelible mark on the racing world. Its design innovations altered the face of such race series as Formula One and the Indianapolis 500 and their sedans excelled in rallying – most notably with the Mini Cooper S triple wins in the 1964, 65 and 67 Monte Carlo Rallies.

The Cooper Car Company started in a small garage in Surrey, England, and by the1960s the Cooper Car Company reached its peak as their rear-engine, single seat cars found multiple successes in Formula One events. And in doing so, they altered the face of the Indianapolis 500 and had such storied drivers as Sir Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Maurice Trintignant and Bruce McLaren in its ranks.

In 1961, John Cooper turned his attention to the Mini, which was being sold by BMC as an urban runabout. Cooper realized that the car’s front-wheel drive layout and inherent stability meant it was prime for racing – it just needed more power. And so with an up rated engine, new brakes and a distinctive paint job he gave birth to a giant killer that continued to dominate in saloon car and rally races throughout the 1960s, winning many championships and of course, the fabled 1964, 1965 and 1967 Monte Carlo Rallies.

Several different Cooper-marked versions of the Mini and various Cooper conversion kits have been made since then.

The business is run today by John’s son, Mike and it has played a significant part in the success of the new MINI, which has Cooper and Cooper S models and also features a complete line of factory and dealer installed JCW performance enhancements. The most recent offering comes in the form of the limited edition MINI Cooper S with the John Cooper Works GP Kit (“MINI GP”). The first of these limited production models will be hand-delivered to 32 lucky customers in a special ceremony at Laguna Seca raceway during the Monterey Historic Race weekend.