Footnotes

• Patsy Burt was one of the best-known of all lady racing drivers to have graced the British scene through the 1950s to the 1970s. Universally popular, she was also extremely capable and within the sprint and hill-climb arena she achieved enormous success, not only here in the UK but also in such major European mountain climb events as the Swiss classic at Ollon-Villars.
  
  The Cooper-Climax single-seater now being offered here began life as her car, prepared and run by her long-time partner, engineer and fellow motor sporting enthusiast Ron Smith, initially under the auspices of Formula 1 private entrant Rob Walker’s garage at Dorking in Surrey. The car was finished in her distinctive livery of ‘Burt blue’ – which originated as the 1954 shade specified by Jaguar for their XK120 model - and it achieved enormous success in her talented hands.
  
  Beginning her campaign with this car at Firle hill-climb in Sussex on May 26, 1963, Patsy Burt went on not only to win the Ladies’ prize, but also to set fastest time of the day overall – regardless of car class or driver gender – there (twice), and also at the Brunton, Stapleford and Wiscombe hill-climb venues. She won the Ladies’ prize or Coupe des Dame between 1963 and 1965 at Ollon-Villars, Sierre-Montana-Crans and Ste Ursanne les Rangiers (all classic European Mountain Championship venues in Switzerland), plus Firle, Prescott, Wiscombe Park, Great Auclum, Bodiam, Brunton, Long Marston, Dyrham Park, Loton Park, Shelsley Walsh, Long Marston and Ragley Park. She also accumulated class wins at Church Lawford, Wiscombe, Loton and Long Marston, class second-places at Brunton, Loton, Firle, Long Marston, Ragley and Ste Ursanne, and class third-places at Shelsley Walsh, Sierre-Montana and Wiscombe. In British RAC Championship-qualifying hill-climbs she achieved 4th place overall at Wiscombe, 5ths at Great Auclum and Wiscombe Park, 6ths at Loton Park, Dyrham Park, Shelsley Walsh and Great Auclum and 7ths at Dyrham, Loton and Shelsley Walsh.
  
  We understand that when she decided to sell the car – replacing it most famously with a spaceframe-chassised McLaren-Oldsmobile M3 which her friends at Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited tailor-made for her – it passed to Cooper collector Rodney Tolhurst.
  
  He fitted it with a BMC 4-cylinder engine and raced it initially in the developing class of historic Formula Junior. The car was acquired subsequently by another leading Cooper exponent, Alan Miles, who re-fitted the original-style Coventry Climax FWB Mark II 4-cylinder engine in 1500cc form – in effect returning the car to 1960 Formula 2 or 1961 Formula 1 specification. We understand, however, that Mr Miles raced the car only rarely before it passed on to the leading Historic car driver/dealer John Miles and from him to the current vendor, who assumed ownership of this Type 59 in the late 1990s.
  
  The car has in his hands been extensively restored, and the 1½-litre Climax 4-cylinder engine has been rebuilt by legendary British specialists Crosthwaite & Gardiner Limited. A Hewland Mark 5 gearbox was refitted during this process and the car was re-finished in its correct period ‘Patsy Burt’ livery.
  
  Since this major rebuild and restoration, this Cooper-Climax T59 has been raced extensively by its present owner and it is offered here in what the vendor describes as race-ready condition with new Dunlop racing tyres and relevant FIA/HTP documentation.
  
  The Cooper Type 59 design was itself originated in the winter of 1961-62 as the Mark III Formula Junior intended for customer sale in the 1962 season. New design features on this model included provision of Mini-Cooper brake calipers clasping enlarged discs front and rear, full 1100ccc versions of the marque’s preferred BMC 4-cylinder ‘A’-series engine, and in February 1962 orders for more than 30 Mark IIIs were announced, the asking price being £1,600 “unassembled”. The works Ken Tyrrell-entered Formula Junior Mark IIIs were driven by John Love and future World Champion Denny Hulme, with FJ graduate Tony Maggs appearing on occasion when his Formula 1 commitments allowed.
  
  This handsome Cooper has a lovely history and it commemorates one of the most popular of all enthusiastic amateur stars within the British motor sporting scene. The late Patsy Burt was well-known and universally liked and admired. Here we offer a fitting memorial to her, and one which is widely useable within Historic single-seater competition.
  
  

Auction Notices

• The car was competed in a number of races by John Harper not John Mills as catalogued. The car is fitted with the Hewland Mark 9 gearbox, not mark 5 as catalogued

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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