Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 12, 2026

Cooper Mark II

The Cooper Mark II, also known as the T5 , was a 500cc open-wheel racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company at Surbiton, Surrey, England, in 1948, and was the first production car made by Cooper. It was a successor to 1946 Cooper 500, which was a prototype. 12 cars were built. It was powered by a 45 hp (34 kW) 500 cc (31 cu in) JA Prestwich Industries (JAP) 4B Speedway single-cylinder engine, but had the option of being converted to a lengthened wheelbase version, to be able to use a 70 hp (52 kW) 1,000 cc (61 cu in) JA Prestwich Industries (JAP) or Vincent-HRD V-twin. It also notably won the first ever Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1948, competing in the 500 cc class, being driven by Spike Rhiando.

Last revised
Aug 12, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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1948 Cooper Mk2 (T5) front source ↗
1948 Cooper Mk2 (T5) rear source ↗

The Cooper Mark II, also known as the T5 (Type 5), was a 500cc (predecessor to Formula 3) open-wheel racing car designed and built by the Cooper Car Company at Surbiton, Surrey, England, in 1948, and was the first production car made by Cooper. It was a successor to 1946 Cooper 500, which was a prototype. 12 cars were built. It was powered by a 45 hp (34 kW) 500 cc (31 cu in) JA Prestwich Industries (JAP) 4B Speedway single-cylinder engine, but had the option of being converted to a lengthened wheelbase version, to be able to use a 70 hp (52 kW) 1,000 cc (61 cu in) JA Prestwich Industries (JAP) or Vincent-HRD V-twin. It also notably won the first ever Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1948, competing in the 500 cc class, being driven by Spike Rhiando.12







References

References

  1. "Cooper". 500race.org.
  2. "1948 Mk II (T5)". 500race.org.