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Were Cooper Racing Cars ever at Raeburn Garage?

2 years ago...

I've been doing some research on the Cooper Car Co. run by John Cooper and his father, Charles, or Charlie as he was better known. They won the Formula 1 championship in 1959 and 1960 and John was responsible for the Mini Cooper being built by the British Motor Corporation (BMC).

For many years the company worked out of premises in Hollyfield Road, originally from a series of wooden sheds but then from 1959 in a purpose built garage that still exists and is now home to a Porsche dealership.

I've been told that at one time Coopers were at Raeburn Garage in Raeburn Avenue but I have yet to find proof of it. Might it be that they rented Raeburn Garage c. 1959 for a year or so whilst their new premises were being built?

This might be of interest.

It's a book about the Greeves motorcycle company and it shows that they had Raeburn Garage built in 1932 in the days when they were building invalid carriages. There's even a photo of the garage when new! They sold the it at the end of the war and moved to Essex where they later started making the famous Greeves racing motorcycles.

Can anyone help please? Were Cooper Cars ever at Raeburn Garage?

Graham Robinson

