15 Car Designs That Changed The Industry

Photo by Don Jones Photography

10. Cooper’s T43 – 1957

The Cooper T43, built in 1957, used the transaxle from a Citroën Traction Avant to transfer power to the rear wheels from a 2.0L, four-cylinder engine mounted behind the driver. The T43 became the first race car to win a world championship race in the 1958 Grand Prix. It was soon replaced by Cooper’s own T45 (in the next race, which it also won), and the next season the T51 arrived. The most impressive fact is that the T43 beat cars that had the maximum allowed 2.5L engine against its smaller 2.0L! This is the car that established open-wheel racing as we know it.