The Cooper T49 or 'Monaco' as it is better known came about in 1959 as a replacement for the center seated 'Bob-tail' in sportscar racing. The car was named the Monaco in honor of Maurice Trintignant, who had won the 1958 Monaco GP in a Cooper T45.

The chassis was constructed in the traditional Cooper way with four main 1.5" diameter 'Longerons' extending the length of the chassis. Extra triangulation was used to account for the two-seater width. With a rear mounted Coventry Climax FPF and Cooper-ERSA gearbox, the two seats could be placed next to each other minimizing chassis width. 

Suspension layout was typical double wishbones with outboard spring/damper units up front with a transverse leaf spring at the rear. This setup was also used on the T45 and T51 F1/F2 cars.

Eight of the Mark 1 Cooper Monaco’s were built in 1959, with this one being known as the unluckiest! It was totaled in practice for its first event at Snetterton. The remains of the car were sold to a hill climber racer, Josh Randles, who won the British sportscar hill climb championship in 1962, setting all but two hill climb records. In 1963 he converted the car to a 'Sprint' look with cut down bodywork and cycle wings. He also installed a 3.0 liter Maserati engine and continued to be a front runner for many years.

The car is now restored to the original specification before that fateful day at Snetterton.