Cooper Car Company boss Mike Cooper awarded OBE
British automotive legend recognised in New Year honours list
Mike Cooper has been made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year honours list for services to the automotive industry, following in the footsteps of his late father John Cooper, who received a CBE.
The Cooper name is one of the most renowned in British automotive history. Back in the 1940s, the single-seat Cooper 500 built and driven by John Cooper helped popularise mid-engine layouts for race cars.
Then came Formula One Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, with the likes of Jack Brabham and Sir Stirling Moss taking wins in the first F1 car to come with a mid-engined design – the T51. This success was swiftly followed by Cooper’s development of the original Mini into a winner in both rallying and circuit racing.
Continuing the strong ties that had been built between Mini and Cooper with the hugely popular Cooper tuning kits in the 1980s and 1990s, both John and Mike Cooper served as advisors to BMW for the new MINI prior to its launch in 2001.
With the Cooper name licensed to BMW for hotter versions of the MINI, there has been a John Cooper Works (JCW) version of each of the four generations of MINI to date.
Mike Cooper is currently Chair of the Cooper Car Company, which 80 years on from its foundation in Surbiton, Greater London, still produces accessories, parts and conversion kits for original Minis.
In 2025, the firm revealed the Mini Cooper Grand Prix – a special edition limited to 35 units featuring uprated power, a revised chassis and 21st century comforts such as a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay connectivity and extra sound deadening.
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