Cooper [1] (United Kingdom)

Cooper Steam Digger Co. Ltd. was established in 1894 in King's Lynn, Norfolk, primarily to manufacture a large traction engine designed by Tom Cooper. This engine featured three digging teeth on a shaft at the rear and was intended for ploughing purposes. However, it did not achieve the same level of success as the more common two-engine systems that utilized a cable-drawn plough. The company produced no more than twelve steam diggers, alongside a few traction engines for road use.

In 1904, W.M. Pryor, a Cambridge graduate, joined the company as joint managing director, bringing in new capital and connections, including one with Ralph Lucas, the inventor of the Lucas Valveless 2-stroke engine. Lucas initially placed an order for fifty engines to be manufactured by Cooper, but due to Tom Cooper's inability to fulfill the order, Lucas transferred his design to David Brown Ltd. in Huddersfield, where it was used to produce cars under the name Valveless.

Despite this setback, the prospect of automobile manufacturing intrigued Cooper. In 1909, he designed a 2-cylinder, 2-stroke piston-valve engine, which he fitted to a car. This vehicle featured chain drive to the gearbox and further chain drive to the rear wheels. The production model, which was showcased at the 1909 Olympia Show, was equipped with a 3260cc 4-cylinder engine, also a 2-stroke with piston valves, and utilized shaft drive to a 3-speed gearbox and the rear wheels. An auxiliary gearbox near the rear axle provided a total of six forward speeds.

Only six Cooper cars were produced, each with unique details. One model featured a longer wheelbase to accommodate a larger limousine body. Today, a surviving tourer is preserved by the Cooper Roller Bearing Co. Ltd., which is a descendant of Tom Cooper's original company.