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Internationally, the 1275cc Cooper S was at the top of its game in 1966. Apart from that infamous disqualification at the Monte Carlo Rally, Cooper S took outright honours in eight international rallies that year: in the Circuit of Ireland, Tulip, Alpine, Scottish, Czech, Polish, 1,000 Lakes and Munich-Vienna-Budapest Rallies. On the racing circuits the Cooper S was virtually unbeatable in its class, often taking outright wins as well.

In Australia it was just as dominant in its class on the racetrack and was usually only beaten by low-volume imports like the Mk2 Jaguar and the Mustang. As far as locally-assembled production cars went, there was nothing in 1966 that could beat the Mini Cooper and S.

But to understand fully how the Cooper S was in this position for the big race at Bathurst, New South Wales, in 1966, it is necessary to look at how this event had evolved in the three preceding years. Quite simply, Bathurst in the 1960s, one of the toughest racing circuits in the world, was home to this unique 500-mile race for showroom standard production cars. Up to 1965 a minimum of