The creator of one of the Sixties' coolest cars, John Cooper, has died aged 77.

Tributes today continued to be paid to the former motor racing driver, who died yesterday.

He devised the souped-up Mini Cooper in 1961 and it rapidly became the ultimate in four-wheeled chic.

Red, white and blue models memorably raced through Turin in the classic 1969 movie The Italian Job.

Mr Cooper, who lived at Worthing, was made a CBE for services to the motor industry in the New Year's honours list last year.

Motor racing writer and family friend Doug Nye said: "John had been ill for some time with cancer.

"He was that great rarity in the motor racing world, a man with no enemies.

"He was universally liked and respected. And of course his achievements in the sport were enormous."

The Cooper Car Company was the first British motor racing manufacturer to win the Formula One constructors' championship, which it achieved two years' running.

Its Cooper-Climax cars also brought Jack Brabham the championship titles in 1959 and 1960.

But the success of the Mini Cooper was perhaps Mr Cooper's most impressive legacy.

"It was the cult car of the Sixties, an icon. If the Mini was cool, then the Mini Cooper was cool with knobs on," said Mr Nye.

"In fact the Mini would not have lasted as long as it has without the Cooper version because it gave the car a hip image and motor racing pedigree.

"Without that it would have been just another baby car, like the Fiat 500."

Mr Cooper persuaded the Mini's creator, Sir Alec Issigonis, to let him produce a high-performance version of the car even though Sir Alec did not believe it would sell.

But the car was an immediate success and the more powerful Cooper S, which followed in 1963, was an even bigger hit.

Even as production of the old shape Mini wound down this year, amid the pain and uncertainty of Rover's future, sales of Mini Coopers accounted for half of all Minis which left the forecourts - about 10,000 cars a year.

Mr Cooper's son Michael said: "He was so proud that the Cooper name was going to continue on to the new Mini, which is being launched by BMW next summer."

He leaves a widow, Paula, son Michael and daughter Sally. Elder daughter Christine died of a brain haemorrhage.

Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss paid tribute to Mr Cooper as a "hands-on engineer" and said his death was a sad loss for motor racing.

TV commentator Murray Walker said: "He was an extremely charming man, an ebullient personality. The motor racing world is much the poorer for his passing."