BRM cars - P48

The British Racing Motors (unofficial) information centre.

- the cars -- BRM P48 -

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Cars numbered 481 to 487.
481 was coverted from the front engined 256 and 482 from 257.

P48 The first mid-engined car at practice for the Italian GP, Monza, 1959. From the book "It Was Fun" by Tony Rudd (1993/2000). This is described in the book as very much a first try, converted from one of the front engined cars.

After the 1960 US GP at Riverside, California, the P48 cars of Hill and Gurney were renovated and sent “Down Under” to New Zealand across the Pacific Ocean via Tahiti.

P48-5 2491cc 4cyl for Hill
P48-? 2491cc 4cyl for Gurney

7 January 1961 New Zealand GP on the airfield circuit at Ardmore, Aucklan

Practice
1 Stirling Moss …..Lotus 18 - Climax ……....1min 20.2 sec.
2 Jack Brabham ..Cooper T53 - Climax ……1min 20.4 sec.
3 Graham Hill …...BRM P48 ……………….1min 20.7sec.
4 Dan Gurney ..….BRM P48 …………...…..1min 20.8sec.

The results - 1961 New Zealand GP – Heat One
1 Stirling Moss …..Lotus 18 - Climax
2 Bruce McLaren … Cooper T53 - Climax
3 Graham Hill ……. BRM P48

The results - 1961 New Zealand GP – Heat Two
1 Jack Brabham …. Cooper T53 - Climax
2 ?????????? ……..????????
3 Dan Gurney ……. BRM P48

The Starting Grid - Final
1…. Stirling Moss ……...Lotus 18 - Climax
2…. Bruce McLaren .…. Cooper T53 - Climax
3…..Jack Brabham …… Cooper T53 - Climax
4…. Graham Hill …..…. BRM P48
5….. Ron Flockhart .…. Cooper T51 - Climax
6….. Innes Ireland ….... Lotus 18 - Climax
7….. Roy Salvadori ….. Lotus 18 - Climax
8….. John Surtees ….… Lotus 18 - Climax
9….. Dan Gurney ……. BRM P48

Gurney had gear selection problems from the beginning and called into the pits at the end of the first lap to have his gear gate plate adjusted. Moss was pulling away in the lead from Brabham, who had a rough sounding engine. Hill was unhappy with the handling of the BRM and was aiming for a drive to the finish rather that chasing the leaders.

At 15 laps the order was Moss, Brabham, McLaren, Ireland, Hill, Surtees, Clark, Flockhart, Salvadori, Hulme and Gurney now fighting back up the field.

On lap 32 Moss was out of the lead and the race with clutch slip. As Ireland had retired earlier with a broken crown-wheel and pinion, Hill was in a solid third place. Despite one of the two engine magnetos being put out of action by stones thrown up from the worn track, Hill held his third place to the finish.

The results - 1961 New Zealand GP Final - 75 laps
1 Jack Brabham ..... Cooper T53 - Climax 2.5litre 4cyl ….1 hrs. 42 min. 30.0 sec.
2 Bruce McLaren … Cooper T53 - Climax 2.5litre 4cyl ….1 hrs. 42 min. 31.7 sec.
3 Graham Hill …..…. BRM P48 …………………………...74 laps

Retired
Dan Gurney ……… BRM P48 ……..…..42 laps cylinder head joint leak

Fastest Lap - Stirling Moss Lotus 18 – Climax 1min 21.2sec
24 starters — 14 finishers.

29 January 1961 Formula Libre, Warwick Farm, Sydney, Australia
Both BRMs were on the front row of the grid and the race looked to be in the bag. Formula One rules had specified standard petrol for some time but Formula Libre allow teams to gain extra power by running on special fuel. Unfortunately January is high summer in Australia and the heat (110°F) and unusual fuel (BPK 50% methanol) had an unforeseen result – the jointing of the rubber fuel cells dissolved – two BRM retirements.

12 February 1961 Victoria Trophy, Formula Libre, Ballarat, near Melbourne Australia
The race was held on the RAAF airfield. The 3.2 mile circuit was marked out on the runways with cars roaring up and down on either side straw bales. After a good practice and wins in the heats, the BRMs were stored with the rest of the field in an aircraft hanger. Gurney almost had the strangest Did Not Start retirement – “could not find car”. On the night before the race the team was informed by embarrassed Air Force personnel that Gurney’s car was missing!

According to Raymond Mays in his book “BRM” - The final race of the tour was at Ballarat near Melbourne, a circuit on a RAAF airfield. The cars went well in practice, and the mechanics retired to bed, leaving the cars, with the other competitors’ cars, in a hangar on the airfield.
On the night before the race our mechanics were summoned from their beds by an Air Force guard who told them that a B.R.M. had been stolen from its hangar on the circuit. They thought it must be a legpull, but eventually they got up and went to the hangar. It was true: a B.R.M. had gone!
It was soon found, though. It was half-way round the circuit covered with straw. Two airmen in merry condition had removed the car and hidden it under a pile of straw bales, used to form part of the circuit! The car was fortunately tin-damaged, but the CO of the station soon found the culprits and they spent the duration of the race in the cells.
Graham and Dan each won their heats and Dan, driving his last race for B.R.M., won the final, with Graham second……. Needless to say the car which disappeared was Dan’s. We never found out what happened to the borrowers; we just hoped that the fact that it won reduced their sentence !

According to Tony Rudd in his book “It Was Fun” - At Ballarat we reverted to petrol and Dan won, with Graham second. This was on an RAAF airfield. The night before the race some of the airmen took Dan’s car and hid it under some straw bales. Fortunately it was found in time.

According to Graham Hill in his book “Life At The Limit” - The next race was on an airfield circuit at Ballarat and both Dan Gurney and I won our separate heats in our BRMs. We were to be the main contenders for the final on the next day. When the mechanics turned up on race day they couldn’t find Dan’s car in the hangar, where all the cars were being prepared. Somebody had stolen it and Dan seriously thought that I was the joker. There was a big hunt and we eventually found it tucked into some straw bales way over on the other side of the track. Some hooligans had got in during the night, driven the car off down the track and crashed into the bales. Fortunately the damage was only superficial and Dan was able to race and win, his only victory in a BRM. In fact, it was the last time he drove for BRM.

The results - 1961 Victoria Trophy, Formula Libre, Ballarat
Graham Hill ……. BRM P48 …………………………….First in heat
Dan Gurney …… BRM P48 …………………………….First in heat

Dan Gurney …… BRM P48 …………………………….First in final
Graham Hill ……. BRM P48 …………………………….Second in final

	P48 P48 /07 was one of the later cars with the single gearbox mounted disc brake replaced by a disc on each rear wheel. In this first year of the 1.5 litre formula the cars used Coventry Climax four cylinder in the F1 events and the old 2.5 litre BRM engine in non F1 events.
P48 /07 25 October 2001 at www.doningtoncollection.com	The car was part of the Bourne parade 29th. August 1999 thanks to The Donington Collection.

P48/P57 This 1961 1.5 litre Coventry Climax car was used by works drivers Graham Hill and Tony Brooks.

Converted to BRM V-8 for Tony Marsh in 1962.

Later raced in "Historics" by Robs Lamplough and Peter Hannen.

**** NOTE - Is this a true P48 updated to P57 form or an early P57 later converted to V8 rear end? ****
**** NOTE - See P57/3 here - brm-P57 ****

At Coys of Kensington BRM 50th. Anniversary at Silverstone 31/7/1999

V1.5 - 26 April 2015 ---- recommended resolution (1366 x 768)