1958 BRM P25

This car competed in the Twelve Lap Race for Pre 1959 Front Engined Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club’s Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies Meeting at Oulton Park in June 1993.

It was entered and driven by the Hon. Amschel Rothschild and although universally known as the BRM P25 I've found this information in a Bonhams description of the car when it came up for auction in 2007:

'BRM’s in-period Project 25 classification covered the engine design alone, the spaceframe chassis structure comprising Project 27. While this Lot offers the eighth of the team’s 2½-litre 4-cylinder Type 25s to be built, this car was the third to use the `1958 spaceframe Project 27 chassis in place of an original semi-monocoque design which had been used for the preceding five cars. Those semi-monocoque BRM Type 25s built from 1955 to 1957 are recorded within the team archive as cars ‘251’ to ‘255’. The subsequent six pure spaceframe cars built 1958-1959 were then referred to as ‘256’ to ‘2511’, even though their Project 27 chassis frames were numbered in sequence ‘27/1’ to ‘27/6’. Hence, this car was referred to in contemporary BRM team records – which survive today – as ‘258’, while its specific chassis frame stamping reads – again perfectly correctly – ‘27/3’.

1954 Maserati 250F

The races at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in June 1982 were run on the short circuit omitting the loop from Cascades to Knickerbrook, and I took this photograph on the exit from Foster's corner, just before Knickerbrook.

It's the Hon. Amschel Rothschild in his 1954 Maserati 250F, the ex-Gilby Engineering Company car with the replacement chassis 2507/2 given to the car after an accident at the Gold Cup meeting at Oulton Park in 1954. It was campaigned by Roy Salvadori for the Gilby Company during 1954, 1956 and 1957. The Maserati 250F was produced by Maserati from 1954 to 1957 with a 6-cylinder inline 2,490cc engine and raced throughout the 2½ litre Formula 1 years from the first race in 1954 to the last race in 1960.

1958 BRM P25

Two BRM P25's were entered in the Historic Car Championship race at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986, and this one was entered and driven by the Hon. Amschel Rothschild.

Although universally known as the BRM P25, I've found this information in a Bonhams description of the car when it came up for auction in 2007:

BRM’s in-period Project 25 classification covered the engine design alone, the spaceframe chassis structure comprising Project 27. While this Lot offers the eighth of the team’s 2½-litre 4-cylinder Type 25s to be built, this car was the third to use the `1958 spaceframe Project 27 chassis in place of an original semi-monocoque design which had been used for the preceding five cars. Those semi-monocoque BRM Type 25s built from 1955 to 1957 are recorded within the team archive as cars ‘251’ to ‘255’. The subsequent six pure spaceframe cars built 1958-1959 were then referred to as ‘256’ to ‘2511’, even though their Project 27 chassis frames were numbered in sequence ‘27/1’ to ‘27/6’. Hence, this car was referred to in contemporary BRM team records – which survive today – as ‘258’, while its specific chassis frame stamping reads – again perfectly correctly – ‘27/3’.

The P25 was said to be the fastest of the 1954-1960 Formula 1 era, partly due to the oversquare (102.87 mm bore x 74.93 mm stroke) engine allowing for larger valves to be fitted. The car was plagued with reliability problems, however, and the only Grand Prix win was Jo Bonnier's victory in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix in this car, chassis 258.

Here's the car rounding Lodge Corner during the race.

1958 BRM P25

This is one of two BRM P25's that competed in the Historic Car Championship race at the Aston Martin Owners' Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1986.

It's the 1958 BRM P25 of the Hon. Amschel Rothschild and is chassis #P258, the car which Joakim Bonnier drove in the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix to give BRM their first win in a World Championship race, and the only one by a P25.

The BRM P25 has a 4-cylinder inline 2,491cc engine, and here it's being given a careful examination before its race.

Here's the car at Lodge Corner during the race.

On 4 June 2014 I showed photographs of the other BRM P25 at this meeting, John Harper's car.

BRM P25

Here are two cars that competed in the Cheshire Building Society Allcomers Race at the Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in July 1987.

This is the 1958 BRM P25 of John Harper, chassis number P25/9.

Here's a view of the car without the rear bodywork showing the single rear disc brake on the transmission which often failed on the early P25s.

This is the second 1958 BRM P25 which took part in the race, that of The Hon. Amschel Rothschild.

Here's The Hon. Amschel Rothschild at Lodge Corner during the race. This car is the one that won the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix in the hands of Joakim Bonnier, BRM's first World Championship victory, and is chassis number P25/8.