Unfortunately, Cooper's mid-engine revolution meant that by the time the front-engine Type 25 finally made good, it was essentially obsolete. Encouraged by the first win, BRM quickly developed a mid-engine version of the Type 25 using many existing parts from disassembled Type 25s. Other than the location of the engine and the driver, the specifications of the Type 25 and P48 were nearly identical. Surprisingly, the rear-brake layout was also retained.

The hastily thrown together P48s debuted late in 1959, but in typical BRM fashion, they failed to impress. There were some revisions for 1960, and lo and behold, the single disc brake was replaced by two regular discs for the last races of the season. That season, the P48s managed to record just four finishes and BRM dropped from third to fourth in the constructor's championship.

The Type 25 was extensively rebuilt after it crashed in an Australian historic race, killing the driver. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)

This was the final year for the four-cylinder BRM as the rules were changed dramatically for 1961, with a displacement limit of just 1.5 liters. This meant that all teams were forced to start from scratch. This time, the BRM design team lead by Tony Rudd finally made the right choices, and in 1962 the V8-powered BRM P57 reigned supreme in the hands of Graham Hill.

In the process of building the mid-engine P48s, all but one of the surviving Type 25s were cannibalized for parts. The one that got away was Bonnier's Dutch Grand Prix winning car, which served BRM very well as a demonstrator and was not sold until the team's assets were auctioned in 1981. In later years, some of the parts used for the P48s were used again to reconstruct some of the Type 25s that had been lost. Both the reconstructed cars and the Dutch Grand Prix winning Type 25 are used regularly in historic events.

Completed in June 1958, chassis 258 was the third of six Type 25s produced with the space-frame chassis. It was raced in the second half of the season by Harry Schell and Jo Bonnier. Over the winter, the car was fitted with an improved oil-cooler and Dunlop disc brakes.

Bonnier considered 258 the best of the available Type 25 and raced it extensively in 1959. He started the car's season very well by taking the long awaited Grand Prix victory at Zandvoort. In 1960, this chassis was raced three times more with Dan Gurney claiming a second in Buenos Aires.

Unlike its sister cars, chassis 258 was preserved by the BRM factory and used extensively for promotional purposes throughout the 1960s. It was retained until all the manufacturer's assets were sold by Christie's in October of 1981. The sole surviving original Type 25 was acquired by the Honorable Amschel Rothschild. He retained the car, which was extensively raced in the 1980s and 1990s, until his death in 2001.

The estate sold the car to historic racer Spencer Flack for a princely sum. He campaigned the BRM around the world, but sadly, he fatally crashed it in Australia. Chassis 258 has since been carefully restored with the original panels that were not on the car at the time of the crash.

Since then, this very important BRM has returned to the track and can be seen here at 2010 Monaco Historic Grand Prix and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2007 and 2010.

For a gallery of photos, see BRM Type 25.

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