Brabham BT 4 (Tasman 1962)

[Denis Lupton]

The BT4,s were a strengthened,updated version of the BT3 F1 car,
fitted with 2.5 litre Coventry Climax FPF engine and Colotti Type 32 5 speed gearboxes.using Lola rear uprights,with the rear 'A' arm(wishbone) fitted to the top of the upright.The body fitted right to the rear of the car ,with a small aperture at the rear to assist in airflow over the gearbox.The bodywork made this car easily identifiable from the later Tasman Brabham's -BT7A and BT11A- as the bodywork on these car's finished at the rear crossmember,exposing the , by then, Hewland gearbox, and driveshafts.
The BT4's first appearance was a works entry for Jack Brabham, in
IC-1-62 for the Australian Grand Prix at Caversham,W A, on November 18,
1962.Jack had a DNF being involved in an accident with Arnold Glass,
which resulted in a split radiator.
The next appearance of BT4's were enmasse,3 cars appearing at the next major meeting,again the Australian Grand Prix, this time at Warwick Farm
on February 10 1963, only 3 odd month's separating the two events.
IC-1-62 with new owner,David McKay in his Scuderia Veloce colours and finishing a good Fourth
IC-2-62 Work's entry for Jack Brabham,no mistakes fininishing First
IC-3-62 New car for Bib Stillwell, finishing Fifth. Bib went on to win the
1963 and 1964 Gold Star,Australian Champion Driver, with this car.
Histories are as follows E&OE
IC-1-62 Works entry for Jack Brabham, to Scuderia Veloce(David McKay
Spencer Martin, Kerry Grant, and Graham Hill)
to John McCormack
to Ken Messenger
displayed at Hahndorf Museum
to Art Valdez USA
IC-2-62 Works Jack Brabham,Denny Hulme
to Lex Davison
to Wally Mitchell ,here the plot thicken,s as two chassis appears?,
to David Sternberg
to Bill Marchiori
to Fred Wheelhouse,chassis rebuilt by Bob Brittan, engine
rebuilt and dynoed.
to John Fitzpatrick
to Austen Miller
to John Coombes
IC-3-62 Bib Stillwell ( Chassis number always confused with FJ-11-62,
a BT2 number reportedly used for carnet purposes)
to John Reilly NZ then
Bill Thomasen
Ian Green
Syd Jensen
Jim Boyd
Bryan Falloon
David Manton ( 19/9/85)
Richard Hookes ( 1986)
Ivan Glasby Australia
John Harper U.K
To see these cars, in this period,was exciting stuff, as they were a lot quicker than the then current F1 cars, 2.5 litre against 1.5 litre was no contest.
Cheers Denis

[David McKinney]

Overly parochial, Denis
The next appearance of a BT4 after Caversham was at Pukekohe and Wigram(NZ) where Brabham again drove IC-1-62
My period notes say Brabham's Warwick Farm (etc) car was IC-3-62 and Stillwell's IC-2-62, though the latter was identified as FJ-11-63 (not 62). I know the Stillwell car is plated IC-3-62 today, so I am quite prepared to believe I was (am) mistaken. How do we know the numbers you quite are correct?

Comments on your later histories:
IC-1-62
After Scuderia Veloce to Lesco RT in NZ, who were Grant's entrant. Also driven twice by Neil Whittaker in Lesco colours before returning to Australia and John McCormack
IC-2-62
assuming for these purposes that your numbering is correct
Brabham 1963 Australian internationals, Hulme 1964 Tasman
John Coombs was owner in 2000 but I think Frank Sytner bought it from him. Either way, I believe it is now in the US
IC-3-62
Your NZ ownerships are a bit askew
Sold by Stillwell to Thomasen, then Ecurie Palm Court (drivers Ian Green, John Riley, Robbie Franicevic). Then Syd Jensen (driver Jim Boyd). Then Faloon. Pre-Glasby owned was Richard Hook
In UK, car passed from Harper to John Beasley 1998 and Alan Minshaw 2004

I believe there was a fourth BT4, Vögele's Swiss hillclimber (IC-2-63) though I have that number allocated to two BT7As. I'm sure Allen will quickly straighten us out on this

[allenbrown]

Brabham invented model numbers retrospectively so Vögele's car could be regarded as a BT7A even though it might look more like a BT4. It was an early 1963 car (4 Apr 1963 according to Thornton) so chronologically falls between the late 1962 BT4s and the late 1963 BT7As.

I have its number as F1-4-63 rather than IC-2-63. As with many of these early Brabhams, there's a difference between the number we've come to know it as and the number it wore in period. Didn't IC-1-62 wear F1-2-62 in period? And who says IC-3-62 is IC-3-62 when it always wore FJ-11-62 (or was it FJ-11-63?).

We could easily dedicate an entire thread just to deciding what to call all these cars!

Allen

[Denis Lupton]

The chassis numbers on the BT4,s were by personal observation at Warwick
Farm in Feb 1963, Bib Stillwell himself told me the story of FJ-11-62, note 2.
I knew Bib personally, making quite a few bits for his Brabham,s.Still have body panels for BT31 if anybody needs such rare parts.
Cheers Denis

[Terrill]

I spoke with John McCormack a year and a bit ago at Eastern Creek and he explained to me that he had purchased IC-1-62 from Len Southward the owner of the Southward motor museum and director of Lesco industries at the time, during a trip to New Zealand in the mid sixties. Ian Green another driver of the car hailed originally from New Plymouth and was entered in the 1965 Paratutu circuit meeting (car #9), in the 25 lap Rothmans feature race but if memory serves correctly he didn't start. My program has no markings on it for that event so I am a bit unsure.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by Terrill

I spoke with John McCormack a year and a bit ago at Eastern Creek and he explained to me that he had purchased IC-1-62 from Len Southward the owner of the Southward motor museum and director of Lesco industries at the time, during a trip to New Zealand in the mid sixties. Ian Green another driver of the car hailed originally from New Plymouth and was entered in the 1965 Paratutu circuit meeting (car #9), in the 25 lap Rothmans feature race but if memory serves correctly he didn't start. My program has no markings on it for that event so I am a bit unsure.

I would loved to have seen proper race cars at Paratutu....I drove the track a few years ago and also watched some locals running timed trials

[piglos]

IC-1-62 was also given a run at the Lakeside Gold Star meeting in 1965, entered by Palm Court Autos and driven by New Zealand's John Riley. He was accompanied by the unlikely Paul Fahey in the Ecurie Rothmans Cooper T66.

[David McKinney]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

I would loved to have seen proper race cars at Paratutu....I drove the track a few years ago and also watched some locals running timed trials

You should have gone to Paritutu - that's where the racing took place

[David McKinney]

The car Ian Green drove was a different one
He was indeed a non-starter at Paritutu

[Andrew Fellowes]

Denis, as you're in the thick of it down in Melbourne, you may already know that David Coleman from the USA will be driving his BT4 at Phillip Island.

[piglos]

Thanks Andrew, I will keep an eye out.

[piglos]

Here's a couple of pictures of David Jacobs' BT4 from Phillip Island:

[Denis Lupton]

To help put the record straight, Lex Davison's competition debut in IC-2-62
was at Calder the weekend of the 7-8 March 1964, where he won the main racing car event, followed by Bib Stillwell in IC-3-62. The Ecurie Australie
Cooper Climax was entered for and driven by Tony Shelley, with no success.
I have photos taken at this event, showing the 2 Ecurie Australie cars,in the pits alongside Alan Ashton,s Ford Mainline Ute.
Denis

[Simon Hadfield]

Looking back over the thread i notice the mention of Lola uprights being used on the rear of these cars, I put this to Ron T. a while back and he was mortally offended! They were most definitely designed by him!