primotipo…

Dan Gurney heading for third place in his Ferrrari Dino 246 despite running up Trintignants’ chuff…

The organisers moved the race from Oporto to Monsanto Park, Lisbon that year, also a very dangerous circuit with tram tracks, uneven surfaces and plenty of telegraph poles to hit.

Brabham was saved by one of said poles. Having spun avoiding a twice lapped car, a pole saved him from going down a ravine but spat his Cooper T51 back onto the circuit. He was then thrown out of the cockpit and nearly mown down by teammate Masten Gregory zipping past at the time. Jack always rated that prang his greatest escape.

Tony Brooks’ Dino was four points adrift of Brabham in the drivers championship at that stage, the margin he won the title from Brooks by at season’s end.

The mid-engined era was underway, the gorgeous Dino was passé, it was the last front-engined car to win a title in Mike Hawthorn’s hands in 1958, and also the last to win a Grand Prix, the 1960 Italian, a race boycotted by most of the teams as it was run on the Monza Banking. The Italian race organisers did so to advantage Ferrari, in 1960 still racing the Dino 246 which was way past it’s use by date but still had straight-line speed; scallywags those Italians.

Moss won in Portugal a canter, leading all the way in Rob Walker’s Cooper T51 Climax…

Phil Hill, Luigi Bazzi, Carlo Chiti, and Dan Gurney discuss the need for more speed at Monsanto Park, Lisbon 1959. (Getty Images)

Ferrari Dino 246 cutaway showing, ladder frame, 2417cc 65-degree DOHC V6, four speed gearbox, double wishbone front suspension, De Dion or IRS at rear depending upon the year, this car appears to be IRS and therefore a later specification car.

(James Allington/Tony Matthews)

The Cooper T51 Climax cutaway shows the space frame chassis Coventry Climax DOHC 2490cc four cylinder engine, Cooper/Citroen four speed gearbox, wishbone front independent, and wishbone and transverse leaf spring independent rear suspension.

Photo Credits…

Pinterest unattributed, Getty Images, James Allington/Tony Matthews cutaway

Finito…