1956 SEBRING cover

This shot is a postcard of the 1956 grid. Start places were figured with biggest motors at the front. The big Ferrari 375+ of Troy Ruttman and Howard Hively were placed 2nd among the Corvettes.

Corvette’s were here in force with 3 cars entered by the mysterious "Raceway Enterprises". Vette #5 doesn’t finish, #6 finishes 15th

Indy star Ray Crawford raced this C-1 Corvette under the entry of Raceway Enterprises.

The 150S Maserati bunch sits on the start grid before the race.  Not one of them made the finish. But they certainly are good looking. #46 & #48 never made it past 18 laps.

The MG factory allows Hambro the US importer and David Ash to enter 3 of the new MGA’s. Proudly displaying the American racing colors of blue stripes on a white car.

They're off at 10 am running across the track for a traditional Le Mans start

The Hambro team of MGA’s drivers arrive at the cars and are ready to jump in and start the 12 hours. All 3 MGA’s finished creating great publicity for the marque.

The #49 MGA is making a quick start. This is the Dave Ash and Gus Ehrman car that finished 20th.

Start from the middle of the grid has the #53 and #63 Lotii and a bundle of  Arnolt Bristols ready to take on the bumpy Sebring track.

The Maestro Juan Fangio negotiates the hairpin on his way to winning Sebring with Eugenio Castellotti.

Maserati 300S driven by Piero Taruffi, Jean Behra and Cesare Perdisa finished 5th.

The D Type Jag has always been one of the most stunning, perfectly sculpted race cars of all time. This is Mike Hawthorn in the car which led for most of the race.

Playboy Porfirio Rubirosa and American Jim Pauley drove Rubirosa’s Mondial to 10th overall winning the 2 liter class.

Briggs Cunningham drives his finned D Type into the last turn at dusk. Briggs & J Gordon Bennett were 12th .

Bobby Burns and Norm Scott in Allen Guiberson’s 150S Maserati. The Maser retired with a broken gearbox.

Chet Flynn and George Reed drove Flynn’s maroon 300SL. The car broke a camshaft and retired about half way through the 12 hours.

A very young Bruce Kessler co drove with Gene Greenspan in this 250MM Ferrari. Kessler doesn’t remember racing the car saying his first Sebring was 1957 when he turned 21. Kessler is a one of a kind, fun personality - I am thinking this is him in the car.

Factory Porsche 550RS. The car was driven by Huschke von Hanstein, Mike Marshall and Jan Brundage to 14th overall.

Dark descends on Florida as the #66 factory Porsche 550RS of Jan Brundage (later part of the family creating Brumos Porsche) and Huschke von Hanstein turns on the headlamps and driving lights.

A rare 100S Austin-Healey in yellow. Bll Brewster and Bill Rutan drove it, but the car was a dnf after 39 laps.

The #8 D Type is lapping the Cooper of Ed Hugus and John Bentley. These two co-drove several years at Sebring.

A nasty little brushfire on the infield and hardy citizens put it out. Sebring has always had a great spectators.

The #7 Corvette of Ernie Erickson melts a piston as it passes the #5 Corvette of Dale Duncan that lost a rear wheel on the 3rd lap.

Argentine Carlos Menditeguy, racer and polo player. Menditeguy, a rising star, has a terrible accident and rolls his 3.0S Maserati just after the esses.

The #49 MGA drives by the smashed Maserati & Menditeguy laying still and presumed dead on the track.  Carlos recovered and raced until 1960.

Workers are sure Carlos Menditiguy is dead and are wondering what to do with him and his rolled over Maserati.

Hey wait a minute ! This guy is still alive. Now workers start talking how best to get him help. But Carlos is still laying flat on the track.

Finally a nurse and medical help work on Carlos. He ended up fine and reportedly was toasting his health with Champagne that night.

The wide open first turn at Sebring. The corner has not changed a lot but the surroundings sure have.

Race day morning and mechanics push the #1 Corvette to the head of the grid. Walt Hansgen & John Fitch drove the car to 9th overall.

The Cuban D Type of Alfonso Mena & Santiago Gonzales heads back to its garage in town after practice.

The Corvette compound behind the pits is a hive of activity on race morning.

Two factory C1 Corvettes wait inspection. The #6 of Max Goldman and Ray Crawford finished 15th. #7 was a DNF.

The Cunningham D Type team of #8, 9 and 10 sit in their pit stalls late in the day on Friday after practice.

A blue Maserati 150S is driven back to its pit stall. This car, #48, was driven by the couple of Alejandro de Tomaso and Isabelle Haskell, his wife.

A 750cc D B Panhard of American Harry Kite and Frenchman François Crouzet crashed after just 25 laps.

Heavy traffic with the leading D Type going past the Flynn 300SL and the Stiles/Huntoon Austin Healey 100S.

The Maestro Juan Fangio in the winning Ferrari 860 accelerates past the Lotus 11 of Ralph Miller and Harold Fenner. We know it is Fangio by the helmet color.

The Mawstro strikes again on the next lap, passing one of the MGA’s.

The leader board shows the #8 D Type leading the #17 and #18 Ferrari’s late in the day. Brake failure put the Jag out. Note the new 1956 Corvette sitting under the leader board with nothing but a haybale to protect it.

The Venezuela Auto Club Ferrari 500 TRC is stranded on the notorious hairpin sandbank on lap 8. Two Cunningham D Types pass.

1956 Sebring. Mike Hawthorn in the D Jag leads the Jim Kimberley and Alphoso de Portago’s Ferrari 875. Neither would finish.

Reg Parnell leads one of the MGA’s on the way back towards the pits. The Aston, shared with Tony Brooks did not finish.

Late in the day Mike Hawthorn brings the leading #8 D Type into the pits. The crew starts on the car as Hawthorn gets out.

Peter Collins in the #26 Aston Martin he shared with  Stirling Moss. They were quick, but the gearbox broke. Collins chases the #47 150S Maserati of Bobby Burns and Norm Scott.

The bonnet is open and a huge funnel is poked in the fuel filler slot. Sadly, the disc brakes would fail and drop the car out of the race.

This guy is proud to pose with the #53 Lotus 9 of Joe Shepherd The Lotus ran well but was DQ'd for making illegal repairs.

As mentioned, 53 was DQ'd for illegal repairs - probably made out on the course. In this photo the fix is done in the paddock.

Bill Lloyd's retired Maserati 150S sits in the paddock next to his friend Briggs Cunningham’s trailer after its gearbox broke.

A long view headed into the hairpin from the roof of the barracks. Joe Shepherd’s Lotus is on track.

Great viewing from the roof of the old barracks along the straight between the esses and the hairpin.

In 1956 Sebring was still an active base. This Porsche is racing on a street inside the airfield. Note the mailboxes next to the track. Only some snow fence keeps the spectators back.

The 1954 Olds F88 Rocket car was loved by the spectators. GM was getting into the performance busines.

The Loyal Katskee D Type was a dnf due to an accident.

A spectator's Allard J2X in street trim next to a 53 Chevy Bel Air. Looking back over the crowd, Sebring has always been popular with fans.

Craige Pelouze (L) and buddy took many of the shots on this page. Craige is still an enthusiast and fast driver out of Richmond, VA.

Parading vintage cars has always been a feature at Sebring. Odd that now, every car from 1956 is now very vintage. But they were the State of the Art in March long ago.