1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix Race Profile – “El Chueco” Rides A Hot Seat
Story by Louis Galanos
In 1957 Sebring was holding only its sixth installment of the 12-hour race. With the growing popularity of sports car racing in post World War II America, the event was finally coming into its own since its creation by impresario Alec Ulmann in 1952.
To many sports car fans in America at that time the Sebring race was second only to the 24-Hours of Le Mans. The fact that it was the only event in North America that qualified for points toward the Federation Internationale de l’automobile (FIA) World Sportscar Championship (WSC) didn’t hurt. As a result, Sebring became the premier sports car event in the U.S. and a must-attend if you were an aficionado of sports car racing.
Always on the look out to help promote Florida, and tourism, the then governor of Florida, Leroy Collins, proclaimed March 18-23, 1957 as International Sports Car Race Week thus gaining additional media attention for the event at Sebring.
Not everyone in Florida was thrilled with all the hoopla surrounding the Sebring event. Bernard Kahn, sports editor for the Daytona Beach Morning Journal, had a few choice words in his regular newspaper column about the Sebring 12 hour race and the folks who raced there.
In his writings Mr. Kahn did recognize the obvious talents of driving “artists” like four-time world driving champion Juan Manuel Fangio (affectionately known as “El Chueco” or knock-kneed by his fans) and British driving ace Stirling Moss. However, Mr. Kahn referred to many of the lesser known drivers at the Sebring event as that “nameless number of café society snobs trying to get their kicks by being ‘sportsmen’ for a day.”
This “snobbish” remark was obviously designed to appeal to the large numbers of NASCAR fans who lived and worked in the Daytona area and may have resented anyone who drove a “furrin” automobile.
Besides the governor of Florida, the folks in New York and Detroit were also well aware of the significance of this race. For weeks national newspapers, magazines and wire-services fed the public’s interest by reporting on the international celebrities who would attend the Sebring race in 1957 or drive in it, like the Marquis de Portago of Spain and Count Wolfgang von Tripps of Germany.
Of the several media stories making the rounds about this year’s race was that General Motors Chevrolet Division would challenge the European dominance of this event by entering four Corvette sports cars (two modified & two production). In this group would be a radically new car made of lightweight materials.
General Motors interest in the Sebring race was purely business. There was a mantra taking hold in Detroit back then that went something like this, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” With that in mind the folks at GM arrived at the track in early March for some testing. One of those cars undergoing tests and a shakedown was a magnesium-alloy bodied Chevrolet Corvette Super Sport (SS.) It was equipped with a 4,638 c.c. engine with lightweight aluminum heads that produced 30 more horsepower (315) than the production Corvette and with 1000 fewer pounds. The power plant on the SS would have the largest displacement of any car to race at Sebring that year.
Paul O’Shey, who was scheduled to drive one of the GM team Corvettes in the race, commented that the power-to-weight ratio on the Corvette Super Sport or “space-frame Vette” was such that you could burn rubber in all four gears.
This ‘concept car’ was the brainchild of Chevy competition director Zora Arkus-Duntov who was now the Director of Performance for General Motors. History would later refer to Duntov as the “Father of The Corvette”.
In addition to this elegant metallic-blue Corvette SS there was a practice SS built that was equipped with the less powerful standard Corvette engine and painted with a large letter “P” on the body. Also, the body was plastic and not magnesium and looked so shabby, when compared to the other car, that it got the dubious moniker of “mule”. However, it was very fast and in the days prior to the race other drivers were constantly peppering Duntov for a chance to drive one of the SS’s.
Not wanting to risk having another driver wreck the one-of-a-kind magnesium-bodied concept Vette he allowed a selected few to drive the “mule”. After finishing practice in their Maserati team cars both Juan Fangio and Stirling Moss were allowed by Duntov to take a courtesy run in the practice car.
Fangio got into a car he has never driven before and on his first two laps broke the course record of 3:29.7 set the previous year by Mike Hawthorn of England in a Jaguar. On the third lap Fangio broke the course record by almost three seconds (3:27.4). Not to be outdone by his team-mate, Stirling Moss also broke the 1956 record with a time of 3:28 in the Corvette. When John Fitch, who was the designated SS driver for the race, took the “mule” out for a run the best he could do was get a couple of seconds closer to the course record but not break it.
When Fangio returned to the pits he was ecstatic. He claimed he could have gone at least two seconds faster “if he had tried.” This was an obvious testament to the driving skill of one of the greatest, if not the greatest, driver who ever lived. Note: According to Sports Illustrated magazine, General Motors representatives had been in negotiations with Fangio to drive the new Corvette SS at Sebring up to a week before the race. They were offering what some say was a “huge” amount of money. However, Fangio felt the car was too new and untested and he decided to stay with Maserati. GM also had similar talks with Moss.
The Duntov folks tried to keep quiet the news that an American car had broken the track record so resoundingly. But the word got out and as both the foreign and domestic drivers were arriving at the track for practice the next day the main topic was that an American Corvette had broken the track record. The press descended on the Corvette pits but both the drivers and crew were uncharacteristically mum with no one willing to comment. It was assumed that Duntov had ordered everyone to keep quiet until he was ready to go public with the news.
This didn’t stop the media from reporting it as an “unconfirmed story” and this fueled speculation that an American car had a chance to end European dominance of the premier sports car racing event in America. This might have encouraged undecided race fans to attend and possibly witness history in the making. Besides watching the new Corvette in action was reason enough to attend.
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix – Race Profile Page Two
The other major story in international racing news that year was the defection of world champion Juan Fangio from the Ferrari team to drive for arch-rival Maserati. Fangio had won for Ferrari at Sebring the previous year in a Ferrari 860 Monza with co-driver Eugenio Castellotti.
Speculation abounded as to why Fangio would leave the Ferrari team of his own volition. Everyone knew that the only way you leave Ferrari is if Enzo Ferrari personally fired you. Some wrote that Fangio had a history of not staying long with any particular team and the thought of driving the new 4.5 liter Maserati V8 brute of a car was too much to resist.
This turned out to be the case. In their successful attempt to lure Fangio from the Ferrari ranks the Maserati factory offered to supply him with no less than six brand new race cars for testing. Each of those cars would cost, in today’s dollars, between $170,000 and $190,000 each. The car he picked was the one he eventually drove to victory at Sebring in 1957.
Maybe Fangio’s only reason to leave Ferrari was that he was just looking for a better car to drive than Ferrari had in its stable and maybe not. For the moment let’s take a look at what happened at Sebring the previous year (1956). Fellow countryman Carlos Menditeguy, who was second only to Fangio in popularity in Argentina, was driving for factory Maserati while Fangio was with Ferrari. During the race Menditeguy missed the first turn in the Esses and flipped his car which landed upside down trapping him (no roll bars in those days).
He was badly injured and bleeding from cuts and head injuries but the corner workers were able to extract him from the car and eventually he was dispatched to Weems Hospital in Sebring.
Fangio and co-driver Eugenio Castellotti went on to win the race in their Ferrari 860 Monza and after the awards ceremony Fangio immediately went to the hospital to be with Menditeguy.
Seeing what terrible shape Carlos was in Fangio made the decision to stay by his bedside until Mrs. Menditeguy could arrive from Argentina. All the while Fangio was talking to doctors, hospital and Maserati officials to see if Carlos could get transferred to a hospital specializing in the kind of trauma that Carlos had experienced. At the time Menditeguy’s injuries were considered life threatening and Fangio was deeply concerned for his friend.
After Mrs. Menditeguy arrived her husband was transferred to a hospital in Palm Beach where x-rays showed he was suffering from two skull fractures. All during these trying days Fangio received numerous and sometimes angry telegrams from Ferrari in Modena requesting his presence to prepare for the next race. It was during this time that the relationship between Fangio and Ferrari began to sour.
Alec Ulmann was well aware of what Fangio was risking by staying with his friend and had referred to his actions as, “a remarkable act of sportsmanship.” Carlos Menditeguy eventually recovered from his injuries and raced for several more years. He retired from racing after competing in the Argentine Grand Prix in 1960.
Following the defection of Fangio to Maserati the burden for winning for Ferrari at Sebring fell on the shoulders of the 26-year-old Castellotti. On the 14th of March 1957, Castellotti was testing a new Ferrari car that was designed to compete with the new 4.5 liter Maserati that Fangio would drive.
In a private testing session, attended by Enzo Ferrari, at the Modena Autodrome in Italy a signal was given for Castellotti to pick up the speed but coming into a curve he lost control and the car impacted heavily. His body was thrown three hundred feet from the car. His tragic death from a skull fracture just one week before the Sebring race cast a somber mood over the team.
Probably due to his enormous world-wide popularity neither the Ferrari officials nor their drivers at Sebring that year would officially comment about Fangio’s defection to Maserati. However, that didn’t stop some of them from putting in their two cents regarding the new 4.5 Maserati that Fangio and Frenchman Jean Behra would drive.
Ferrari factory driver Alfonso de Portago, driving the #12 Ferrari 315 S (Sport), was very blunt when asked if he thought the Maserati “four-five” would last the race. “No I don’t,” he said.
Ferrari team leader Peter Collins, driving the #11 Ferrari 315 S, had little confidence in the four-five when he said, “It (the Maserati) hasn’t held together yet.” That was a reference to the first race of the season in Argentina that Ferrari had won after the new Maserati had retired.
There probably hasn’t been a Sebring race run that didn’t include some drama both on and off the track and 1957 was no exception.
Just days before the race the F.I.A. issued an appendix to its rules concerning the race, mandating that during the first tire change a team had to use the spare tire that all cars were required to carry.
This didn’t affect the Corvettes and some other cars but for Ferrari and Maserati it was the “kiss of death” because on their cars the wheels on the front and rear of the cars were of different sizes. So, if you came into the pits with a damaged wheel or flat tire and your spare didn’t match the size of the wheel to be replaced you were prohibited from changing the wheel. You would then have to withdraw your car from competition.
Ferrari team leader Peter Collins, a representative from Maserati and Alec Ulmann then met to discuss the problem. Collins, who was very knowledgeable about FIA rules, told the press that the new appendix was in violation of FIA’s own rules concerning how such changes were adopted. Supposedly such changes had to be approved unanimously by all the competitors or it couldn’t be put into effect. It is assumed that this argument carried the day with the FIA.
The ever-vocal Collins had a few choice words to say about the use of 55 gallon oil drums to outline the course and turns at Sebring. He protested that they should be “banned” and their use was “very, very dangerous…” Despite this complaint oil drums were used at Sebring for several more years.
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix – Race Profile Page Three
Considering the press coverage the race was getting it was apparent to all that the Sebring 12-hour event was finally coming into its own since it was created by Alec Ulmann in 1952. Since that first event it has gained in popularity each year and 1957 would see a record crowd of 30,000 in attendance at the 5.2 mile road course laid out over the landing strips and taxi-ways of the old B-17 bomber base formerly known as Hendricks Field.
The town of Sebring, population 7,000 in 1957, benefited economically each year from the event but there was the expected group of locals who resented this annual invasion and disturbance of the peace by all those loud cars and milling strangers who didn’t speak “American.”
Some residents objected to the factory Ferrari cars being housed at the Pontiac dealership and the Maserati team housed at the Weaver Auto Parts garage in the heart of Sebring. The garage owners, however, didn’t mind the rental fee they were paid. To some locals having those teams in the heart of Sebring only added to the congestion downtown during the week before the race and the fact that some of these unlicensed and unmuffled race cars were driven the seven miles to and from the track during the days before the race upset a few residents. For the most part the citizens of Sebring welcomed the newcomers because it literally put Sebring on the map for one week of the year.
Added to the complaints by some of the older folks was the fact that the young ladies of Sebring thought that many of the Italian drivers and mechanics were “cute.” Maybe they should have put up a sign in town for the locals to “Lock up you wives and daughters.”
Some of the Ferrari and Maserati race cars were driven by mechanics and drivers from the downtown to the track and back along a stretch of highway today known as Kenilworth Boulevard. If you drove the rather desolate road back then you couldn’t help notice several abandoned housing developments that were left over from the Florida real estate boom of the 1920’s. All that was left from those heady times were the dilapidated gates and faded signs marking someone’s dream of life in paradise.
There was a rumor circulating at the track that the local police had arrested Ferrari driver Alfonso de Portago and had taken him to the police station. It seems that the Spanish Marquis was going a little too fast in town and when stopped he tried to feign ignorance of local speed limits by not speaking English, despite the fact that he was fluent in several languages including English. Only with the help of Alec Ulmann and a pile of cash was he released lest he spend race day in the “hoosegow.” Unfortunately this was de Portago’s last Sebring because he would die tragically at the Mille Miglia less than two months later when his car left the road at high speed killing him, his co-driver and a number of spectators including several children.
Many of the fans attending the only FIA sanctioned sports car race in North America traveled great distances in an era when Interstate highways like I-95 and I-75 didn’t exist. Automotive license tags from just about every New England state could be seen on cars in the spectator enclosure on race day and some West Coast tags were also seen. Added to this was a hoard of foreign cars, especially Jaguar automobiles, and for some reason the Jag drivers would give each other a modified salute every time their cars would cross paths.
Sports car clubs from around the nation were there with early arrivals already staking out an enclosure for their members who might arrive late. Probably the largest contingent was the Miami Sports Car Club who came to see several of their members who had entered the race. As with many of the clubs, banners and club flags announced their viewing area. Some spectators and club members would even show up with a truck load of scaffolding to build elaborate viewing stands that would need a building permit in today’s world.
As anyone who ever attended a Sebring race during that era will tell you, the event was as much an endurance event for spectators, especially at Sebring, as it was for the cars and drivers entered. The record crowd in 1957 only added to the perennial problem of long lines for bathrooms, food, drinks and everything else.
But, this didn’t stop the crowd from having a good time and the race organizers would sometimes turn a blind eye to the wild parties that would be legendary for years to come. The police who provided security in the spectator area seemed more concerned over the dogs that some spectators would smuggle into the track. In the past loose dogs were serious problems with some crossing the track in the middle of the race. In 1957 one officer had to threaten to shoot an owner’s dog if he didn’t keep it on a leash.
Sebring was a great place to show off your car to others who owned the same make and show off yourself if you were so inclined. Hats and outfits of all kinds were in vogue at Sebring in 1957 with one woman parading around the spectator enclosure wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat with a large stuffed pheasant mounted on it. A male spectator was seen walking around with a Nassau policeman’s “topee” helmet on his head.
As was to be expected numerous young women paraded around in skimpy shorts and tops or in two-piece swimsuits with some coming close to bikini standards. None of these outfits went too far lest the local constabulary take an interest in them. However, in the city of Sebring the French Renault team was housed at the Kenilworth Lodge. Some of the drivers were women and one, Mademoiselle Gilberte Thirion, decided to take advantage of the warm Florida weather by wearing her very skimpy French bikini to the hotel pool. This made several hotel employees and guests do a double-take. One can only guess what happened at the hotel once the word spread through the town.
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix – Race Profile Page Four
Race day, March 23, 1957, dawned clear and sunny which seemed like heaven for all the sports car aficionados who had come down from the frozen northeast.
Early risers, who camped out at the track, began the familiar trek to the restrooms to try and beat the crowds and be the first to use the facilities before they got too nasty. Some experienced hands were seen even carrying their own toilet paper supplies.
There were already lines of cars at the front gates of the raceway as fans hoped to get in to the track, parked and in viewing position prior to the 10 a.m. start.
By 8 a.m. activity began to build in the paddock and on the grid as pit stewards arrived and mechanics began to do some last minute checking of engines and suspensions.
At 8:30 a.m. a driver was seen going up and down the pit lane muttering expletives and looking into each pit stall. His helmet had been misplaced and he was desperate to find it. He eventually did.
By 9 a.m. the public address system in the pit area was cranking out one announcement after another. Pit stewards are ordered repeatedly to begin moving spectators and “unauthorized personnel” from the pit area.
The throaty and distinctive roar of Ferrari and Maserati engines could be heard as mechanics began warming up engines. Fangio could be seen talking to Behra, who would take the first turn at the wheel of their 450 S Maserati. Mechanics began to move the cars to the “stalls” on the starting grid in preparation for the Le Mans-style start.
Gene Bussian, a 21-year-old, had traveled from Illinois to be the Chief Porsche Pit Steward at the Sebring race. He had been recruited for the job by Chief Steward Tex Asche because he knew a bit of the German language.
He remembers the atmosphere in the pits and on the grid that day. The drivers were in an upbeat mood and devoid of the tension found in today’s races. Back then racing was still a gentleman’s sport and drivers often treated each other as good friends instead of competitors. Sometimes this convivial attitude would get out of hand. During the opening ceremonies of the 1956 Sebring race a group of drivers surrounded the female majorettes of the Sebring High School Band stopping the entire band in the midst of their marching and playing. Everyone had a good laugh and the band eventually was allowed to continue.
A small crowd of photographers was snapping away at the Renault Dauphine pits. It seemed that the women drivers, who were scheduled to drive one of the three 845 cc (smallest engines in the race) Renault Dauphines this year, were posing for the press. Only one or two photographers could be seen at the Corvette and Maserati pits. I guess that John Fitch and Juan Fangio were not as pretty as the French women.
Near the Renault pits were the four factory Lotus-Elevens brought over from England by Colin Chapman. Chapman had an innovative way of financing the Factory Lotus team effort at Sebring this year. All four entries were pre-sold to American customers. If you had purchased one of the cars you got to drive it at Sebring in 1957. However, you couldn’t take possession of the car until after the race. During the race the car was a “Factory Lotus.” After the race the car was yours or what was left of the car was yours.
With minutes remaining Alec Ulmann conducted a driver’s meeting by opening with the statement, “You are all experienced drivers so you don’t need any briefing….” He then went on at length to brief them about passing, looking out for slower cars and so on. In what some will laugh about later he announces that Ferrari had “erroneously” entered engine displacements for their #11 and #12 Ferrari 315 S cars. With pressure from FIA the Ferrari folks had come clean. The actual engine displacement on the two cars was 3800 cc’s and not 3442 cc’s. This announcement received a chorus of boos and whistles from the assembled drivers much to the embarrassment of Ferrari drivers Collins, Trintignant, de Portago and Musso.
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix – The Start
Thirty seconds before the 10 a.m. race start Chief Starter Joe Lane began the countdown. At zero the flag dropped and the drivers sprinted the short distance to their cars.
Peter Collins in the #11 Ferrari was first away with Moss not far behind but the 3-liter engine on Moss’s #20 Maserati 300 S sputtered for a brief moment and Collins gained a commanding lead. The rest of the field followed with the tiny Renault Dauphines bringing up the rear. By the end of the first lap Collins was ten seconds ahead of Moss with Behra in the Maserati 450S not far behind.
Within the first hour the new and relatively untested Corvette SS began to experience brake trouble and pitted to have them checked and for new tires. A Cunningham Jag driven by Bill Lloyd was out with engine problems as Collins continued to lead with Behra now in second place just seconds behind Collins. Stirling Moss was third in his 3.0 Maserati, Portago fourth in his Ferrari 315 S, fifth was Masten Gregory in his Ferrari 290 S and sixth was Phil Hill’s Ferrari 290 MM.
Behra broke the old course record with a time of 3:24.5 in pursuit of Collins and finally takes the lead on the 19th lap. John Fitch had already made two pit stops in the Corvette SS and was now stranded on the race course with a burned-out coil. He made the repair himself in 30 minutes and returned to the race 20 laps behind the leader.
During the second hour of the race the heat began to take its toll on car and driver alike. The Maserati 150 S of Jo Bonnier and Giorgio Scarlatti blew an engine and retires. Jean Behra was still in the lead by one minute over Collins with Portago, Moss, and Gregory rounding out the top five.
Phil Hill brought in the #14 Ferrari 290 MM ahead of schedule with electrical problems. It could have been a faulty generator or voltage regulator and it caused the battery to weaken and die. He later told Bill Grauer, recording the race for Riverside Records, that the Ferrari brakes needed a lot of muscle to engage. He trained for this by doing deep knee bends with 100 pounds on his back. He said the other Ferrari drivers were always complaining about the brakes but he was not having any problems. Hill felt that Ferrari may have been the last race constructor to go to any kind of brake booster.
During the third hour tragedy struck as Chicago Driver Bob Goldich, who drove the #39 Arnolt Bristol for Team Arnolt, went into the Esses too fast and flipped his car several times. He died instantly of a skull fracture and broken neck. Later, team owner Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt withdrew the rest of the team in honor of Goldich. This marked the first death of a driver in the history of Sebring race. There was talk in the pits that Goldich may have hit one of those “dangerous” 55-gallon oil drums and this caused him to wreck.
At 1:15 p.m. Behra entered the pits and finally turned the car over to Fangio. During his three hours in the car he broke the course record several times and at this point had a fairly large lead. Moss was second, Collins was third, Portago fourth and Carroll Shelby’s 2.5 liter Maserati was fifth.
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix – Race Profile Page Five
By 3 p.m. there were 15 cars officially withdrawn with one of them being the Corvette SS. Word was that persistent overheating problems led to the withdrawal. The official records showed the cause to be failed rear suspension. There were also two more cars in the pits for lengthy repairs. Fangio was still in the lead and Moss finally decided to turn his car over to his co-driver, Harry Schell. After waiting for 5 hours Schell was probably wondering if he would ever get a chance to drive. Lou Brero brought his #15 Ferrari 290 S into the pits and collapsed due to the heat. Masten Gregory took over. Brero recovered and returned later.
The burning sun and relentless heat were taking their toll on the spectators with many seeking any shady spot they could. Several of the concession stands temporarily ran out of cold beverages. Literally hundreds and hundreds of empty drink cups littered the ground in the spectator enclosure and the 55 gallon oil drums being used as trash receptacles were overflowing.
At 3:19 p.m. Portago brought in his #12 Ferrari 315 S with serious brake trouble. The mechanics couldn’t seem to remedy the problem and the car returned to the race with Luigi Musso at the wheel. Portago said the car has “no brakes.” Right before 4 p.m. Hawthorn brought in his D-Jag for a remarkably quick 6-minute brake change. Remarkable when you consider they had to reline the brakes on the Jag instead of change pads.
At the half-way point (4 p.m.) Fangio still led but a major mistake by the Maserati team led to a disqualification for one of their cars. It seemed that both Fangio and Carroll Shelby were running low on fuel. Shelby brought in his #21 Maserati 250 S and had just begun refueling when he was told to get back on the course because Fangio was coming in. After Fangio was serviced, Shelby returned for much needed fuel but was immediately disqualified. There was an FIA rule that you had to drive at least 20 laps before you can come in for more gas and the Maserati pits had forgotten about that rule. Maserati was forced to retire the car.
Between 4 & 6 p.m. Fangio and Behra maintained their lead. The Hill/von Tripps Ferrari came in for a regular pit stop but refused to start (dead battery) and was retired. The angle of the sun at that time of day was blinding for some of the drivers. Spectators were amazed when they observed Moss, sans goggles, take one hand off the steering wheel of his Maserati to shade his eyes as he went through the hairpin.
Drivers at Sebring that year commented later about the driving ability of Juan Fangio. While they were constantly fighting the steering wheel going through the turns they were amazed to watch Fangio take each turn gently holding the steering wheel on the big 4.5 Maserati turning it a little this way and a little that way. To some of them it seemed that Fangio was out for a Sunday drive. “He didn’t ever look like he was racing,” said Lotus driver Joe Sheppard.
By 8 p.m. Fangio was still first with Hawthorn, Portago and Schell following. That order hadn’t changed in over an hour. Portago had to pit because of a problem with his fuel pump. The stop cost him 30 minutes. Moss continued to gain on the leaders.
At 9 p.m. Fangio was still at the wheel of his car and was now four laps ahead. Because of pit stops and driver changes Moss was now in second with Hawthorn third, Masten Gregory fourth and Walt Hansgen fifth. Peter Collins was way off the pace with four minute laps due to failing brakes. The small but reliable Porsches were now in 8th, 9th and 10th position. They also had the Index of Performance well in hand.
At 9:30 there was some commotion in the Maserati pits. It seemed that during the scheduled final pit stop a mechanic had spilled a large quantity of gasoline on Fangio’s seat. If you ever wondered why drivers were required to exit the car during refueling then here is your answer.
In typical Italian fashion there was a lot of yelling and hand gestures. The team manager went off to find a replacement seat. They found one and Fangio returned to the race with his lead now at four laps. Just 30 minutes to go and everyone in the Maserati pits was holding his breath.
At 10 p.m. fireworks appeared over the track. It signaled the end of the race and a tremendous victory for Maserati. Coming in first were Fangio and Behra at the wheel of their Maserati 450 S with the Moss/Schell Maserati 300 S second. Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb were third in their Jaguar D-Type, Masten Gregory and Lou Brero were fourth in a Ferrari 290 S, Walt Hansgen and Russ Boss were fifth in a Cunningham D-Type Jag, Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant were sixth in a factory Ferrari 315 S, Alfonso de Portago and Luigi Musso were seventh in factory Ferrari 315 S, Art Bunker and Charles Wallace were eighth in a Porsche 550 RS, Jean Pierre Kunstle and Ken Miles were ninth in a Porsche 550 RS, Howard Hively and Richie Ginther were tenth in a Ferrari 500 TRC. Bunker and Wallace also came away with a first in the Index of Performance which rated cars according to performance.
When Fangio brought the winning car into the pit area he was surrounded by fans and press alike. Under the bright lights of the motion picture cameras he graciously called over Jean Behra to join him in the victory celebration. Dozens of flash bulbs were going off at once. Once the camera lights were turned off and the flash bulbs faded Fangio unexpectedly excused himself and left Behra alone to talk to the people from the print media. Some reporters felt slighted by his quick departure.
Not until several days later was it revealed that Fangio left early to get medical attention for painful burn blisters he was suffering from his waist down to his knees on his right side. It seems that the insulation on the exhaust pipes, which ran along the driver’s side of the car, had worn away and his lower body was exposed to very hot temperatures. His discomfort had not been evident when he brought the car into the winner’s circle.
So, for those last three-and-one-half hours of the race El Chueco (“Knock-Kneed”) drove riding a very hot seat. No wonder his other nickname was El Maestro or “The Master.”
1957 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix Epilogue:
The winning car of Fangio and Behra was 20 miles ahead of the second place Moss/Schell Maserati at the finish. They broke all existing Sebring records establishing a new distance record of 1,024.4 miles, a new average speed of 85.45 mph and Behra’s time of 3 minutes, 24.5 seconds was an amazing five seconds faster than the record set by Mike Hawthorn in 1956, driving for Jaguar.
Juan Manuel Fangio would go on to win his fifth and final World Driver’s Championship in 1957. This record would not be broken for 46 years.
The 1957 Sebring race would be Fangio’s last appearance at this event as a driver. In February of 1958 Fangio would be kidnapped by Fidel Castro’s rebels while at the Cuban Grand Prix. The rebels released Fangio after the race unharmed. Until his death Fangio and Castro would remain friends.
The Corvette Super Sport (SS) would never race competitively again because General Motors would sign on to the Automobile Manufacturer’s Association opposition to factory involvement in racing. To celebrate the first race at the new Daytona International Speedway in 1959, General Motors brought out the retired Corvette Super Sport. It did a lap of 155 mph during the opening-day ceremonies.
On December 1, 1957 Maserati announced that it would be withdrawing from factory support for racing because they were losing money. However, they would continue to build race cars for private entries.
For Further Reading & Listening:
The Sebring Story, Alec Ulmann, Chilton Book Company, 1969
“The Sebring-Winning Special, Escape Roads,” Autoweek January 5, 2004, p.29
The Sounds of Sebring 1957, Riverside Records, Bill Grauer Productions
“Fantastico Is For Fangio,” Kenneth Rudeen, Sports Illustrated Magazine, April 01, 1957
[Source: Louis Galanos]
Louis – You’ve done it again mate!
Thanks much for bringing this wonderful era of racing back to life. The days of Fangio, Moss…Maserati…oh my, what an era. And so well written too. I knew who won in advance, but I was still on the edge of my seat. Brilliant.
Terrific, world class article. Seven Palm Beach connected sportsmen raced in this event. Kimberly, Spears, Cunningham, Fisk, dePortago, Reventlow and five drivers from Miami Cocoanut Grove. Please help save the MIAMI MARINE Stadium. palm beach tide yacht club.
Sebring still one of the top 5 races in the world. Amen. TIDEferrari racing, Anna Marshall yachts Maureen DeAngles,Esq. http://www.palmbeachTIDEmuseum.com
Louis
Wonderful report. Could you do another one in a couple of weeks on the 2011 Sebring race?
Please.
Great! Your archive of back in the day racing will be a lasting memory.
I can remember these images from the time. They are the images that inspired me to first take a camera to the track. Good writing combined with marvelous images. Hope to see more of both soon.
Louis, Great article, this 1957 favorite Sebring Race was my favorite 12 hour, as I was a Huge fan of Juan Manuel Fangio and his 4.5 liter Maserati. This was real endurance racing back in the days, prompted me to buy the Sebring Album. WoW, its been a long time ago, Thanks Lou and SCD for the fine article and spectacular pics!
Cheers!
Tony a2z Racer
http://www.a2zracer.com
http://www.a2zracergear.com
Lou,Another great story and pictures. Thanks to you,I now
subscribe to Sports Car Digest. Bill
Merci pour ce beau texte et ces aventures qui rappellent une si bonne époque. Comme vous le savez je suis un passionné de l’histoire Ferrari mais je ne suis pas insensible à ces beaux reportages.
On en redemande.
Cordialement.
Mr Grangeon.
I believe Mr. Grangeon has said:
‘Thank you for this beautiful text and the adventures that recall such a good time. As you know I’m a fan of Ferrari’s history but I am not insensitive to these beautiful stories. We want more. Regards. Grangeon mr.’
Courtesy of Google Translate.
Lou,
Another great story. This was my first Sebring race which I attended during Spring Break. It brings back fond memories. I’m looking forward to your next one.
Bill
Lou,
Thanks for this great piece. For a guy that was too young to have been there, your words do a great job of putting the reader right there as it happened.
Thanks too for all the Corvette SS insight. Very cool to read.
Cheers!
Will Silk
Come on Will, you can’t be that young. Jamie keeps referring to you as “that old goat.” 🙂
HAHA! Let’s just say that Mario Andretti was driving for Lotus at the time my feet hit the tarmac.
Fantastic! A perfect mix of talent, passion, dedication, preparation, skill, and hard work.
Another great article, Lou.
I really enjoyed seeing and reading …and remembering what I saw many years ago along with some additional details that I never knew. The Corvette SS surely had the best paint job, but the Maserati’s were faster and reliable.
Wonderful article and photos! I had no idea the Corvette SS had that much potential….shame it wasn’t given another chance.
I attended that Sebring 12 Hour race in 1957.
Your account and pictures are masterful with so many informative points that were not really so well publicized at the time.
I had always wondered about Fangio’s change over to Maserati since he had won the previous year(1956,the year of my first Sebring visit-55 years ago-whew!)in a Ferrari.
Fangio’s hospital visit to his friend and competitor following the race is quite touching.
Your presentation brings back countless nice memories from my visits to Sebring.
Thank You!
I love Sports Car Digest and am glad I subscribe.
I hate to break this to you but it was 65 years ago!
I was there in ’62 myself.
I’m a bit too young to have been there, but what a thoroughly enjoyable trip back in time. No one brings this to life like you do. Someone should do a film on Fangio. The cars and drivers of that time where incredible.
Many thanks for the wonderful insight to the past! What photos!
As a clarification of the Corvette SS’s non-performance:
Neither Fangio nor Moss had a chance to drive the actual racing Vette because it had not yet arrived. It was completed at the last moment and trucked to Sebring while GM technicians were polishing it to GM “show standards.” The car had not yet been race tested.
Fitch persuaded GM to hire Pierro Taruffi to co-drive as he was a very good developmental “driver” and he flew in at the last moment.
The brake problem was due to a mercury-filed switch that was supposed to modulate brake bias. It worked fine on the mule, but not on the actual race car. It’s braking in the race was eratic at best.
Finally, the SS left the race with a suspension problem: technicians building the chassis had cracked the trailing arms in the rear suspension ever so slightly so that the bushed worked loose to let the rear ride on the tires.
The Corvette could clearly have been the fastest at Sebring that year with Fangio or Moss driving if it had been thoroughly tested and developed. Which, of course, never happend.
Thanks for those wonderful shots of the SS!
Robb
This era, and those cars, and those drivers WERE Motorsport.
The cars were our national pride in the patriotic livery colors.
The news was of course only bulletins and not real time, and
the photography except for these was grainy monochromatic
but the anticipation was lengthy and the attainment not just
fleeting.
The schedule overload today, the cars that cannot be road
licensed and lusted for, the largely irrelevant graphics on all
cars and just the vast subsequent history of the industry has
only diminished what we experience today. Maybe I am just
an old doting and anacronistic fuddy duddy…
Geo. Gallo
Regarding the photo of Doc Wyllie pushing the Lotus Eleven (which I have owned since 1971), He was not disqualified for getting assistance on the course — he was the assistance on the course. Car entrant Charles Moran Jr. was driving when it ran out of gas. I don’t know how far from the pits it was, but in the Amoco film Twelve to Go, it shows Wyllie pushing at the head of the back straight, which is quite a long way from the pit area. Wyllie apparently went out to assist the exhausted Moran and since the driver “change” did not occur in the pit area, the car was disqualified.
It also ran in the 1958 and 1959 Sebring races being entered and driven by Moran.
Louis,
Another outstanding piece of work on a race, the outcome of which determined the entire future of Corvette racing. Now 57 years later in some respects it is not all that bad. Could have been much better if the SS won and if GM stayed in racing. The Corvette is one of the few marques from that race that is still being produced and racing.
Thanks, best regards and keep it up.
Jan Hyde, Registry of Corvette race cars. com
Great article. Fantastic pictures. I am reading “A race against death and time” by Brock Yates, which I heartily recommend to all. It deals with the racing season of 1955 and is very well written, as Brock’s books are. Mitch.
Great job Louis! You not only described the race very well, but set the tone of that era with great behind the scene stories.
Great story Lou, love to relive those stories of real sport car racing!!!
I, too was at this race and greatly appreciated this report. As an adventuresome teenager, I quickly took advantage of where someone had breached the fence and gained access to the paddock area. With my $4 Brownie camera, I recorded several pictures during the race. One of my pictures of the Maserati pit during one of Behra’s early pit stops ended up on the wall behind the winning #19 450 at the Rolex exhibit at Monterey at its 50th anniversary, much to my surprise and delight. Once again, a great article. Thank you.
Wonderful article, Lou, in both your fine words and story-telling talent, and selection of photographs, to bring back that 1957 Sebring with its historic 1-2 finish for Maserati. My father was supposed to get the 450S V8 right after the race, in his deal with Officine Alfieri Maserati in Modena, but the factory decided to keep that four-five to win more races with it, and instead temporarily assigned the 2nd place 300S to the John Edgar Enterprises team. The 3-liter Inline6 was spirited away to California in the 100-mph Edgar transporter just in time to run Palm Springs in Carroll Shelby’s hands, where he practiced the car still wearing the #20 Moss number, then won the preliminary in it, only to lose to Phil Hill (Ferrari 121LM) in Sunday’s main. It was not until August 1957 that we finally got our promised 450S, though not the same one that won Sebring. I’ve written the story (“Maser Mia”) of the Edgar 450S (chassis number 4506) in the May/June 2009 issue of Vintage Motorsport magazine. My article about the chassis number 3071 Maserati 300S (“The Return of the Maser”) appeared in the Jan/Feb 2004 Vintage Motorsport. Your own contribution here in Sports Car Digest is a great addition to Sebring history and these two iconic Maseratis. Thank you for your excellent work.
Great writing and great pictures which I have saved and added to my collection. A your stories have helped me remember and re-live those glory-days of racing.
Well written as usual, Lou. This makes a good companion piece for the recording you noted in your article. The photos complete the deal. Being about the same vintage as you I wasn’t aware of this great stuff. My first was nearly 10 years later at the second Daytona 24 hour race. I’ve been an addict ever since as you know. See you next week.
I was there. Before Sebring in 57, I had been to Pebble Beach, Golden Gate, Torrey Pines, Madera, etc while in college in California. Joined the Marines, went to flight school, and was a brand new 2/LT in my first squadron at New River NC when I picked up a copy of Sports Illustrated that featured the Corvette SS. Decided I had to go. Went into the XO, Major Bucky Harris (Emmy Lou;s dad) and asked for a day off. I told him I would be back on Monday. He said OK and off I went in my 56 Chevy. I did not know where Sebring was, but I got there, watched it all. Best memory is standing right at the edge of the long backstretch at night with the 4.5 Maserati howling by about a foot away. Got in my Chevy and was back at work Monday AM in NC. Never slept. Wish I had that endurance and strength now at 78 young years. Have had lots of great and not so great cars since then, but the best might be my brand new Jeep Cherokee SRT8, a great compromise for somebody who can’t fold into a Porsche anymore, Semper Fi. John
Very good history.
Other times, when Formula One stars raced in another kind of race cars.
I was Assistant Chief Pit Steward at the 57 and 66 races. Your stories bring back old memories as they are so well written.
Sebring 57 was my first race of any kind. Was down from FSU with 3fraternity brothers, volunteered to drive an ambulance in order to get in free, spent entire race inside the hairpin, saw Cahier hand Moss the Coke (took him 2 tries), wow! Thanks Louis and SCD, great work. Dean Donley
Enjoyed reading about 57 Sebring – I own a ’57 Morgan +4 built to race Sebring in ’57 S/N 3604 – built with factory modifications,painted white with blue stripe – for John Weitz to race atSebring. Car was lost for fifty years- I found it in Cleveland in 2011. Restored it to original colors. Still has original modified engine and trannie. Looks great,fun to drive. Richard Flasck
Sports Car Digest decided to republish your article and I couldn’t help but re-read it and again relive that fantastic race. Your race descriptions and photos are too good to pass up.
I went to Sebring once,all the factories were there and it was magic. In Chicago we had Elkhart Lake or a little place called Meadowdale raceway. I saw the team Cobras ,Scarabs, Sadlers ,all sorts of machines. That time was the best. Banlon shirts tiny Bell helmets and very big stones. Zoltan (Chicago)
I attended the 1957 race, driving solo nonstop from Houston and back to do it. En route to the track I saw a beautiful C-Jaguar in bright metallic green. In those days news of racing in the US was hard to come by and until I read this article I was unaware of much that was going on. I remember being very impressed by Briggs Cunningham’s team of four D-Jaguars each arriving on trailers pulled by Lincoln Continentals.
I was living in Argentina and saw the 1960 GP. I remember seeing Carlos Menditguy in front of the Hotel Continental. That weekend was unforgettable as I got to chat with the now-retired Fangio in front of his Mercedes dealership in Buenos Aires. He was very cordial and asked me if I “knew” Allan Guiberson or Carroll Shelby since I was in the oil business and from Texas.
During F1 practice I tried to enter the paddock with no credentials. I told the guard I was a friend of Phil Hill’s and wanted to pay him a visit. The guard, duly suspicious, accompanied me while we looked for Phil. When we found him, Phil gave me a hard time about my even being in the paddock but finally relented when I agreed to just walk through and not hang around.
I saw a sports car magazine in military school in 1955,and I knew what I had to do.In 1957,I left a note for my folks,and took a bus to the Miami train station,and got on the train to “Sebring”,the holy grail for me. I was 14 yrs. old. I hitched out to the track,and with my sleeping bag,and poncho,made myself at home. This race was a virtual dream come true for me.Sadly,I was at the “esses” when the Arnolt Bristol crashed,and later learned that the driver died.I made some friends from the Miami Sports car Club,and when old enough I joined.By 1964 I was driving in S.C.C.A.,and made my mark in a modest way in the first year of I.M.S.A.,in a Formula I-100 class. Mr. Galanos,you have given me back some of my boyhood. Thank you sir! William Baros
I was there. I was a brand new Marine 2/Lt aviator stationed at New River NC. Saw an magazine article about the Corvettes. Asked the squadron XO, Major Bucky Harris (Emmy Lou’s dad) for 2 days off. He responded: “Wish I could go with you.” Drove my 57 Chevy straight thru to Sebring, watched the 12 hours, and drove back to NC, no rest and on time for work Monday. A few years earlier had watched Phil Hill beat Bill Pollack at Pebble Beach. That hooked me and have been a fan since. Many Sebrings and Petits since with my sons. Many great cars; 1956 Chrysler 300B, 1959 Porsche Convertible D, Three Supras, 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT . Now my 87 years puts me in a Mercedes E 300. John Van Nortwick, El Paso, TX