The 3rd Grand Prix, 12 Hours of Sebring, was the inaugural round of the 1953 World Sportscar Championship and was held at the Sebring International Raceway, on 8 March 1953.[1]
A total of 81 cars were entered for the event, across eight classes based on engine sizes, ranging from up to 750cc to over 8.0 litre. Of these 59 cars practised, 54 qualified to race.[1]
Amongst the mostly American entrants, the greatest news for the 1953 race was that the famous English Aston Martin team would join the French factory DB’s for the 12 Hour competition. In fact, David Brown and René Bonnet, heads of these European manufacturers, both went to Florida to watch the race. Bonnet also took part in the race.[2]
The race started at noon, and ran until midnight, on a day described as "partly cloudy and mild", in front of an estimated crowd of 12,500 spectators.[2]
The Aston Martins made a great start, leading the first 32 laps of the Florida road course before losing the lead as a result of an accident. The #57 Cunningham C-4R then took over lead and was never headed for the rest of the race.[2]
The car was driven by Phil Walters and John Fitch took the winner spoils for Briggs Cunningham’s team. They were boosted to the lead when the front running Aston Martin of Geoff Duke and Peter Collins collided with a Jaguar, and was forced to retire with accident damage. Walters and Fitch drove their Florida license plated Cunningham C-4R to victory, covering a distance of 908.9 miles, averaging a speed of 75.338mph. One lap adrift in second place was the Aston Martin DB3 of the Reg Parnell and George Abecassis, despite reportedly being hampered by having one of its headlamps not working due to an earlier collision with a bollard filed with concrete marking the circuit on what was at the time largely an airfield.[2] [3]
There was one car fire, the Allard-Cadillac J2X of Paul Ramos was destroyed when a fuel line split, however the driver, Anthony Cumming escaped unharmed. Another competitor, Randy Pearsall, also escaped injury when he flipped his Jaguar XK120.[2]
Class Winners are in Bold text.
| Pos. | No. | Class | Drivers | Entrant | Car - Engine | Laps | Reason Out | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 57 | S8.0 |  Phil Walters | John Fitch | Briggs Cunningham | Cunningham C-4R-Chrysler | 173 | ||
| 2nd | 30 | S3.0 |  Reg Parnell | George Abecassis | Aston Martin Ltd. | Aston Martin DB3 | 172 | ||
| 3rd | 74 | S5.0 | Sherwood Johnston | Bob Wilder | A. H. Feverbacher | Jaguar C-Type | 162 | ||
| 4th | 311 | S5.0 | Bob Gegen | Harry Grey | David Hirsch | Jaguar C-Type | 155 | ||
| 5th | 59 | S1.5 | Briggs Cunningham | Bill Lloyd | Briggs Cunningham | Osca MT4 1350 | 153 | ||
| 6th | 49 | S2.0 | Ed Lunken | Charles Hassan | E. P. Lunken | Ferrari 166 MM | 153 | ||
| 7th | 38 | S5.0 | Charles Wallace | Chuck Sarle | Jack Pry Ltd. | Jaguar XK120 | 151 | ||
| 8th | 45 | S3.0 | Peter Yung | Robert Yung | Peter S. Yung | Ferrari 225 S | 148 | ||
| 9th | 91 | S1.1 | James Simpson | George Colby | James Simpson | Osca MT4 1100 | 146 | ||
| 10th | 28 | S5.0 | Russ Boss | Jake Kaplan | J. Kaplan | Jaguar XK120M | 144 | ||
| 11th | 25 | S750 |  René Bonnet | Wade Morehouse | Hobart Cook | DB HBR Panhard | 143 | ||
| 12th | 18 | S5.0 | Walt Hansgen | Don McKnought | Walter Hansgen | Jaguar XK120 | 142 | ||
| 13th | 12 | S1.5 | David Ash | Frank Ahrens | David H. Ash | MG Special | 135 | ||
| 14th | 53 | S1.5 |  Phil Smyth | Bob Said | Lt. Col. Wojdiech Kolaczkowski | Frazer Nash Mille Miglia | 134 | ||
| 15th | 53 | S1.5 | James Shields | Bob McKinsey | James Shields | MG TD | 132 | ||
| 16th | 42 | S1.5 | William Wellenberg, Jnr. | William Wonder | William Wellenberg, Jnr. | MG TD | 132 | ||
| 17th | 29 | S5.0 | Fred Dagavar | Al Garz | Fred Dagavar | 132 | |||
| 18th | 63 | S750 | Harry Beck | Charles Devaney | Paul Hessler | Siata-Crossley 300BD | 132 | ||
| DSQ | 24 | S750 | Bill Cook | André Moynet | Hobart Cook | DB HBR Panhard | 130 | Pit violation | |
| 19th | 44 | S1.5 | Fred Allen | Robert Longworth | Fred Allen | MG Special | 127 | ||
| 20th | 56 | S750 | Thomas Scatchard | Henry Wessells | Thomas Scatchard | Siata-Crossley 300BD | 127 | ||
| 21st | 27 | S1.1 | Paul Farago | Lou Torco | Robert T. Keller | Siata 300BC Special | 123 | ||
| 22nd | 111 | S750 | George Sachrafft | Jim Hamlett | Geo. F. Schrafft | Palm Beach-Crossley Special | 119 | ||
| 23rd | 55 | S3.0 | Mike Rothschild | Jack Nile | Mike Rothschild | Morgan Plus 4 | 119 | ||
| 24th | 32 | S8.0 | Arnold Stubbs | Jack McAfee | Jack Burkhard | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 116 | ||
| 25th | 6 | S1.5 | Rees Makins | Frank Bott | Rees T. Makins | Osca MT4 1100 | 115 | ||
| 26th | 15 | S5.0 | George Huntoon | Phil Stiles | Jack Shepperd | Jaguar C-Type | 114 | ||
| 27th | 64 | S2.0 |  Walter von Schoenfeld | René Soulas | Walter E. von Schoenfeld | Maserati A6GCS | 110 | ||
| 28th | 14 | S1.5 | Alan Patterson | Hubert L. Brundage | Alan Patterson | MG Special | 99 | ||
| 29th | 16 | S5.0 | Morris Carroll | Randy Pearsall | Geo. E. Tilp | Jaguar XK120 | 94 | ||
| 30th | 51 | S5.0 | Walt Grey | Dale Duncan | Walter S. Grey | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 94 | ||
| 31st | 37 | S1.1 | Roger Wing | Stephen Spitler | Jack Pry, Ltd. | Morris Minor | 93 | ||
| 32nd | 11 | S1.1 | Paul Ceresole | Logan Hill | Paul Ceresole | Cisitalia Spider | 88 | ||
| 33rd | 2 | S3.0 | Hal Ullrich | Dick Irish | Brooks Stevens | Excalibur-Willys J | 86 | ||
| 34th | 23 | S5.0 | Charles Schott | John van Driel | Charles M. Schott | Jaguar XK120 | 63 | ||
| DNF | 5 | S3.0 | Jim Kimberly | Marshall Lewis | Jim Kimberly | Ferrari 225 S | 95 | Transmission | |
| DNF | 60 | S1.5 | Dickson Yates | William Kinchloe | Dickson Yates | MG TD | Engine | ||
| DNF | 80 | S1.5 | Richard Toland | Howard Hanna | Richard Toland | Porsche 356 | did not finish | ||
| DNF | 61 | S2.0 | Ray Leibensperger | Howard Class | Ray Leibensperger | MG Special | 78 | did not finish | |
| DNF | 39 | S750 | William Eagar | Otto Linton | Speedcraft Enterprises | Siata Amica Special | 63 | Engine | |
| DNF | 8 | S3.0 | Bill Spear | Phil Hill | William Spear | Ferrari 225 S | 56 | Differential | |
| DNF | 19 | S5.0 | Austin Conley | Austin L. Conley | Jaguar XK120 | 56 | Accident | ||
| DNF | 31 | S3.0 | Peter Collins | Geoff Duke | Aston Martin Ltd. | Aston Martin DB3 | 52 | Accident damage | |
| DNF | 98 | S8.0 | Erwin Goldschmist | Paul O'Shea | Erwin Goldschmidt | Healey Silverstone-Cadillac | 45 | Rear end | |
| DNF | 33 | S1.5 | Bernard Cahier | Miles Collier | René Bonnet | DB HBR Panhard | 37 | Brakes | |
| DNF | 58 | S2.0 | John Gordon Bennett | Charles Moran | Briggs Cunningham | Frazer Nash Targa Florio | 28 | Unknown | |
| DNF | 26 | S750 | Ralph Deshon | Don Quackenbush | Ralph Deshon | Crosley Special | 25 | Suspension | |
| DNF | 66 | S5.0 | Tony Cumming | Paul Ramos | Paul Ramos | Allard-Cadillac J2X | 20 | Fire | |
| DNF | 36 | S8.0 | Masten Gregory | Tony Newcomer | Masten Gregory | Allard-Chrysler J2X | 16 | Transmission | |
| DISQ | 48 | S2.0 | Jorge Daponte | Fritz Koster | Fritz Koster | Maserati A6GCS | 15 | pit rule violation | |
| DNF | 97 | S8.0 | Beau Clarke | Bob Said | Mark B. Deitsch | Allard-Cadillac J2 | 9 | Engine | |
| DNF | 3 | S3.0 | Ralph Knudsen | Jim Feld | Brooks Stevens | Excalibur-Willys J | 4 | Engine | |
| DNF | 1 | S2.0 | Tony Bonadies | George Rice | Stuart Donaldson | Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica Mk II | 2 | Engine | |
| DNF | 9 | S2.0 | Johnnie Rogers | Russ Klar | Stuart Donaldson | Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica Mk II | 2 | Engine | |
| DNS | 17 | S750 | George Sanderson | N. J. Coscoros | Geo. Sanderson | Crosley Hotshot | Engine | ||
| DNS | 21 | S1.5 | Larry Kulok | Harry Grey | Lawrence Kulok | Porsche 356 1500 Super | Gearbox | ||
| DNS | 41 | S1.1 | Randy Pearsall | William Eager | F. Randolph Pearsall | Cisitalia Spider | Engine | ||
| DNS | 65 | S5.00 | Tom Cole | Bill Lloyd | William Lloyd | Ferrari 340 America | Engine | ||
| DNS | 75 | S5.00 | Miles Collier | Cameron Argetsinger | Cameron Argetsinger | Jaguar XK120 | Engine | ||
| Class | Winners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class B – Sports 8000 | Walters / Fitch | Cunningham C-4R | |
| Class C – Sports 5000 | Johnston / Wilder | Jaguar C-type | |
| Class D – Sports 3000 | Parnell / Abecassis | Aston Martin DB3 | |
| Class E – Sports 2000 | Lunken / Hassan | Ferrari 166 MM | |
| Class F – Sports 1500 | Cunningham / Lloyd | Osca MT4 1350 | |
| Class G – Sports 1100 | Simpson / Colby | Osca MT4 1100 | |
| Class H – Sports 750 | Bonnet / Morehouse | DB HBR Panhard |
| Pos | Championship | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cunningham | 8 |
| 2 | Aston Martin | 6 |
| 3 | Jaguar | 4 |
| 4 |  Osca | 2 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 1 |