The 1959 12-Hour Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the Amoco Trophy was a motor race for sportscars, staged on 21 March at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida, United States. It was the opening round of the 1959 World Sportscar Championship and was the eighth running of the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The race was won by Dan Gurney, Phil Hill, Chuck Daigh and Olivier Gendebien driving a Ferrari 250 TR 59 for Scuderia Ferrari.
A massive total of 81 racing cars were registered for this event, of which 74 arrived for practice. Only these, 65 qualified for, and started the race. Reigning champions, Ferrari had eight of their new 250 TRs in Florida, of which three were works machines (1959 model) for their squad of drivers; Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Chuck Daigh, Olivier Gendebien, Jean Behra and Cliff Allison. Their main opposition would come from a single works Aston Martin.[1]
David Brown sent just one Aston Martin DBR1/300 over from England for Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori. Also on the entry list were some quick looking Lister-Jaguar entered by Briggs Cunningham with himself, Walt Hansgen and Stirling Moss amongst their squad. The work outfit also brought a car for Moss and paired him with Ivor Bueb.
Because there were no qualifying sessions to set the grid, the starting positions were decided according to engine size with the 3.0 litre Aston Martin DBR1 of Shelby and Salvadori being given first place.
Most of the 40,000 spectators expected a battle for sole Aston Martin and the Ferrari. Although early on, there was a great scrap, the Aston retired after just 32 laps with gear lever problems. This meant it really was a Ferrari battle at the front of the field for almost all the race. The official result lists the winner as the no. 7 Ferrari of Gurney, Daigh, Hill and Gendebien, but that's not the whole story.[2] [3]
For the opening four and half hours, the Ferrari of Hill and Gendebien led until suffering from a broken differential. That put the Gurney/Daigh car in front. Behra/Allison were in second, followed by Moss/Bueb. And then the heavy rain arrived and the race became intriguing. With cars sliding off all over the place, one of the most dramatic accidents come just after the six-hour mark when Robert Rollason’s Stanguellini 750 Sport collided with a pole that supported a bridge. The car hit the pole while sideways throwing it up into the air before splitting in half, and ending up on its roof. It required a number of track marshals to flip it back onto its wheels, so that Rollason could escape uninjured.[4] [5]
The conditions made it difficult for even the very best to keep their cars under control. The works Lister-Jaguar with Moss behind the wheel, despite struggling for most of the race, came alive and moved up through the field passing both the Ferraris. After five hours, Moss led Behra and by now the little Porsche of Wolfgang von Trips and Jo Bonnier had moved into third. At this time, Scuderia Ferrari decided to call on the experience of Hill and Gendebien and added them the Gurney/Daigh car. Although the fans were not happy, this was a team event and Ferrari wanted to win. Then Moss was disqualified for illegal refuelling.
With the better drivers now driving the no.7, Hill passed Behra for the lead and the car held on to first place until the flag dropped. After 12 hours of racing, the Scuderia Ferrari of Gurney, Daigh, Hill and Gendebien won ahead of their team-mates Behra and Allison. Car number 7, took an impressive victory, completing 188 laps, covering 977.6 miles after 12 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 81.181mph. Second place went to the second Ferrari, albeit one lap adrift. The podium was complete by works Porsche of von Trips and Bonnier who were four laps behind the winners.[6]
Class Winners are in Bold text.
| Pos | No | Class | Driver | Entrant | Chassis | Laps | Reason Out | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 7 | S3.0 |  Dan Gurney Phil Hill | Chuck Daigh Olivier Gendebien | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 12hr 02:31.8, 188 | |
| 2nd | 9 | S3.0 |  Jean Behra |  Cliff Allison | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 187 | |
| 3rd | 31 | S2.0 | Wolfgang von Trips |  Jo Bonnier | Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 718 RSK | 184 | |
| 4th | 34 | S1.5 | Bob Holbert | Don Sesslar | Cyrus L. Fulton | Porsche 718 RSK | 182 | |
| 5th | 32 | S1.5 | John Fitch | Edgar Barth | Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 718 RSK | 181 | |
| 6th | 12 | S3.0 | E.D. Martin | Lance Reventlow | Edwin D. Martin | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 174 | |
| 7th | 14 | S3.0 | Ed Lunken Gaston Andrey | Augie Pabst | James Johnston | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 174 | |
| 8th | 35 | S1.5 | Jack McAfee | Ken Miles | Precision Motors | Porsche 718 RSK | 173 | |
| 9th | 70 | GT3.5 | Howard Hively | Richie Ginther | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 GT California | 171 | |
| 10th | 37 | S1.5 | Ray “Ernie” Erickson | Ed Hugus | Chester J. Flynn | Porsche 7118 RSK | 170 | |
| 11th | 33 | GT1.6 | Huschke von Hanstein | Carel Godin de Beaufort | Porsche Auto Co. | Porsche 356A Carrera GT | 164 | |
| 12th | 3 | S3.0 | Walt Hansgen | Dick Thompson | B.S. Cunningham | Lister-Jaguar | 164 | |
| 13th | 19T | S2.0 | Lloyd Casner Dan Collins | Jim Hunt | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 500 TRC | 164 | |
| 14th | 25 | GT2.0 | Bobby Burns James Cook | Roy Jackson-Moore | A.C. Cars, Ltd. | AC Ace | 164 | |
| 15th | 4 | S3.0 | Briggs Cunningham Russ Boss | Lake Underwood Stirling Moss | B.S. Cunningham | Lister-Jaguar | 164 | |
| 16th | 44 | GT1.3 | Jake Kaplan | Charlie Rainville | Jake Kaplan | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | 162 | |
| 17th | 59 | S750 | Gérard Laureau | Paul Armagnac | Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 162 | |
| 18th | 60 | S750 |  Alejandro de Tomaso Isabel Haskell | Denise McCluggage Ricardo Rodríguez | Alejandro de Tomaso | Osca S750 | 161 | |
| 19th | 48 | S1.1 | Frank Baptista Art Tweedale | Charles Wallace | Elva Engineering Co. | Elva-Climax Mk IV | 160 | |
| 20th | 15 | GT3.5 |  Alfonso Gomez-Mena | Juan Montalvo | Auto Sport Club, Havana | Ferrari 250 GT LWB | 160 | |
| 21st | 45 | GT1.3 | Pete Lovely Sam Weiss | Jay Chamberlain | Team Lotus | Lotus Elite | 160 | |
| 22nd | 24 | GT2.0 | Arch Means Ross Wees | Charles Kurtz | A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | 159 | |
| 23rd | 49 | S1.1 | Burdette Martin Chuck Dietrich | William Jordan | Elva Engineering Co. | Elva-Climax Mk IV | 158 | |
| 24th | 23T | GT2.0 | Lonnie Rix | Ed Rahal | A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | 158 | |
| 25th | 26 | GT2.0 | Max Goldman Sydney H. Arnolt | Ralph Durbin | S. H. Arnolt | Arnolt Boldie | 155 | |
| 26th | 22 | GT2.0 | Mike Rothschild | Arch McNeill | Fergus Motors (Morgan M.) | Morgan Plus 4 | 155 | |
| 27th | 28 | GT1.6 | Ray Saidel | Gus Ehrman | Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 155 | |
| 28th | 64 | GT750 | Bill Rutan Paul Richards | Ray Cuomo | Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 152 | |
| 29th | 62 | GT750 |  Lanzo Cussini | Remo Cattini | Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 150 | |
| 30th | 65 | GT750 | Bob Kuhn | Jim Jeffords | George F. Schrafft | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 149 | |
| 31st | 54 | GT1.0 | Phil Stiles |  Hugh Sutherland | Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 149 | |
| 32nd | 63 | GT750 | Mario Poltonieri | Alfonso Thiele | Roosevelt Auto Co. Inc. | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | 147 | |
| 33rd | 40 | S1.5 | Charles Moran, Jr. | George Rand | Charles Moran, Jr. | Lotus-Climax Eleven | 145 | |
| 34th | 29 | GT1.6 | John Dalton | Jim Parkinson | Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 145 | |
| 35th | 51 | GT1.3 | Harry Blanchard | Skip Callanan | Harry C. Blanchard | Lancia Appia Zagato | 144 | |
| 36th | 53 | GT1.0 | Ed Leavens | Harold Kunz | Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 142 | |
| 37th | 58 | S750 | Henri Perrier | Bill Wood | Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 141 | |
| 38th | 55 | GT1.0 | Fred Hayes John Colgate | John Christy | Hambro Auto Corp. | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | 141 | |
| 39th | 43 | GT1.3 | Bob Pfaff Wynn Kramarsky | Louis Comito Tom O'Brien | Louis Comito | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 140 | |
| 40th | 52 | GT1.3 | Peter Baumberger Walter Cronkite | Warren Rohlfs | Charles Kreisler | Lancia Appia Zagato | 140 | |
| 41st | 18 | S2.0 | Jim Hall | Hap Sharp | Carroll Shelby Sports Cars | Maserati 250S | 138 | |
| 42nd | 42 | GT1.3 | Bob Rubin Louis Comito | Bob Grossman | Robert Grossman | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 134 | |
| DNF | 10 | S3.0 | Rod Carveth | Gilbert Geitner | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 130 | Collision |
| DNF | 21 | GT2.0 | Charles Kolb Gene Hobbs | Fred Moore | Standard Triumph Motor Co. | Triumph TR3 | 128 | Valve |
| NC | 80 | GT1.0 | Fred Lieb | Smokey Drolet | Turner Sports Cars, Ltd. | Turner 750 Sport | 128 | |
| DNF | 27 | S2.0 | Harry Entwistle | Bob Hanna | Autosport, Ltd. | Lotus-Climax 15 | 126 | Electrics |
| NC | 47 | S1.1 | Tom Fleming Harry Dager | Bill Schade | Team Lotus | Lotus-Climax Eleven | 123 | |
| NC | 30 | GT1.6 | Ray Pickering Sherman Decker | Jack Flaherty | Hambro Auto Corp. | MG A Twin Cam | 121 | |
| DNF | 38 | S1.5 | Carl Haas Jay Middleton | Frank Campbell | Automobile OSCA | Osca S1500 | 115 | Wet ignition |
| NC | 16 | GT3.5 | George Reed George Arents | Don O'Dell | RRR Enterprises | Ferrari 250 GT LWB | 110 | |
| NC | 56 | S1.1 | Ricardo Rodríguez | Frank Bott | Automobile OSCA | Osca S950 | 106 | |
| DISQ | 2 | S3.0 | Ivor Bueb | Stirling Moss | The Lister Corp. | Lister-Jaguar | 98 | Illegal refuelling |
| NC | 20 | GT2.0 | Robert Samm Fred Moore | John Bentley | Standard Triumph Motor Co. | Triumph TR3 | 98 | |
| DNF | 66 | S750 | Robert Rollason | Sandy MacArthur | Sandy MacArthur | Stanguelliin S750 Bialbero | 97 | Accident |
| DNF | 57 | GT1.0 | Howard Hanna | Richard Toland | Deutsch & Bonnet | DB-Panhard HBR4 | 82 | Engine |
| DNF | 61 | S750 | Alan Markelson | Rees Makins | Automobile OSCA | Osca S750 | 82 | Electrics |
| DNF | 8 | S3.0 | Olivier Gendebien | Phil Hill | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 77 | Differential |
| DNF | 11 | S3.0 | Pedro Rodríguez | Paul O'Shea | Mexican National Auto Club | Ferrari 250 TR 58 | 66 | Engine |
| DNF | 46 | GT1.3 | Jay Chamberlain | Sam Weiss | Team Lotus | Lotus Elite | 65 | Engine |
| DNF | 36 | S1.5 | Roberto Mieres Pedro von Döry | Anton von Döry | Count von Döry | Porsche 718 RSK | 34 | Camshaft |
| DNF | 50 | S1.1 | M.R.J. Wyllie Margaret Wyllie | Skip Lange | M.R.J. Wyllie | Elva-Climax Mk. IV | 34 | Suspension |
| DNF | 1 | S3.0 | Roy Salvadori | Carroll Shelby | David Brown-Aston Martin | Aston Martin DBR1/300 | 32 | Gear lever |
| DNF | 41 | GT1.3 | Fred van Beuren Mario Mercader | Javier Velásquez | Fred T. van Beuren | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Veloce | 31 | Accident |
| DNF | 39 | S1.5 | Jean Lucas | Jean-François Malle | Los Amigos | Cooper-Climax Monaco T49 | 20 | Oil loss |
| DNF | 17 | GT3.5 | Duncan Forlong David Schiff | Joe Sheppard | Joe Sheppard-David Schiff | Aston Martin DB2/4 | 11 | Piston |
| DNS | 5 | S3.0 | Ed Lawrence Ralph Durbin | James Cook | Rallye Motors | Maserati 300S | Fatal accident (Lawrence) | |
| DNS | 19 | S3.0 | Lloyd Casner | Jim Hunt | North American Racing Team | Ferrari 250 TR | ||
| DNS | 23 | GT2.0 | Lonnie Rix George Avent | Ed Rahal | A. C. Car Ltd | AC Ace | practiced only (Road accident) | |
| Class | Winners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports 3000 – Class D | 7 | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | Gurney / Daigh / Hill / Gendebien |
| Sports 2000 – Class E | 31 | Porsche 718 RSK | von Trips / Bonnier |
| Sports 1500 – Class F | 34 | Porsche 718 RSK | Holbert / Sessiar |
| Sports 1100 – Class G | 48 | Elva-Climax Mk IV | Baptista / Wallace / Tweedale |
| Sports 750 – Class H | 59 | D.B.-Panhard HBR4 | Laureau / Armagnac |
| Grand Touring 3500 – Class 9 | 70 | Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder | Hively / Ginther |
| Grand Touring 2000 – Class 7 | 25 | AC Ace | Burns / Jackson-Moore / Cook |
| Grand Touring 1600 – Class 6 | 33 | Porsche 356A Carrera GT | von Hanstein / de Beaufort |
| Grand Touring 1300 – Class 5 | 44 | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | Kaplan / Rainville |
| Grand Touring 1000 – Class 4 | 54 | Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite | Stiles / Sutherland |
| Grand Touring 750 – Class 3 | 64 | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza | Rutan / Cuomo / Richards |
| Pos | Championship | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 8 |
| 2 | 4 | |
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.