1958 12 Hours of Sebring

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On March 22, 1958, the 12 Hours of Sebring took place at Sebring International Raceway in Florida. It was the second round of the FIA World Sports Car Championship, now using a 3.0-litre engine limit. This was the seventh Sebring 12-hour race. A total of 73 cars were entered; 70 practiced and 65 started. With Maserati in financial trouble, Ferrari led the Italian challenge, bringing six 250 TRs including three works cars for Hill/Collins, Hawthorn/von Trips, and Musso/Gendebien. Aston Martin also fielded strong factory entries for Moss/Brooks and Salvadori/Shelby, plus a DB2/4. There were works Jaguars, Ecurie Ecosse D-Types, and Jaguar-engined Listers in the field.

Because there were no qualifying sessions, grid positions were decided by engine size. The pole went to the 4.6-litre Corvette C1 shared by Jim Rathmann and Dick Doane, followed by another Corvette and a third. Race day was sunny and warm but started chaotically with a false start as drivers sprinted to their cars. Jim Jeffords, starting from third, had a wheel problem on lap one and finished last.

Aston Martins led early with Moss in front, then Hawthorn and Salvadori. A collision and some retirements, including a Lister and several Jaguars by around lap 55, reshaped the field. Hill and Collins in the Ferrari began carefully to protect the gearbox and brakes, rising to fourth after the first hour. In the fifth hour, both Aston Martins retired with gearbox problems, letting Hill/Collins take the lead. By halfway, Ferraris occupied the top four places, with Musso/Gendebien in second and Schell/Seidel’s Porsche up to third, while a Lotus Eleven driven by Sam Weiss and David Tallakson impressed in fourth.

Late in the race, Hawthorn and von Trips retired on lap 159; Neumann/Ginther moved into fourth by lap 168. Hill and Collins held the lead to the finish. The winning car, number 14, completed 200 laps (about 1,040 miles) in 12 hours, at an average speed of 86.501 mph. Second place went to the other Ferrari of Musso/Gendebien, one lap behind; third was the works Porsche of Schell/Seidel, seven laps behind. The Lotus Eleven of Weiss/Tallakson finished in fourth. The Ferrari 250 TR cemented its status as the main World Sports Car Championship contender with a second straight win.