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.
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