Next weekend marks the annual running of the Sebring 12 Hours, one of the great sports-car races. To get yourself in the spirit, watch this recently posted video of the 1964 running. It’s overflowing with amazing cars, drivers, and unbelievable action.
At the sharp end of the field, it was less a question of “who would win?” and more, “which Ferrari would win?” Its 275 Ps dominated the over-3.0-liter Prototype class from start to finish. Further down, things get more interesting, with Shelby Cobras and Ferrari 250 GTOs battling for the GT 5.0-Liter class, a Cobra Daytona taking the win and fourth overall.
There are other interesting cars representing the broad spectrum of sports cars of the mid-1960s. For Porsches, you have the 904 Carrera GTS, 718, and a bunch of 356 Carreras, some sporting Zagato bodywork. Speaking of Zagato, Alfa Romeo brought over a couple of its gorgeous Giulia TZ, and as you’d expect for a race of this time, there are a bunch of Austin-Healey 3000s and Sprites and MG Bs.
The Corvette Grand Sport was forced to race as a prototype as Chevrolet only built a handful of examples, but even with Roger Penske and AJ Foyt driving them, they couldn’t beat the Cobras. Most surprising is a handful of Volvo P1800s, and for good measure, a couple of 1.0-liter Alpines that look absolutely stunning.
It’s a fascinating look back, reminding us just how primitive sports-car racing was in this day. This was the top level, but it all seems so casual, despite the massive talent and machinery at the track. It’s a far cry from what we’ll see from Sebring in a couple days time, but a lot of the big names—Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari, and Ford—will be very present and accounted for.