Sebring earlier in the week. Scrutineering has started, with the Count Giovanni Volpi Ferraris lined up. Both his Scuderia Serenissima entries were allowed to run in the GT class, the #16 California [assigned to Giorgio Scarlatti/Fabrizio Serena] due to its steel body, while #15 [for Carlo Abate/Giovanni Balzarini] because it was an older 250GT Tour de France model, already homologated in the U.S. The Lotus Elites were entered by Jay Chamberlain, the Lotus importer based in North Hollywood.
By Willem Oosthoek
All photos taken by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]
After the two support races on Friday, it was time for the 12 Hours itself. Unlike the wet 1959 event, Saturday’s weather promised to be warm and clear. But two things had changed for this year’s endurance race. The FIA had mandated new rules for the sportsracers, forcing them to meet the same requirements as the GT entries. This meant they had to feature a 25 cm high windshield, 30 cm high doors, a separate compartment for a suitcase measuring 20 x 40 x 65 cm, a ground clearance of 12 cm and a “useful” top. Many of the especially smaller and lower entries needed last-minute body modifications to comply with the new rules.