Join the Corvette factory race team for this recap of the 12 Hours of Sebring for 1957, featuring the sensational Corvette SS racer.   

A while back at Mac’s Motor City Garage, we featured an awesome little film by GM Photographic in 1957 on the design and development of the Corvette SS (Engineering the Corvette SS, April 25, 2013). Zora Arkus-Duntov’s blank-check effort to create a world-class racing sports car the equal of Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, the project fell short of its potential for multiple reasons. But even so, the film is a fascinating slice of history and technology—be sure to check it out.

This movie, also produced by GM Photographic in 1957, is the perfect followup, recording the Corvette team’s performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring that year. Alas, the Corvette SS didn’t last long, falling out early with a reported suspension bushing failure, and the overall victory went to Jean Behra and Juan Manuel Fangio in a Maserati 450S. The other three Corvettes on the Chevrolet team, the SR-2 and two production Corvettes, turned in a respectable performance, carrying the rest of the film.

The Corvette factory racing team would not last long in this iteration. The Sebring 12 Hours was held on March 23, and only 74 days later on June 6, the Automobile Manufacturers Association issued its famous edict that ended Chevrolet’s official involvement in racing for some years to come. But meanwhile, we have this excellent short film. Please enjoy.