The 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy was a 100-mile motor race for

sports cars A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

,Australian Tourist Trophy (Entry list), First Day Programme, Australian Tourist Trophy (1956), page 47 staged at the

Albert Park Circuit The Albert Park Circuit is a motorsport street circuit around Albert Park Lake, three kilometres south of central Melbourne. It is used annually as a circuit for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix, the supporting Supercars Championship Mel ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia on 25 November 1956. It was the first in a sequence of annual

Australian Tourist Trophy The Australian Tourist Trophy is a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport-sanctioned national motor racing title, contested between 1956 and 1979 by Sports Cars and, since 2007, by GT cars. The trophy is currently awarded to the outright winner ...

races, each of these being recognised by the

Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Motorsport Australia, formerly the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), is the nationally recognised governing and sanctioning body for four-wheeled motorsport in Australia. It is affiliated with the Federation Internationale de l'A ...

as the Australian Championship for sports cars.National Titles, 1961 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, page 53 The race was won by Stirling Moss driving a

Maserati 300S The Maserati 300S was a racing car produced by Maserati of Italy between 1955 and 1958 to compete in the FIA's World Sportscar Championship. Twenty-six examples were produced. Background The 3.0-litre (approx at 6200 rpm) engine was based on th ...

.Athol Yeomans, ''Moss in walkover win, Behra second'', Wheels (magazine), January 1957, pages 60 & 61.

Class Structure

Cars competed in five classes based on

engine capacity Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

: * Open * 2701 - 3000cc * 1501 - 2700cc * 1101 - 1500cc * Up to 1100cc Class awards were restricted to Australian residents only.First Day's Race Results, Second Day Programme, Australian Grand Prix (1956), page 11

Results

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, Officine Alfieri Maserati , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , N/A , align="center" , 32 , - , height="14" align="center" , 2 , Jean Behra , align="center" , 6 ,

, Officine Alfieri Maserati , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , N/A , align="center" , 32 , - , height="14" align="center" , 3 ,

Ken Wharton Frederick Charles Kenneth Wharton (21 March 1916 – 12 January 1957) was a British racing driver from Smethwick, England. He competed in off-road trials, hillclimbs, and rallying, and also raced sports cars and single-seaters. He began racing ...

, align="center" , 10 , Ferrari 750 Monza , K Wharton , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , N/A , align="center" , 31 , - , height="14" align="center" , 4 , Bill Pitt , align="center" , 2 , Jaguar D-Type , Mrs G Anderson , Open , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 31 , - , height="14" align="center" , 5 ,

Bib Stillwell Bib Stillwell (born Bermar Sellars Stillwell; 31 July 1927 – 12 June 1999) was a racing driver who was active in Australian motor racing from 1947 to 1965. He won the Australian Drivers' Championship in each of the four years from 1962 to 1965 ...

, align="center" , 5 , Jaguar D-Type , BS Stillwell , Open , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 31 , - , height="14" align="center" , 6 , Peter Whitehead , align="center" , 8 , Ferrari 750 Monza , PN Whitehead , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , N/A , align="center" , 31 , - , height="14" align="center" , 7 ,

Lex Davison Alexander Nicholas Davison (12 February 1923 – 20 February 1965) was a racing driver who won the Australian Grand Prix four times between 1954 and 1961 and won the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1957. He drove HWM-Jaguar, Ferrari, As ...

, align="center" , 3 , HWM Jaguar , Ecurie Australie , Open , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 29 , - , height="14" align="center" , 8 , Ross Jensen , align="center" , 18 ,

Austin-Healey 100S The Austin-Healey 100 is a sports car that was built by Austin-Healey from 1953 until 1956. Based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals, it was developed by Donald Healey to be produced in-house by his small Healey car company in Warwick. Healey ...

, R Jensen , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , N/A , align="center" , 29 , - , height="14" align="center" , 9 , Tom Sulman , align="center" , 14 ,

Aston Martin DB3S The Aston Martin DB3S is a sports racing car that was built by Aston Martin. Following the failure of the heavy and uncompetitive Aston Martin DB3 designed by Eberan Eberhorst; William Watson, employed as Eberhorst's assistant, presented an alt ...

, T Sulman , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 29 , - , height="14" align="center" , 10 , Ron Phillips , align="center" , 20 ,

, JK & RK Phillips , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 28 , - , height="14" align="center" , 11 ,

Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in , , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name. Brabham was a R ...

, align="center" , 35 , Cooper T39

Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, racing, and other specialty engine manufacturer. History Pre WW1 The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was reloca ...

, Cooper Car Co Limited , 1101 - 1500cc , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 28 , - , height="14" align="center" , 12 , Paul England , align="center" , 25 , Ausca Sports , PT England , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 28 , - , height="14" align="center" , 13 , Derek Jolly , align="center" , 38 , Decca Mk 2 Special , DE Jolly , Up to 1100cc , align="center" , 1 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 14 , G Bailieu , align="center" , 26 ,

Triumph TR2 The Triumph TR2 is a sports car produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1955. It was only available in roadster form. The car had a 121 cid (1991 cc) four-cylinder Standard wet liner inline-fou ...

Special , G Bailieu , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 15 , Colin Miller , align="center" , 19 ,

Austin-Healey 100 The Austin-Healey 100 is a sports car that was built by Austin-Healey from 1953 until 1956. Based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals, it was developed by Donald Healey to be produced in-house by his small Healey car company in Warwick. Heal ...

, CW Miller , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 4 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 16 ,

Doug Whiteford Doug Whiteford was an Australian racing driver. Whiteford raced from the mid-1930s through to 1975 with a short period of inactivity during the 1960s.Ray Bell, Vale – Doug Whiteford, Racing Car News, February 1979, page 11 He was best known a ...

, align="center" , 23 ,

, D Whiteford , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 5 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 17 , Ray Gibbs , align="center" , 17 ,

, RG Gibbs , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 6 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 18 , Keith Jones , align="center" , 16 ,

Ferrari 225 S The Ferrari 225 S was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1952. It was an evolution over the preceding Ferrari 212 Export with important engine upgrades that greatly improved power output. The model was extensively used in competition, win ...

, N Sacilotto , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 27 , - , height="14" align="center" , 19 , LJ Taylor , align="center" , 43 ,

, LJ Taylor , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 7 , align="center" , 26 , - , height="14" align="center" , 20 , Barry Topen , align="center" , 34 , MG TF , BD Topen , 1101 - 1500cc , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 26 , - , height="14" align="center" , 21 , HC Old , align="center" , 31 , Porsche , Monaro Motors , 1101 - 1500 cc , align="center" , 3 , align="center" , 26 , - , height="14" align="center" , 22 , Sam Miller , align="center" , 22 ,

, SN Miller , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , 8 , align="center" , 25 , - , height="14" align="center" , 23 , Ralph Snodgrass , align="center" , 4 , Allard J2 , RW Snodgrass , Open , align="center" , 4 , align="center" , 25 , - , height="14" align="center" , 24 , Jim Gullan , align="center" , 39 ,

MG K3 The MG K-type Magnette is a motor car produced in the United Kingdom by MG from October 1932 to 1934. Launched at the 1932 London Motor Show, the K-Type replaced the F-Type Magna but having at first a slightly smaller capacity engine it took ...

s/c , J Gullan , Up to 1100cc , align="center" , 2 , align="center" , 24 , - , height="14" align="center" , 25 , AC Newman , align="center" , 33 , MG , AC Newman , 1101 - 1500 cc , align="center" , 4 , align="center" , 21 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , Doug Chivas , align="center" , 37 , Lotus Mk.6

, DG Chivas , Up to 1100cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 24 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , John AldisAldis is listed in the Official Programme, the Commemorative Programme and in Green's Glory Days. The Wheels magazine report says the car was driver by John Grey and Blanden says Alan Gray , align="center" , 1 , Cooper T33 Jaguar , JA Aldis , Open , align="center" , , align="center" , 19 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , Stan Coffey , align="center" , 9 , Ferrari 750A , Dowidat Spanner Distributors , 2701 - 3000cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 20 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , Bill Coad , align="center" , 24 ,

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

Special , WF Coad , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 16 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , WJ Clemens , align="center" , 41 ,

, WJ Clemens , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 8 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , NF Price , align="center" , 42 ,

, NF Price , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 7 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , AS Baker , align="center" , 27 ,

, AS Baker , 1501 - 2700cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 7 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , Otto Stone , align="center" , 30 , Porsche , N McK. Hamilton , 1101 - 1500 cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 1 , - , height="14" align="center" , DNF , Bill Patterson , align="center" , 36 , Cooper Type 39

, Bill Patterson Motors P/L , 1101 - 1500cc , align="center" , , align="center" , 1

Notes

* Race distance: 32 laps - 100 miles * Starters: 34 * Winner's race time: 1h 3m 24.2s (94.6 mph) * Fastest lap: Stirling Moss - 1:55.8 (97.15 mph) Sports car lap record * First Australian driver: Bill Pitt * Joseph Lucas Trophy (for driver of the first British car): Bill Pitt

Notes & references

External links

Image of Stirling Moss (Maserati 300S) at the 1956 Australian Tourist Trophy, www.motorsportarchive.com
Australian Tourist Trophy Tourist Trophy Motorsport at Albert Park November 1956 sports events in Australia