Casa de Beneficencia y Maternidad de La Habana

The Cuban Grand Prix, also known as the Havana Grand Prix, was a

sports car 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 ...

motor race held for a brief period in the late 1950s in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba, last raced in 1960. The 1958 race is best remembered as the backdrop to the kidnapping of Formula One World Champion driver Juan Manuel Fangio by anti-government rebels linked to the 26th of July Movement. There is an exclusive report in the newspaper ''Zig Zag'' by the man who allegedly kidnapped Fangio and a note by Fangio. The race was established in 1957 as

Fulgencio Batista Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar (; ; born Rubén Zaldívar, January 16, 1901 – August 6, 1973) was a Cuban military officer and politician who served as the elected president of Cuba from 1940 to 1944 and as its U.S.-backed military dictator ...

envisioned creating an event to attract tourists, particularly from the United States. A street circuit was established on the Malecón. The first race was a success; it was won by Fangio 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 ...

, leading home

Carroll Shelby Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified dur ...

driving a

Ferrari 410 S The Ferrari 410 S was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1955–1956. After the racing successes of 375 Plus, mainly in 1954 Carrera Panamericana, Ferrari decided to prepare another model for this marathon. The 410 S was intended as a l ...

and

Alfonso de Portago Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, 11th Marquess of Portago, GE (11 October 1928 – 12 May 1957), best known as Alfonso de Portago, was a Spanish aristocrat, racing and bobsleigh driver, jockey and pilot. Born in London to a prominent family ...

in a

Ferrari 860 Monza The Ferrari Monza is one of a series of cars built by Ferrari. In the early 1950s, Ferrari shifted from using the compact Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine in its smallest class of sports racers to a line of four-cylinder engines designe ...

. The following year the official Maserati team arrived in force with their fleet of Maserati 300S cars and Fangio and Stirling Moss as drivers. On the eve of the race Fangio was abducted from his hotel by an armed man. The Cuban government ordered the race to continue. Moss and

Masten Gregory Masten Gregory (February 29, 1932 − November 8, 1985) was an American racing driver. He raced in Formula One between and , participating in 43 World Championship races, and numerous non-Championship races. He was also a successful sports car r ...

led the race which was red flagged after just six laps. Armando Garcia Cifuentes had crashed his Ferrari into the crowd, killing seven. The 1959 race was cancelled as Fidel Castro's revolution entered its final stages. The race returned in 1960, at a new venue on service roads around a military airfield. Moss, driving a

Maserati Birdcage The Maserati Tipo 60/61 (commonly referred to as the Maserati Birdcage) are a series of sports racing cars produced between 1959 and 1961 by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati for privateers racing in sports car events including the 24 Hours ...

for privateer team

Camoradi Casner Motor Racing Division – also known as America Camoradi (casner motor racing division), Camoradi USA or Camoradi International – was an American racing team of the 1960s known for racing Maserati Birdcage sports cars, and a Porsche and ...

, had a comfortable victory over

NART The Nart sagas ( Abkhaz: Нарҭаа ражәабжьқәа; ''Nartaa raƶuabƶkua''; ady, Нарт тхыдэжъхэр, translit=Nart txıdəĵxər; os, Нарты кадджытæ; ''Narty kaddžytæ''; ''Nartı kadjıtæ'') are a series of ...

run Ferrari 250 TR59 driven by Pedro Rodríguez with Masten Gregory third in a Porsche 718.

Winners of the Cuban Grand Prix

Gallery

File:Cuban Grand Prix 4.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix 1958 File:Cuban Grand Prix 2.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix 1958 File:Cuban Grand Prix 6.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix 1958 File:Cuban Grand Prix 5.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix 1958 File:Cuban Grand Prix. Havana, Cuba.jpg, 23 February 1958. Cuban Grand Prix. Havana File:Cuban Grand Prix 1 Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix 2 Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix 3 Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix 4 Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix Fangio. Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix FOCSA. Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix

FOCSA Building The FOCSA Building is a residential and commercial block in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. At , it is the tallest building in Cuba. It was named after the contracting company ''Fomento de Obras y Construcciones, Sociedad Anónima'', and ...

. Havana, Cuba, 1957 File:Cuban Grand Prix Hill, O’Shea Ferrari 857S Monza. Havana, Cuba, 1957.jpg, Cuban Grand Prix Hill, O’Shea Ferrari 857 S. Havana, Cuba, 1957

References

External links

Cuban Grand Prix - 1958

Disaster At Cuban Grand Prix After Fangio Kidnapping (1958)

{{authority control Sports car races National Grands Prix

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1957 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1960 Auto racing controversies

Winners of the Cuban Grand Prix

Gallery

See also

References

External links