1956 Giant's Despair...the year the minute was broken..

[Ron Mann]

GIANTS DESPAIR HILL CLIMB
By Alix Lafontant
Road and Track
October, 1956


One word surfaces to describe the 1956 edition of this event: WET. But let’s hasten to say that though the elements were not in a celebrating mood, the spirit of the organizers retained all the enthusiasm inspired by the Golden Jubilee of Giants Despair Hill Climb. The publicity for this event was so expertly handled that in spite of the heavy downpour, with no let-up in the forecast, the crowd kept trickling in at a steady flow. By noon, there was hardly an open space behind the fences of the mile-long course. Spectators, who last year sweltered in 110 degree heat, were packed three deep under the umbrellas designed for one, and appeared to be gliding over the dense white clouds of steam rising up from the damp, coal-rich earth.

Ninety drivers, displaying an array of cars from the pint-size to the multi-liter monsters, queued at the foot of the mountain awaiting their turn to test their skill against the 20% grade of the famous S, justly named Devil’s Elbow. The goal for the big cars: to effectuate the climb in one minute flat (60 mph).

For some undetermined reason, the magic mile-a-minute seems to be the most sought after speed in a number of hill climbs. Is it because the challenge of the course, in most cases, is so great that 60 mph represents the mark to shoot for, or is it a heritage of the pioneering days of automobiles when such speed was the ultimate in daredevilsih velocity? Anyway the old Giant, who over a period of 50 years had resisted the legendary assaults of a Ralph De Palma in yesteryears and a Phil Walters or an Erwin Goldschmidt in our present era, was finally subdued by Carroll Shelby, the “Flying Texan.” Shelby, at the helm of a 4.5 Grand Prix Ferrari, not only broke Goldschmidt’s standing record of 1:01.26 established in 1954 but he crashed through the “sonic barrier” of a mile-a-minute, making the run in 0:58.768. At the time of this spectacular run, the rain had recessed for a while and the pavement was relatively dry, but the most daring performance took place the day before during practice when in a steady downpour he shattered Goldschmidt’s record with a swift 1:00.429.

In keeping with the tempo of the celebration of Wilkes-Barre’s sesquicentennial, which coincided with the Golden Jubilee of Giant’s Despair Hill Climb, great excitement was yet to come. Bob Bucher mounted in a Cadillac-Allard also broke the 1954 record with 0:59.867 and went on further to become with Shelby the only pair to have traveled on wheels at better than a 60 mph average over this course. Sherwood Johnston in a D-Jaguar, with a time of 1:00.340, also shared the honor of bettering the old record and placed third overall. Jack McAfee registered 1:03.413 in a Porsche Spyder; Paul O’Shea in a Mercedes 300 SL, 1:04.665; Dick Thompson 1:04.689 with a Corvette; Roland Gizzi in a T-Bird 1:13.773; Frank Baptista 1:08.999 in a Mark IX Lotus; Harry Carter 1:07.842 in a XK140MC Jag.

For the sake of comparison we have shown only the time of a few cars which have done best in their classes. However, many more turned in fined performances, breaking records in all classes. Now that the previous record has been broken not only by a fraction of a second, as is usually he case, but by a full tow and a half seconds, we dare not venture any prediction for next year. However, many seem to wonder where we go from here.


1956 Giant’s Despair
Class Results


NAME CAR CLASS ME
Carroll Shelby Ferrari G.P. Unlimited 58.768
Robert Bucher Cadillac-Allard BM 59.867
Roland Gizzi T-Bird BP 1:13.773
Sherwood Johnston D-Jaguar CM 1:00.340
Richard Thompson Corvette CP 1:04.689
Paul O’Shea Mercedes Benz 300SL DP 1:04.667
Robert Goldrich Ferrari Mond. EM 1:05.514
Jack McAfee Porsche 550 FM 1:03.413
Lake Underwood Porsche FP 1:10.703
Charles Henry MGTC MG-1250 1:28.846
Dave Ash MGA MG-1500 1:22.153
E. Pupulidy Porsche GP 1:21.533
Frank Baptista Lotus Mk IX G & HM 1:08.999