Altough the Cobra Daytona was fasted away at the start, the car ran in serious troubles during the first lap. It was passed by the Ferraris of Parkes and Guichet, later by Protheroe's Jaguar and Piper's "lowline" and had to return later four times to the pits before the aspiration problem was resolved. More than 15 minutes were lost in the box before Phil Hill could go for it. His arrears were too big and he could do no more than beating several times the lap record, being the fastest car on the circuit. During the first third of the race Piper succeeded to move in second position behind the 250 GTO-64 of country mate Parkes. Later the two Ferrari works cars of Guichet and Bandini will pass the two Britons with Bianchi in fourth position behind Parkes. When Protheroe has gearbox problems and Bianchi a blown gasket, Piper moves into fourth position. Being faster at the La Source Hairpin Parkes will pass later the two works Ferraris, winning the race.

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE START GRID

May 17, 1964. Sky is cloudless blue, sunny and sun hot during the week-end of the Spa 500-kms, fifth round for FISA's Manufacturers World Championship. It's the second round where only Grand Touring cars are allowed to start (just as at the Daytona 2000-kms).

THE ENTRY
Having been dominated by the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona, as well at Daytona, and , Sebring, Ferrari has only a small 3 points lead over Ford on going to the Belgian Ardennes for a 500-kms race on the fastest European circuit. Having won the Manufacturers Worlds eleven times on twelve entries, Eugenio Dragoni - Ferrari's race director - can convince Il Commendatore that times have changed. In the past the Worlds could be won with the help of privateers in the GT cars. But now Ford is in place, and shows with some of the best racers on earth, the Prancing Horse should send at least some works Grand Touring cars to the championship's rounds. Enzo Ferrari, however, is (only on paper) not convinced to change his old strategy and maintains (officially) his traditional policy: Ferrari GT cars have to be raced by clients, not by works drivers. The truth, however, was other.
Ferrari thus comes to Spa with no less than eleven GTOs and two 250 SWB Drogos. all driven by clients. However, rumour goes that the two Ferraris 250 GTO-64, officially entered by the Scuderia Filipinetti are full works cars. It concerns the 4675 GT (having retired at the Targa Florio after Facetti's driver's error) for Jean Guichet, and the 5573 GT (having been disqualified at Sebring) for Lorenzo Bandini. There can be not the smallest doubt that it are two full works cars since they were as well at the Targa as at Sebring assisted by Modena's works crew. The local Écurie Francorchamps - officially the Écurie Nationale Belge - of Jaques Swaters has the new 250 GTO-64 with chassis 5575 GT for Lucien Bianchi, the 250 GTO with chassis 4153 GT for Gérard Langlois van Ophem and the old 250 GT SWB Drogo with chassis 2053 GT for Francis van Lysbeth at the start. The colonel of Maranello Concessionaires is present with the 250 GTO-64 (chassis 4399 GT) having won the Daily Express; but now with Mike Parkes as driver. The other 250 GTOs are private entries by David Piper, Peter Clarke, Manfred Ramminger, Xavier Boulanger, Ulf Norinder and Pierre Noblet.
Ford is present with four full works cars: the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona (chassis CSX2287) having won Div III (GT3) at Sebring for Phil Hill, and three 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadsters for Bob Bondurant, Innes Ireland and Jo Schlesser.
Porsche has no less than eleven new 2.0 Porsches 904 GTS at the start. Among them the silver grey works 904 GTS having won the Targa Florio with Edgar Barth as driver, a similar works car for Gerard Koch, two orange 904 GTS of Racing Team Holland for Ben Pon and Henk van Zalinge, and the red 904 GTS with the white cross of the Scuderia Filipinetti for Herbert Müller. It will be the first open confrontation with the new 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT. Indeed Abarth Corse is present with three such works cars for Hans Hermann, Franco Patria and Giancarlo Baghetti. The rest of the field is mainly made up by British cars, among them the two ex-works Aston Martins DP214, two Lightweigt Jaguars Type E, three new Lotus Elan 26R, two MGBs, two Triumphs TR4 and two Morgans Plus 4 already seen at last year's Tourist Trophy. In total 50 cars showed for the race.

THE QUALIFICATIONS
Fastest qualifier is Mike Parkes in the #20 Maranello 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 in 4'09"0, immediately followed by Phil Hill's #1 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona in 4'09"2, by Jean Guichet in the #21 works Ferrari 250 GTO-64 in 4'12"0, and by Dick Proteroe in his very quick #9 3.8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight in 4'12"2. In Div II the #41 works Porsche of Edgar Barth is fastest (10th overall) in 4'18"0, ahead over Ben Pon in the orange #47 904 GTS in 4'22"7, whilst the fastest 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT of Franco Patria comes no further than 4'24"2. Two Porsches 904 GTS are crashed during the qualifications and will not start: the orange #48 one of Henk van Zalinge and the wine red #49 of Edmond Meert. No complete files of the qualifications were left, so that we could only base upon what was published in Virage Auto of June 1964.

THE RACE
Fastest away on the dropping flag was Phil Hill (#1 Shelby Cobra Daytona). Contrarily to what happened at Daytona and Sebring, he was not flying away from the rest of the field, but already at the first lap surrounded by no less than four Ferraris 250 GTO-64: the two works cars of Guichet and Bandini, Maranello's of Parke and the Belgian one of Lucien Bianchi. After the race America's Phill Hill told that he felt himself as a modern gladiator surrounded by four wild lions. The leading five are followed initially at a striking distance by the fast #6 Aston Martin DP214 (runner-up at the Daily Express Trophy) and the #9 Jaguar E-type of Dick Protheroe. During the second lap, a highly frustrated Phill Hill saw the Ferrari armada flying away from his Cobra Coupe, when at once the car lost a high bit of its power. He thus planted the American machinery straight for his pit, reporting a lack of fuel pressure. After a further stop the problem was traced to a filter blockage, and Phil set then off in anger three laps in arrears on the swarm of four GTOs-64.

ORGANISERS OF THE SPA 500-KMS AND THE ADAC NÜRBURGRING 1000-KILOMETER RENNEN used several years the same bill board on which they changed only year after year the dates and the prices. On applying the Belgian general price index the best places (the so-called loges) were sold at the equivalent of € 35.00 of our days. That was pretty cheap compared with the actual prices but expensive if one considers that an average monthly wage income was just above the equivalent of € 350.

Pace of that swarm, however is so high, that after 12 laps the gap between the leading quartet and the duo Salmon-Protheroe is already more than 40 seconds. Meanwhile we lost already two of the three works Abarths-Simca 2000 GT: Hermann's #54 on brakes woes and Baghetti's #53 on a broken transmission. Far behind Phil Hill is consistently breaking the lap record in an effort to vent his frustration over what he (error!) considered a certain victory lost. Eventually his fasted lap time will be 4'04"5, that is an average of 207.607 kph. Never before a Grand Touring car went so fast over the Spa track. Freed from the Cobra Daytona the four front runners returned to their steamroller schedule. 
Of the three works 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadsters with the numbers #2 (Innes Ireland), #3 (Bob Bondurant) and #4 (Jo Schlesser) none was able to follow the pace set by the Ferraris. Under the burning sun at 26° Celsius they even could not follow the Lightweight Jaguars (#8 Sutcliffe and #9 Protheroe) and the #6 Aston Martin DP214 of Mike Salmon (having realised the eight fastest time in 4'13"0 at the Qualifications). Keith Bluemel wrote: "The Cobra roadsters were well off the pace on this high-speed circuit, proving to have the proverbial aerodynamic properties of a brick on the long straight", op. cit., p. 145. Eventually the fastest roadster - Bob Bondurants - should finish as ninth, even headed by three 2-litre Porsches 904 GTS. 
Initially Parkes and Piper are leading the race, but after one hour order is Guichet (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), Bandini (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), Parkes (Ferrari 250 GTO-64) and Bianchi (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), all four within a handful of seconds, followed at more than one minute by Protheroe (Jaguar) and Piper (250 GTO), racing nose to tail. The Aston Martin DP214 of Mike Salmon comes a half minute later, followed by Gérard Langlois van Ophem in the #27 4153 GT Ferrari 250 GTO and a trio of Porsches 904 GTS under commando of Edgar Barth. 

SECOND PLACE IN THE SPA 500-KMS went to Jean Guichet in the works 4675 GT 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (entered under the banner of the Scuderia Filipinetti). Here we see Guichet, the French ships builder, exiting La Source hairpin. The shot admirably shows the long-roof configuration, used only on this car and the 3413 GT as raced by Corrado Ferlaino and Luigi Taramazzo (#114) at the 1964 Targa Florio at Madonie Piccolo. SOURCE: Keith Bluemel and Jess G. Pourret (1998), Ferrari 250 GTO, Bideford (Devon): View Books, p. 146.

The lonely surviving Abarth-Simca 2000 GT - Franco Patria's #55 - is still there, but already one lap down to the trio of Porsches. The private GTO Ferraris of Peter Clarke (#29), Boulanger (#30) and Ramminger (#31) are already retired, just as the two Drogo Ferraris 250 GT. Shortly later its the turn of Brian Hetreed to abandon one of the two Dawney Racing Astons (the #7). The nine Porsches 904 GTS having started are still all nine racing, the fastest of them (Barth's) reaching average speeds of 200 kph. Despite their great driving talent Bob Bondurant, Jo Schlesser and Innes Ireland cannot follow the fastest Porsches with their Cobra roadsters.
In front positions switch no longer from lap to lap when the Colonel gives Parkes instructions to go flat out. He pulls away from Lucien Bianchi and Jean Guichet. After a prolonged pit stop Lorenzo Bandini follows one minute later. When, with five laps to go, Bianchi tries to close the gap with Parkes he blows his engine and is out. Not already out, but progressing at moderated speed, Phil Hill has forced the engine of his Shelby Cobra Daytona and drops from 18th position (at three laps) into 22nd position at seven laps. He'll not reach the finish line, but will be classified. One of the nine Porsches 904 GTS is disqualified for irregular help: Gerhard Osterfeld's. Two other 904 GTS Porsches are ill-fated and follow at considerable distance: the Belgian ones of "Eldé" (Lucien Dernier) and Émile-Claude Clemens.
With Lucien Bianchi out and five laps to go only five cars are still in the lead lap; In fifth position, struggling with the green Ferrari 250 GTO of David Piper, we find Dick Protheroe in his personal Lightweight Jaguar. Unfortunately he'll drop from fifth to twelfth position when, one lap further, he has only two gears left. So, Edgar Barth (#41 Porsche 904 GTS), can move up in fifth position, but more than a full lap down to Mike Parkes, who'll win after 2h32'05"2 the race, 1'08"9 seconds ahead over Jean Guichet and 2'15"2 over Bandini in the other works Ferrari 250 GTO-64. David Piper and érard Langlois van Ophem make the success of the Prancing Horse complete by finishing as fourth and sixth. Div II (GT2) is easily won by Edgar Barth, finishing fifth OA, 1'09"0 ahead over Gerhard Koch in the other works Porsche and 1'32"0 over Ben Pon in the orange Dutch Porsche. First Ford, finishing only sixth in Div III (GT3) is Bob Bondurant's roadster, beating Peter Sutcliffe's #8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight for the ninth place OA on the finish line.
After five rounds provisional standings for the 1964 FISA Manufacturers Worlds are as follows: Ferrari leads in Div III (GT3) with 30.9 + 11.7 = 42.6 points against 27.9 + 1.3 = 29.2 points for Ford. In Div II (GT3) Porsche leads with 40.5 + 11.7 = 52.2 points, against 12.8 points for Alfa Romeo, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 points for Abarth and Sunbeam, and 1.6 points for Ford-Lotus. In Div I (GT1) Abarth counts always 26.1 points,  against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, 9 points for Lotus and 2.6 points for Fiat. No points could be won at Spa for Div I (GT1) cars, even not allowed to start. After five rounds stand in the international Ford-Ferrari combat is up to 1-3, whilst the stand in the Porsche-Abarth combat in the two litre-class is 2-0.

TOP: THE LOTUS ELAN OF HENRI QUERNETTE - EVEN NOT AN R26 - FINISHED 19th OA.
UNDER: THERE WAS NO REAL COMBAT PORSCHE-ABARTH AT SPA. Already at practice the fastest Abarth-Simca 2000 GT was preceded by three Porsches 904 GTS. Here the Abarth-Simca 2000 GT of Hans Hermann heading two Porsches.

ENGLAND'S DAVID PIPER FINISHED FOURTH at the Spa 500-kms, proving that his "lowline" model was aerodynamically efficient. Indeed, Piper modified this car by cutting the windscreen down and lowering the roof. Picture above is not the 4491 GT as raced at Spa, but Piper's first GTO with chassis 3767 GT with which he won in 1962 the Kyalami 9 hours. He sold the car end 1963 to America's Ed Cantrell. Bonnet louvres and a third exhaust slot were added. Here the 3767 GT at the 1963 Sebring 12 hours. We could not find a good ORIGINAL colour picture of the 4491 GT as raced in 1964.

IT'S STILL EARLY IN THE RACE. In the #25 David Piper defends his second place (which he'll maintain during the 13 first laps). The Jaguar of Dick Protheroe will be passed one lap futher by the Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Jean Guichet.