Ciao e bemvenuti! Sadly, this is the last ever passion blog, and I am certainly going to miss sharing some tidbits of my cultural story. I decided to wrap it up by telling the story of an iconic race that occurred in Sicily up until nearly the 1980s. The Targa Florio, as it was called, is a long-lost piece of Sicilian history that brought life to the island during its tenure. Let’s dive into the origins of La Targa and its history thereafter.
Beginning in 1906, the Targa Florio was a road race that looped a 30-mile circuit of Sicilian backroads. But let’s be clear here: the “road race” that is the Monaco Grand Prix is nothing near this. After all, Monaco is a fully developed city with loads of celebrities partying in their yachts. The roads there are nice and smooth; so smooth that fragile Formula One cars can drive on them without necessarily being destroyed. In Sicily, the roads to this day look like something out of a war zone. This was not enough, however, to stop Vincenzo Florio, a young wealthy wine connoisseur, from starting a race there. An automotive afficionado with the backing of Mommy and Daddy’s checkbook, Florio was able to coordinate a circuit race in which the most prominent racing teams of the day voyaged down to Sicily to test the limits of their cars. The likes of Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Bugatti all sent their cars there to compete for the ultimate glory of winning.
The irony of this last statement is insane (except for the Fiat, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo parts, of course). Nowadays, nobody would even think of bringing a Ferrari or Bugatti near the roads of Sicily. Last time I checked, many streets are too narrow for compact cars, and the paved roads that are wide enough are littered with potholes, steep drop-offs, sharp corners, and the occasional herd of sheep. Not to mention, I just described the roads in modern times. Just imagine them any time before the 1970s and 80s. So, we end up with the equation: 1 pretentious Italian dude + 1 windy, sketchy road + 10 prestigious racecar brands = 1 amazing race. What can go wrong? Well, lots can go wrong. Let’s talk about the track because that is the big problem child. In one lap, drivers saw 710 corners, animal pedestrians, stone walls, cliffs, poles, potholes, and bandits. Yeah, that’s nothing like Monaco
And yet for the thrill of racing, some of the greatest drivers brought their cars to the race. The names of Tazio Nuvolari, Vincenzo Lancia, Enzo Ferrari, and Carroll Shelby all left their mark on the race, bringing some of the most renowned cars ever. Automotive gems, like the Bugatti Type 35 C, the Ferrari 250 GTO, and the Mercedes 300 SLR (I just named about $200 million worth of cars) competed in the race. With these big names in the racing game, the culture around this race grew. La Targa became a nationally recognized race, and people would flock to Sicily to watch it. Unfortunately, as the cars became faster, road racing became unsafe, and the Targa Florio retired in 1977. Nonetheless, the race was one of the most memorable of all time for spectators and drivers alike, and it is a key piece of Italian history. Grazie per leggere questo blog!
Source:
https://sportscardigest.com/history-of-the-targa-florio-race-profile/
I think that this might be my favorite post you’ve done–the information is presented in a super digestible way, and your humor is on full display and greatly accentuates the sheer chaotic-ness of the whole situation. I’m going to miss reading your blog posts, but this is certainly the best way to go out.
I thought this was super interesting because I am a big car fan and if I saw this in person, it would be amazing. I also thought it was hilarious that all of these supercars would be racing on this narrow road that was definitely not built to withstand this race. It’s also super cool that Enzo Ferrari showed up to race on this road. Moreover, bandits? I find that so weird because the fact these racers had to not only deal with their competition but also worry about bandits is ridiculous. It feels like one of those simulated fake races because nowadays all races are all professional within a stadium and do not have that authentic racing aspect to it.
Although it is weird to have potholes, animals, or bandits while racing, it can add to the overall vibe of authentic racing if you know what I mean. Overall, this was a great post!
As a person who is quite into cars, I found this post quite interesting to read. I actually think all the crazy obstacles would make the race far more interesting since it will push the cars to their absolute physical limits in terms of the abuse they will endure. Although it might be unfair at times, I think it can help bring back a sense of dumb fun to the sport of automotive racing.