Pistons, Passions, Pleasures.

"It was a crazy idea, not just a contest to find the fastest car but a challenge between man, nature and machine"

Silvana Paladino,  widow of the last descendent of the Florio family,  guides host Francesco da Mosto through the ghosts of a different and splendid moment in the history of Sicily.

"Pistons, Passions, Pleasures- A Sicilian Dream"  traces the history of the Targa and the Florio family from the turn of the 20th century to the end of the race in the 1970's when  Porsche and Ferrari were developing special short wheelbase versions of their prototype cars specifically for this race and when the realities of speed and danger finally killed off a race which made the Nürburgring seem like a kart track.

It was the Belle Epoque and a time of wealth and progress on the island, when Palermo was a destination for European royalty and when the Florios were one of Italy's wealthiest families.

Into that family was born Vincenzo Florio, he did not have to follow the family business and was free to pursue his love of things mechanical and fast.    The rest is history.

This week end, the commemorative Mille Miglia is taking place in northern Italy but even in it's glory days,  that race paled in comparison to the difficulties of the 146 km long Circuito delle Madonie on which the world's first endurance race, the Targa Florio, had been held since 1906.

Sadly, while the legacy of the Mille Miglia endures, Sicily is letting the Targa Florio slip with the passing of those lucky enough to have witnessed it.  A real shame.

This hour long film, directed by Philip Walsh, is beautifully shot and written and stars along with da Mosto, Alain de Cadet and Doug Nye.  It will be well worth your setting aside time to watch it this week end,  especially so if you enjoy films along the lines of those produced by Petrolicious.

1977 was the final year for the Targa Florio.  Since 1906  the greatest names in motorsport were winners there: Nuvolari, Varzi, Villoresi, Moss, Von Trips, Hill, Elford, Siffert, Bandini, Redman, Van Lennep and of course, Mr. Targa Florio, Nino Vaccarella.

Thank you to the producers for preserving their memory with this wonderful film.
(and thanks to Stephen Mitchell!)

The Italian Job: Daniel Ricciardo in an Alfa Romeo T33!

Helmut Marko raced this Alfa Romeo T33 in the 1972 Targa Florio and Daniel Ricciardo's family roots are Sicilian so that explains the photo shoot for Red Bulletin which you should definitively go read.

Couple of things:

• Red Bull would bring fog machines,,,
• At 5'11, Daniel barely fits in the car.
• it's impossible for Ricciardo to come across as anything but a cool guy.

Here are pictures from the actual 1972 Targa Florio.

Short Wheelbase.

I always liked them better than the more famous 917's: the 908/3 was a short wheelbase barchetta special Porsche created to attack the Targa Florio and the Nürburgring.
Surely devilish to drive, 360HP for 1200 lbs (544 kg) with nothing much around the driver for safety, it had a shape that just lent itself to some of the coolest paint jobs of the era (attention Cayman Interseries!).

We saw a 908/3 and spoke to briefly to Brian Redman at the opening ceremony for the Monticello Motor Club a while back, what an honor to shake hands with a legend of motorsport.



In this clip Redman drives a 908/3 at last year's Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca and tells a bit of the story of this fantastic, mad machine . How cool are those clicky rev counters?


(Checkered Flag Films)

Catch a couple of period film clips of the 908/3 in action after the jump.

Darwin's Guard Rail.

Is that wrong?
No, it's not because as it turns out nobody was seriously injured...a rally miracle.

This was in Sicily during the Targa Florio a few years ago. The best part is the cameramen yelling insults at the human tire barriers who turn out to be quite effective as the car just takes off down the stage with just flatspotted tires to worry about! That and the emergency worker telling the crowd only the wounded can get to ride in the ambulance!




Now for a look at the real Targa Florio, let the great Vic Elford (who also "hit a local") take you for a drive... this is on the "whimpy" 45 mile course, which you did 10 times. the course included a 3.7 mile straight...lined with sheep presumably, for safety.