Journal: This Period Film Shows The Targa Florio In All Its Terrifying Glory

This Period Film Shows The Targa Florio In All Its Terrifying Glory

By Michael Banovsky
November 16, 2015

Though automakers and advertisers producing their own videos may seem strange, in the automotive world it’s something that’s happened since the very beginning. Some are quite good, including this one from Castrol in 1965.

What’s fascinating to me is how many of the cars in this film—notably the “big” Ferraris and Porsches—can be traced today to auction record-setters, historic racing entrants, and regular tour competitors. To have survived a race like this (much less mere practice at Targa Florio) is astonishing, and I mean that for the drivers and fans as much as the cars.

It’s been more than 50 years since the world’s best tackled this beautiful Sicilian circuit, and it’s a scene we’ll never see repeated. At least this film is a very full 42 minutes; enjoy

Image source: gatedsix.com

 

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Celio Parcera
Celio Parcera
8 years ago

Awesome video. Seeing those classic cars racing, it’s quite hard to believe they were new cars once! I especially love the Porsche 904 and of course the Ferrari GTO.

Rudolf Wesseln
Rudolf Wesseln
8 years ago

Great Video and really fun to watch it. For all of you who like to read about the Targa Florio I would like to refer to the book “Ten days in Sicily” written by Tony Adriaensens (also the author of Weekend heroes).

geelongvic
geelongvic
8 years ago

Superb! A wonderful time capsule of a race that could only occur in the autonomous region of Sicily. Too bad that portions of the old race circuit are now crumbling down the hillsides.

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