This could be an opera in several parts. It might have been written by Verdi or Wagner. It has a number of stars. For the purpose of this tale, the car–a 1973 Porsche Carrera RS—is one star, and for history another star is the late, lamented Targa Florio, the very last true European road race. Our script sees the car and the famed Sicilian race come together for one significant meeting…the 57th and final chase round the 72-kilometer Madonie circuit. Motor racing was moving on, and no longer would there be a championship race over the mountain roads in Sicily.
Enjoying the Carrera RS at Porsche’s Silverstone Driving Centre, the author found it didn’t seem to be anywhere near 37 years out of date. Photo: Pete Austin
It is true that the last Targa was not one of the great classics. Three world-class sports cars, two Ferraris and an Alfa Romeo, showed up, but none of this trio made it to the end of the fourth lap. Instead, it was a Teutonic victory for a GT car, the Martini Porsche of Gijs van Lennep and Herbie Müller.
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