GRR

Video: This footage shows how crazy the Targa Florio was

10th November 2020
Laura Thomson

The year is 1973, and the Targa Florio is at its furious crescendo. The cars are bigger, faster and more powerful than ever before, and the drivers bolder. More than 600 horsepower is coursing through these cars, which in turn are coursing through tiny Italian mountain towns, with spectators assembled barely inches away from the action. And they can’t get enough of the action.

Unfortunately, the Targa Florio ceased to exist on the same scale from the following year, and folded altogether in 1977 – a crying shame for the road-racing world. But now, thanks to the painstaking work of YouTuber Formula60, we can now relive that final year in a visceral compilation of remastered racing footage.

Watch as cars like the Ferrari 312PB, Alfa Romeo 33TT12, Porsche 911 RSR and Lancia Stratos fly by in 60fps, their wide bodies clinging to the ground and their engines screaming in agreement. Interestingly, this sound was added retrospectively, for the original film footage from the Archivio Nazionale Cinema d'Impresa was silent.

This incredible video has to be the closest we’ll ever get to the sidelines of Seventies racing, and what a beautiful sight it is. Happy Tuesday!

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: The V10 Dallara SP2 is a quadruple espresso in car form

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