Targa Florio

Sicily – 720 km. – June 10th.

Unlike last year the Targa Florio was not in the World Championship series and as a result it lost a lot of its glory and the entry was small. Run over 10 laps of the 72-kilometre Little-Madonie mountain circuit the only factory entries were a Ione 3-litre Maserati driven by Taruffi, two 3.5-litre Ferraris shared by the pairs, Collins/Castellotti and Gendebien/Herrmann, the Osca 1 1/2-litre of Cabianca, a Porsche RS driven by Maglioli/von Hanstein, and Villoresi with a 750-c.c. Osca.

On the opening lap Gendebien bent a wheel and lost time fitting the spare, and it was Castellotti who led, but at the end of the second lap he drew into the pit and retired with a broken transmission shaft.

Maglioli was hurling the little Porsche Spyder round the twisty circuit, just as he had done at Nurburgring and was well in the lead, ahead of Taruffi and Gendebien. The Maserati then lost a lot of time repairing a broken fuel tank mounting, and the Ferrari ran into mechanical trouble, letting Cabianca into second place. Nothing could stop the little Porsche and it came home an easy winner of this severe but not very competitive event.

Though Cabianca finished second he was subsequently disqualified as he had let Villoresi take over the 1,500-c.c. Osca out on the circuit, when the little 750-c.c. Osca broke down. Walking back to the pits Cabianca later retook the wheel of his car for the finish.

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 The International Mobilgas Economy Run (June 16/17th) was won by H.G. Kendrick (Austin A90), who achieved 29.74 m.p.g. Best Consumption was 63.62 m.p.g. by a Renault 750, easily vanquishing a Fiat 600, and Volkswagens were 1, 2, 3 in their class, the winning VW doing 43.02 m.p.g.