Maserati comes close

The No. 200 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage of Umberto Maglioli and Nino Vaccarella appeared to be heading for victory at the 1960 Targa Florio (pictured above), but a punctured radiator late in the race prevented it from achieving victory on Sicilian soil.

The 44th Targa Florio took place on 8 May 1960 at the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie in Sicily and was the third round of the World Sportscar Championship.

78 cars were at the start and Scuderia Ferrari, with its three cars, the new 250TR60 and Dino 246S and its leading drivers – Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Richie Ginther, Willy Mairesse, Ludovico Scarfiotti and Cliff Allison – was the big favorite for the event.

The Maserati Tipo 61, driven formidably by local boy Nino Vaccarella who would go on to break the lap record, and well supported by the solid veteran Umberto Maglioli, led the race after a long duel with the Porsche 718 RS60 of Hans Herrmann and Jo Bonnier, but a stone in its radiator decided otherwise and it was the German car that won ahead of the first Ferrari.