Targa… Fuori!

After Merzario-Munari’s victory in the Ferrari 312 PB in 1972 (ahead of the Alfa 33 of a certain Helmut Marko, who made an epic comeback and set the absolute lap record, partnered with Nanni Galli), the Scuderia sent two more prototypes to Sicily for 1973 because the famous event, run on a 92 km road circuit, counted towards the World Sportscar Championship.

As the photo above shows, the experience ended in a ditch for Jacky Ickx (whose only participation in the Targa this was), the other 312 PB of Arturo Merzario also retiring due to mechanical failure as did the Alfa 33 of Andrea de Adamich, damaged in a guardrail.

So, it was the Porsche 911 RSR of Herbert Müller and Gijs van Lennep (photo below) that won, like a snub from a GT to the prototypes not really adapted to this rough course, it is true. 

The 1973 Targa Florio was the last truly competitive one, although Larrousse-Ballestrieri (Lancia Stratos) in 1974 and Vaccarella-Merzario (Alfa Romeo 33TT12) in 1975 would nicely close the record before the limitation to 2 litres of displacement for the last two editions, then the definitive ban of this race created in 1906, finally resurrected as a historic rally since 1992.