The Targa Florio, the oldest car race in the world, in which Enzo Ferrari also participated

Held for the first time in 1906, the Targa Florio has featured notable figures from the automotive world, quickly becoming something more than just a simple competition.

The evocative peace of the narrow streets typical of the Sicilian countryside has often contrasted with the roar of the engines of the cars taking part in the world’s oldest motor race, known as the Targa Florio. First held in 1906, it was the brainchild of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, Vincenzo Florio— a Palermo-based entrepreneur from one of the most illustrious families of early 20th-century Sicily.

The competition, which experienced its only interruption during the two world wars, became a true meeting point for the nobility of the time and, soon, several prominent drivers were drawn to it, accepting the challenge of racing on the winding roads that cross the Sicilian Apennines. Among them were names like Alberto Ascari, Enzo Ferrari himself, who raced his first Targa Florio in 1919, Tazio Nuvolari, and the Sicilian driver Nino Vaccarella, the “Flying Headmaster,” who also raced in Formula 1 with Ferrari in the early 1960s.

Even the most renowned automotive manufacturers in the sporting world were attracted to the race organized by Vincenzo Florio, such as Alfa Romeo, Porsche, and, of course, Ferrari – the winner of the 1948 edition, just one year after the founding of the Scuderia – which became the undisputed protagonist in most of the following editions. Among the participants were also Maserati and Bugatti.

Innovative not only for bringing the world of racing to Sicily, the Targa Florio was a groundbreaking event for its time, especially during the early editions, when it made it possible for women to race as equals to men. Among them were Maria Antonietta Vanzo, the first woman ever to compete in the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, and to attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, and Elisabetta Junek, who nearly won the race in 1928 driving a Bugatti Type 35B.

The headquarters of the world’s oldest motor race was the Grand Hotel delle Terme in Termini Imerese, designed by Giuseppe Damiani Almejda, the same architect who created one of Palermo’s most prestigious theaters, the Politeama Garibaldi. The Hotel della Città delle Terme hosted the “Drake” (Enzo Ferrari) on several occasions during the race, and in this regard, the renowned journalist Franco Amodeo recounted an amusing anecdote that occurred to the Commendatore in the luxurious Palermo hotel: “Enzo Ferrari was trapped in the old cage elevator for over six hours, until the firefighters came to free him. A few years before his death, he told a journalist who had interviewed him that throughout his life, he had never been afraid—except for one occasion, when he got stuck in the elevator of the Albergo delle Terme “

In 1921, Enzo Ferrari raced an Alfa Romeo during the 12th edition of the Targa Florio.

In 1921, Enzo Ferrari raced an Alfa Romeo during the 12th edition of the Targa Florio.

The influence of the Florio family in Sicily was significant, as was the race that bears the name of its creator. In the early years of the 20th century, the Buonfornello station, a small hamlet in Termini Imerese, was expanded with a second railway track, while the Tribune of Cerda were built at the expense of Florio himself. These grandstands, also known as the Tribune of Floriopoli, remain a destination for motorsport enthusiasts to this day.

Between 1955 and 1973, the Targa Florio became part of the FIA World Sport Prototype Championship, a competition now included in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the LMP1 and LMP2 categories. Seventy-two years after its founding, in 1978, the race transformed into a rally, retaining its iconic name but shifting the route to the streets of the surrounding Sicilian towns, eventually reaching the capital, Palermo.

“Continue my work because I created it to challenge time” — these were the words of Vincenzo Florio, referring to the masterpiece that not only celebrates motorsport but, for 118 years, has also highlighted Sicily, blending breathtaking landscapes with some of the most beautiful cars in the world.