Ok. Actually it’s a postcard; but I’m willing to consider it a track map if you are. Come to think of it, I don’t recall ever seeing a Targa Florio track map. One the one hand, it seems almost senseless for the spectators to have a map describing every corner when there’s 72km of racing course to describe consisting of hundreds of corners (thousands?). On the other hand, a track map of sorts is as close as your nearest road map of Sicily.
This postcard, from the 36a Targa Florio of 1952, is much more about the entirety of the Palermo province than it is about the Circuito Modenie. It certainly wouldn’t have been much use to Felice Bonetto as he piloted his Lancia Aurelia B20 around 8 laps in 7 hours, 11 minutes on the way to his victory. As is so often the case, however, what this map lacks in accuracy it more than makes up for in other aesthetic virtues. The illustration style of the figures enjoying themselves on the island is marvelous. I particularly like the hiker and skier in the Modenie mountains.
0 replies on “Track Maps of the Past: Targa Florio”
[…] I like old track maps as much as the next guy—ok, probably much more than the next guy—but they only do so much to […]
having driven the ‘Giro’I also wanted to do the
terrible targa but my time ran out..thanks for the
reminder..george