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Post by bevital on Sept 7, 2019 10:41:28 GMT -5
Hello! While I work on my current open wheels project, I show you some models regarding another of my passions: the Targa Florio road race. Being Sicilian, I can't resist to the fascination of this incredible and unique race.... It's the world's oldest race among still existing events. It was born in 1906 as a speed and endurance race; from 1955 to 1973 it was one of the most important events of the World Manufacturers' Championship, beside Le Mans, Daytona and Nurburgring, and from 1978 until today it has become an international rally. It featured an unique layout: the course was formed by the common roads on the Madonie Mountains, near Palermo. One lap was 92 miles (148 kms) long in the first editions (Grande Circuito delle Madonie = Great Madonie Circuit), 67 miles long in some editions (Medio Circuito delle Madonie), and almost 45 miles long (Piccolo - Small - Circuito delle Madonie) in most editions (all the post-WWII). The rally version uses some parts of the ancient courses, but it's still raced on the Madonie Mountains. The speed/endurance race, especially in the '50s-'70s era, was a real social event that attracted people from the whole Sicily; in 1970-'71 it's estimated that more than 500,000 people were present around the course! (the participation was free...) The street was very narrow, twisty and bumpy; the cars had to start one by one and the positions were setted by the laptimes; the entire race was between 310 and 620 miles long, depending on the editions. It was a grueling race, an awesone testing ground for men and machines... In such a race, little sportscars were particularly at ease, and the Targa was a real hunting ground for early Porsches, when the Stuttgart firm featured only under-180 ci engines... Porsche has the record of Targa wins (11, from '56 to '73). Abarth was another Targa star.. With its tiny 45, 61 and 79 ci cars, fitted often with Fiat-derived engines, the Italian/Austrian firm was very popular among young and amateur racers, that often got absolutely remarkable results in the Sicilian race with those little red cars... And it's with an Abarth that I want to begin my gallery.... the "1000 SP", a curvy, lightweight 1000cc (61 ci) sport-prototype, nicknamed "Il Millino" (The Little Thousand) by Italian enthousiasts.  the kit I used it's the only one available in 1/24 scale for this car: it's an all-resin kit, it's derived and improved from an ancient resin Japanese kit from Joker, and it's produced in Italy by DDP Models. You can find these kits on Facebook, they have an impressive range of sport-prototype and CanAm racers... Unfortunately, no open wheels models....  |
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Post by bevital on Sept 7, 2019 11:18:08 GMT -5
The kits version is a Monza 1000 kms entry, but I obviously reproduced a Targa car: 1969, #126, Buzzetti-Donà, 17th overall, 2nd in 1000cc class.  the kit was built almost OOB, with some minor improvements.      If you want to see the WIP, here is the link: forum-auto.caradisiac.com/automobile-pratique/modelisme-modeles-reduits/sujet17813.htmIt's a French language forum, but the photos are enough clear, and today we have the translators... Thank you for your attention! |
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Post by bevital on Sept 7, 2019 11:22:59 GMT -5
I forgot... the race numbers are hand-painted, like in the real race.... .jpg) |
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Post by racerbrown on Sept 7, 2019 13:08:14 GMT -5
great job sir!
those ddp kits are really nice.
thanks for sharing.
duane
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Post by indy on Sept 8, 2019 11:27:52 GMT -5
Beautifully done. I really like the details including the hand lettering and the even the base is a nice touch, too.
I have never seen this car before so this is a nice history lesson for me, too.
Jordan
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robh
Race Winner
Posts: 520
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Post by robh on Sept 8, 2019 16:02:18 GMT -5
Gorgeous model! Impressive attention to detail also.
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Post by quattro on Sept 11, 2019 6:08:41 GMT -5
That is a lovely model. And the hand painted number. Great job.
Have been tempted by a couple of kits relating to the race but I tend to restrict my purchases to the available slot car Targa runners.
And I went over a few years back and drove the route in its last incarnation. Have to say it was scary stuff in a few places as some of the roads have cracked and subsided to the point where you have a distinct step in the tarmac up in those sun baked hills. Was not going mad but it did hold your attention waiting for the next drop or climb.
The old pits were a treat as was the museum.
And that long strait blast along the coast...
Mindboggling stuff.
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your gallery. |
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Post by bevital on Sept 12, 2019 16:42:04 GMT -5
Thank you very much Quattro... did you really came to Sicily some years ago? It's a shame we didn't meet... where are you from? I go on with the models... and now, after a typical little Italian car, big American iron: the famed Ford-AC Cobra 289 FIA Roadster... Four of these works cars were entered in 1964 event... It wasn't a success, all the cars withdrew, but they remained forever in Sicilian enthusiasts' mind... my model reproduces the #148 car, driven by Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory. .jpg) the model was built almost OOB from a multimedia 1/24 kit by HTM (Historic Targa Models)     
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robh
Race Winner
Posts: 520
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Post by robh on Sept 13, 2019 20:20:18 GMT -5
Great looking Cobra! I think you have some magic.
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Post by racerbrown on Sept 14, 2019 5:02:52 GMT -5
well done!
you really captured the look of this car.
duane
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Post by bevital on Sept 14, 2019 16:57:44 GMT -5
Many thanks to everybody... guys, you're too kind with me... i'm only an old enthusiast, just like you... glad to share with you my passion!
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Post by quattro on Sept 14, 2019 17:02:08 GMT -5
Bevital
I am in London so much easier for me to visit than the majority of the forum members here.
Went over in 2014 and stayed in Cefalu. Was so brilliant to have the town centre closed off for the street Kart racing! One thing we did not realise then was that there is a museum in Termini. Did visit Enna Pergusa though. Going round the route I was so taken by the murals and tile plaques commemorating the races. And that Bridge is now in the shadow of the new autostrada but still such a classic race landmark.
These models are lovely. Keep em coming. Nice to learn more about the cars. Excellent work.
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Post by bevital on Sept 15, 2019 9:46:15 GMT -5
Thank you Quattro, glad that you enjoyed yourself in Sicily. We Sicilians are specialists in letting go bad the trasures we have... a big piece of the "Piccolo Madonie Circuit" has been lost few years ago, due to landslides following tropical rains (the climate is changing in our countries too...).
The lost stretch is the one from Caltavuturo just to the bridge that you mentioned above, but this disaster could have been avoided with a correct maintenance...
If you went to visit the Targa Museum in Collesano, you surely saw some of my models exposed among the others...
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Post by quattro on Sept 15, 2019 12:33:47 GMT -5
My man.
It was the Museum in Collesano.... Hard to find but we did in the end. Going to look back at the pictures I took there.
Funny. But talking to the Mrs about it and she has decided we are going back! Hope I can still do the little circuit but sounds like things are not good for that route.....
Looked on google maps and saw the flyover had to be reworked. I know the old bridge had political significance but shame it is being left to rot.
I will let you know. Keep em coming. They are great. |
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Post by bevital on Sept 15, 2019 13:54:50 GMT -5
Ok, if you come back, let me know... with a one month's notice, I can set me free for a couple of days, and accompany you in a little tour in Palermo or some other place... did you visit Palermo?
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Post by quattro on Sept 17, 2019 10:10:10 GMT -5
Palermo.
Drove thru from the airport to get to Cefalu.
Nowhere else in the world have I seen a three lane autostrada turned into a five lane job. It was amazing and funny all at once. I was impressed!
I will pm you from now on with regards to any visit there. Lets ee what Brexit brings...And thanks.
J |
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Post by bevital on Sept 17, 2019 14:52:10 GMT -5
Palermo.
Drove thru from the airport to get to Cefalu.
Nowhere else in the world have I seen a three lane autostrada turned into a five lane job. It was amazing and funny all at once. I was impressed!
I will pm you from now on with regards to any visit there. Lets ee what Brexit brings...And thanks.
J  Ok, I wait for your MP.... obviously, my invitation is for all the members, even from USA if they want to come in Sicily...  |
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Post by Gary Davis on Oct 12, 2019 13:05:42 GMT -5
Great history and outstanding model building here Bevital. What I knew about that race history before you shared it with us....you could put on the tip of my little finger.... Listening (reading) what you two are talking about sure makes me want to jump on a plane and fly to Sicily. Plus...I really hear that the FOOD is AWESOME!
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Post by bevital on Feb 8, 2020 16:43:04 GMT -5
Thank you Gary (after four months  ), we are waiting for you! After the BRM, while I'm preparing another open wheel project, some other Targa Florio models... This time another American car: Ford GT 40, entered in '67 event by Ford France, #130 - drivers Giorgi-Greder, 5th overall, 1st in sportcars class, 1st in over 2000 cc class. Below here, the car is going through the famous Collesano hairpin.  My model is an almost OOB building of a Fujimi kit, that proposed also this version among the other ones... I only corrected some mistakes and some lack in the decal sheet. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, shot many years ago with flash... The model in now exposed in the Targa Museum in Collesano, the little town with the hairpin...    Another Ford France GT 40 was entered that year, the #126 car driven by two formula one drivers: Guy Ligier and Jo Schlesser, but they had to withdraw. Thank you and see you with the next model.... |
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Post by bevital on Feb 8, 2020 17:46:18 GMT -5
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Post by INDY22IAM on Feb 8, 2020 18:13:19 GMT -5
Very nice looking models, you must have one hell of a sturdy hand. Those numbers look great.
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Post by indy on Feb 10, 2020 9:19:04 GMT -5
I really enjoy each one of these Targa Florio models. The newest additions of the GT40 and MGB are very well done. I look at the hand numbering and it still looks straight like a decal - great job on these!
Jordan
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Post by alwaysindy on Feb 24, 2020 11:31:06 GMT -5
Did somebody say “Targo Florio?” I love the old road races: the Mille Miglia, the CarreraPanamericana, and the Targo Florio. City streets run through towns and the countryside...dangerous as H*ll but so cool to watch! In 1956, Umberto Maglioli teamed up with Huschke von Hanstein to run a Porsche in the Targa...Maglioli never got out of the car and won...  This is a modified Jimmy Flintstone body...the steering wheel tape came out pretty good...  Then in 1958, Ferrari brought the fabulous Testa Rossi’s to the race...  This is the car of Mike Hawthorn and Wolfgang von Trips...von Trips would crunch the nose but the car was holding on to second until the last lap, when it was passed bu Jean Behra in a Porsche 718 RSK...third place seemed good after all the trouble...  Again, 2 beautiful and efficient cars...  Comments, questions (or corrections Beppe!) are welcome...thanks for looking! Tim |
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Post by jimhamill on Feb 24, 2020 11:50:23 GMT -5
Like that Porsche! Nice work
Jim
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Post by Gary Davis on Feb 24, 2020 13:01:24 GMT -5
Both of those cars look Great Tim. Love the Ferrari.
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Post by indy on Feb 24, 2020 14:24:41 GMT -5
Both are great but that Porsche is my favorite. Great details on it.
Jordan
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Post by racermagic on Feb 24, 2020 18:00:20 GMT -5
Tim's post are great. Not only are his cars awesome,his history lesson with them almost brings them to life. Yes, the steering wheel tape is fantastic but the headlight tape over REALLY LOOKS REAL! GREAT details!
Another great post. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by bevital on Mar 8, 2020 15:48:20 GMT -5
Did somebody say “Targo Florio?” I love the old road races: the Mille Miglia, the CarreraPanamericana, and the Targo Florio. City streets run through towns and the countryside...dangerous as H*ll but so cool to watch!
Tim, it's my honor to have your models in this topic, and it's a pleasure to see that even in the USA there are some fans of "A Cursa" (in Sicilian dialect, "The Race").... Your models are really nice... I purchased the Jimmy Flintstone Porsche body to make the same car many years ago, but I gave it to one of my friends and it was forgotten... now there is an excellent 1/24 kit by Fernando Pinto...
I won't say anything about these models, they are nicely built, and one can get the passion and the originality behind them... it would be too easy for me to make some (minor) criticisms and my models too, they have some defeats (some of them discovered after years, e.g. when a new photo gets out)...
If you want to reproduce some other Targa Florio car (this would be very nice), you can use targapedia.com... this site was created by one of my friends and it's now the world's reference website for those who want to get data on this race. You can find thousands of photos of every car that raced from 1906 to 1977. In case of famous entries as the winners it's possible to find dozen of photos of a single car, and this allows to realize very correct models...
This post isn't obviously only for Tim, but also for all the friends that want to take a Targa project...
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Post by alwaysindy on Mar 9, 2020 10:39:37 GMT -5
Beppe:
Thanks for the kind words! As to comments (criticism) feel free to point out incorrect colors, mirror placement, details...I do NOT get offended!...unless the criticism is crappy paint, crappy glue, etc. I will be fine...several years ago, I posted a Ferrari sharknose...Patrick pointed out that I had the wrong windscreen AND incorrect motor!...I explained that it was built before I had learned to do the proper research...no big deal, except it showed anyone trying to build it correctly what was needed...so if you know of corrections on either the Porsche or Testa Rossa, please point them out for anybody wanting to do these cars...
I do know this: there are racetracks and places that hold special memories...if you’ve never been to the Indy 500, try to make at least one...I am sure the “a Cursa” holds the same memories for you...I would love to take a vacation and come see you and Juanjo...I was going to Barcelona until the big flood hit...plans are on hold until things settle here...the link will be very helpful to future Targa Florio builders!
Tim
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