# 1959 Targa Florio

The 43° Targa Florio was a motor race for sportscars held on 24 May 1959 on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Sicily, Italy. It was the second round of the 1959 F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship and the 43rd running of the Targa Florio. Early that year, the event founder, Vincenzo Florio died and his nephew Vincent Paladion promised to keep alive Florio's Targa. “The Targa must continue... Promise me!..”
The race was won by Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel driving a Porsche 718 RSK entered by Porsche KG.

## Report
### Entry

The event attracted fewer cars than in previous years, with 59 racing cars registered for this event, instead of the 81 in 1958. Of the 59 cars registered, 58 arrived for practice with 52 qualifying for and starting the race.
Reigning champions, Ferrari had entered three of their latest 250 TR 59 for their squad of drivers; Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Tony Brooks, Olivier Gendebien, Jean Behra and Cliff Allison. As Aston Martin elected to miss the event, there was no other entrants in the S3.0 class, therefore their main opposition would come from the works Porsches of Jo Bonnier, Wolfgang von Trips, Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel, but these were smaller engined cars and less powerful.

### Race

This was meant to be a Ferrari battle, but it was not to be, as all the Ferraris retired due to mechanical problems. This left Porsche alone to command the race, taking the top four places. Their only issue was the leading Porsche 718 of Bonnier and von Trips being forced to withdraw on the last lap.
Porsche recorded their first win in the World Sportscar Champions, with the pairing of Barth/Seidel. They took an impressive victory, with their 718 RSK completing 14 laps, covering 626.343 miles in just over 11 hours of racing, averaging a speed of 56.737 mph. Second place went to the second Porsche of Eberhard Mahle, Paul Ernst Strähle and Herbert Linge in a Porsche 550 RS, albeit 20 mins adrift. The podium was complete by another works Porsche, this time a 356A Carrera of Antonio Pucci and Huschke von Hanstein who were further 9 mins behind, the first GT car to finish. Surprisingly, the fourth car home was driven by the same crew that finished second.
The result meant Porsche took the lead in the World Championship standing. This was the first time Ferrari had not topped the standings since March 1957.

## Official Classification

Class Winners are in Bold text.
| Pos | No | Class | Driver | Driver | Entrant | Chassis | Laps | Reason Out |
| 1st | 112 | S1.5 | Edgar Barth | Wolfgang Seidel | Porsche KG | Porsche 718 RSK | 11hr 02:21.8, 14 | |
| 2nd | 118 | S1.5 | Eberhard Mahle Herbert Linge | Paul Ernst Strähle | Porsche KG | Porsche 550 RS | 11hr 22:20.8, 14 | |
| 3rd | 102 | GT2.6 | Huschke von Hanstein | Antonio Pucci | Porsche KG | Porsche 356A Carrera | 11hr 31:44.4, 14 | |
| 4th | 96 | GT2.6 | Paul Ernst Strähle Eberhard Mahle | Herbert Linge | Porsche KG | Porsche 356A Carrera | 11hr 36:10.0, 14 | |
| 5th | 134 | S2.0 | Mennato Boffa | Piero Drogo | Centro-Sud | Maserati A6GCS/53 | 11hr 41:20.0, 14 | |
| 6th | 38 | GT1.3 | “Dario Sepe” Mario Sannino | Colin Davis | Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | 12hr 02:30.0, 14 | |
| 7th | 84 | S1.1 | Umberto Bini | Luciano Mantovani | Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus | Osca S1100 | 12hr 10:52.3, 14 | |
| 8th | 132 | S2.0 | Mario Cammarata | Domenico Tramontana | Mario Cammarata | Ferrari 500 TRC | 12hr 14:45.4, 14 | |
| 9th | 120 | GT+2.6 | Salvatore La Pira | Francesco Siracusa | Nissena | Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta | 12hr 24:15.0, 14 | |
| 10th | 138 | S2.0 | Giuseppe Allotta | Nino Vaccarella | Giuseppe Allotta | Maserati A6 GCS | 12hr 35:47.4, 14 | |
| 11th | 72 | S1.1 | Domenico Rotolo | Gaspere Cavaliere | Monte Pellegrino | Osca MT4 1100 | 12hr 39:40.0 | |
| 12th | 30 | GT1.3 | Antonio Picone Sergio Mantia | Franco Tagliavia | Monte Pellegrino | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider | 12hr 41:31.0, 14 | |
| 13th | 46 | GT1.3 | Vito Coco | Vito Sabbia | Nissena | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce | 12hr 46.16.0, 14 | |
| 14th | 8 | GT750 | Enrico Carini | Ernesto Prinoth | Janua | Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato | 12hr 53:39.0. 14 | |
| 15th | 24 | GT1.3 | Amedeo Bartoccelli Salvatore Panepinto | Giuseppe Parla | Nissena | Fiat 1200 Boano | 13hr 00:27.0, 14 | |
| 16th | 20 | GT1.3 | Pietor Laureati | “Pompei”” | Pietro Laureati | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | 162 | |
| 17th | 50 | S750 | Sesto Leonardi | Alfredo Tinazzo | Settecoli | Osca S750 | 13hr 13:46.1, 14 | |
| 18th | 70 | S1.1 | Tommy Wisdom | Bernard Cahier | Tommy Wisdom | Austin-Healey Sprite | 13hr 22:05.0, 14 | |
| 19th | 60 | S750 | Gustavo Laureati | Giuseppe Celani | Montegrappa | Osca S750 | 13hr 22:05.4, 14 | |
| 20th | 56 | S750 | Giancarlo Rigamonti | Anna Maria Peduzzi | Scuderia Sant Ambroeus | Osca S750 | 13hr 39:23.2, 14 | |
| 21st | 28 | GT1.3 | José Rosinski | Claude Bobrowski | Paris | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | 13hr 44:11.4, 14 | |
| NC | 76 | S1.1 | Enrico Manzini | Attilio Brandi | Clemente Biondetti | Ermini-Fiat 1100 | 14 | Over time limit |
| NC | 6 | GT750 | Carmelo Giugno | Salvatore Giuffrida | Nissena | Fiat 500 | 14 | Over time limit |
| NC | 92 | GT2.6 | Giovanni Giordano | Carlo Fulci | San Rizzo | Fiat 8V Zagato | 14 | Over time limit |
| DNF | 136 | S2.0 | Umberto Maglioli | Hans Herrmann | Porsche AG | Porsche 718 RSK | | Transmission |
| DNF | 150 | S3.0 | Jean Behra | Tony Brooks | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | | Rear axle |
| DNF | 154 | S3.0 | Dan Gurney | Cliff Allison | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | | Transmission |
| DNF | 4 | GT750 | Gérard Laureau | François Jaeger | Automobiles Deutsch et Bonnet | D.B.-Panhard HBR4 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 26 | GT1.3 | Teodoro Zeccoli | Roberto Rosignoli | G.S. Savio | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce | | did not finish |
| DNF | 32 | GT1.3 | Giuseppe Ruggero | Ciro Monaci | Giuseppe Riggero | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | | did not finish |
| DNF | 34 | GT1.3 | Jean-Pierre Hanrioud | Beniatt | Jean-Pierre Hanrioud | D.B.-Panhard HBR5 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 36 | GT1.3 | Sergio Bettoja | P. Feroldi | Camidoglio | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | | did not finish |
| DNF | 40 | GT1.3 | Ada Pace | Carlo Peroglio | Racing Club 19 | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | | did not finish |
| DNF | 42 | GT1.3 | Enrico Giaccone | Vincenzo Ribaudo | Enrico Giaccone | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce | | did not finish |
| DNF | 44 | GT1.3 | Francesco de Leonibus | Carlo Peroglio | Racing Club 19 | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | | did not finish |
| DNF | 52 | S750 | Amerigo Brachetti | Elio Pandolfo | Montegrappa | Giaur 750 Sport | | did not finish |
| DNF | 58 | S750 | Giacomo Marino | Salvatore Sirchia | Monte Pellegrino | Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato | | did not finish |
| DNF | 74 | S1.1 | Francesco La Mattina Francesco Soldana | Armando dols Soldana | Monte Pellegrino | Osca MT4 1100 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 78 | S1.1 | Emanuele Trapani | Bartolomeo Donato | Monte Pellegrino | Osca MT4 1100 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 80 | S1.1 | Antonio di Salvo | Silvestre Semilia | Falanga | Roar-Fiat 1100 Special | | did not finish |
| DNF | 82 | S1.1 | Enzo Buzzetti | Giuseppe Rossi | Settecoli | Osca MT4 1100 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 90 | GT2.6 | Rosario Montalbano | Gaspare Bologna | Giuseppe Bologna | Fiat 8V | | did not finish |
| DNF | 94 | GT2.6 | Alfonso Vella | Pietro Tremini | Pietro Tremini | Fiat 8V | | did not finish |
| DNF | 100 | GT2.6 | Rocco Finocchiaro | Ignazio Consiglio | Rocco Finocchiaro | Fiat 8V | | did not finish |
| DNF | 104 | GT2.6 | Vincenzo Sorrentino | Franco Pisano | Sorrentino | Lancia Flaminia | | did not finish |
| DNF | 114 | S1.5 | Edoardo Lualdi | Ludovico Scarfiotti | Scuderia Sant Ambroeus | Osca MT4 1500 | | did not finish |
| DNF | 116 | S1.5 | Christian Goethals | | Christian Goethals | Porsche 550 RS | | did not finish |
| DNF | 122 | GT+2.6 | Nino Todaro | Gennaro Alterio | Mediterranea | Ferrari 250 GT | | did not finish |
| DNF | 140 | S2.0 | Gaetano Starrabba | Domenico Lo Coco | Gaetano Starrabba | Ferrari 500 TRC | | did not finish |
| DNF | 142 | S2.0 | Giulio Cabianca | Giorgio Scarlatti | Scuderia Eugenio Castellotti | Dino 196 S | | Out of fuel |
| DNF | 130 | S2.0 | Jo Bonnier | Wolfgang von Trips | Porsche AG | Porsche 718 RSK | 13 | did not finish |
| DNF | 152 | S3.0 | Olivier Gendebien | Phil Hill | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 250 TR 59 | 1 | Pinion |
| DNS | 2 | GT750 | Elio Lenza | Filippo Golia | Elio Lenza | Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato | | did not start |
| DNS | 10 | GT750 | Aldo Tine Matteo Sgarlata | Gianni Carpinteri | Aretusa | Fiat-Abarth 750 | | did not start |
| DNS | 22 | GT1.3 | Francesco Gambi | | Francesco Gambi | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Spider Veloce | | did not start |
| DNS | 54 | S750 | Gaetano Spampinato | | Spampinato | Fiat-Abarth 750 Sport | | did not start |
| DNS | 98 | GT2.6 | Sergio Mantia | Giovanni Napoli | Monte Pellegrino | Lancia Aurelia B24 | | did not start |
| DNS | 110 | S1.5 | Henri Perrier Gilled Nebon Carle | Binachon | Henri Perrier / Binachon | Osca MT4 1500 | | did not start |
* Fastest Lap: Jo Bonnier, 43:01.6secs (62.147 mph)

### Class Winners

| Class | Winners | | |
| Sports 3000 | No finishers | No finishers | No finishers |
| Sports 2000 | 134 | Maserati A6GCS/53 | Boffa / Drogo |
| Sports 1500 | 112 | Porsche 718 RSK | Barth / Seidel |
| Sports 1100 | 84 | Osca S1100 | Bini / Mantovani |
| Sports 750 | 50 | Osca S750 | Leonardi / Tinazzo |
| Grand Touring +2600 | 120 | Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta | La Pira / Siracusa |
| Grand Touring 2600 | 102 | Porsche 356A Carrera | von Hanstein / Pucci |
| Grand Touring 1300 | 38 | Alfa Romeo Giuletta Sprint Veloce Zagato | “Sepe” / Davis / Sannino |
| Grand Touring 750 | 8 | Fiat-Abarth 750 Zagato | Carini / Prinoth |

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Championship | Points |
| 1 | Porsche | 12 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 8 |
| 3 | Maserati | 2 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo | 1 |
* Note: Only the top five positions are included in this set of standings.
Championship points were awarded for the first six places in each race in the order of 8-6-4-3-2-1. Manufacturers were only awarded points for their highest finishing car with no points awarded for positions filled by additional cars. Only the best 3 results out of the 5 races could be retained by each manufacturer. Points earned but not counted towards the championship totals are listed within brackets in the above table.