Do Look Back

  In considering Abarth Corse’s final racing season it’s necessary first to go back four years and understand the unfavourable market conditions that had begun to threaten the Corso Marche factory’s very survival.  1967 saw a big drop in demand for – and, thus, production of - Abarth cars.  This was not due to any shortcomings of the products themselves but resulted from the sales inroads made by other manufacturers who had introduced new sporting variants to supplement their previously more mundane model ranges.   Abarth’s strategic response was well-considered and logical.  Racing activity would be stepped up.  For Abarth, even more competitive achievements such as the recent run of World Championships would support marketing messages stressing the products’ actual/race-proven sporting qualities – demonstrating that they were not just models with slightly more performance and a set of stripes.  Additionally, and as a very valuable short-term bene...

  1973 saw the 57 th running of the Targa Florio on the Piccolo Circuito delle Madonie, Sicily.  A battle for victory by the 3.0 Sports Prototypes, especially the Ferrari 312 PBs and Alfa Romeo T33/TT/12s, was expected.  As it turned out, however, the race was won by the Martini Racing Porsche 911 RSR of Herbert Muller and Gijs van Lennep. Sandro Munari and Jean Claude Andruet were second in the new Lancia Stratos, with another Martini 911 RSR of Leo Kinnunen and Claude Haldi third.  And this was to be the last Targa that served as a round of the World Sportscar Championship, the circuit being deemed unacceptably hazardous in the wake of  a spate of accidents to drivers, and injuries sustained by several spectators . In a pre-race accident, Charles Blyth, whose Lancia Fulvia had failed scrutineering, sustained fatal injuries.  During the race, Ferruccio Deiana crashed his Renault Alpine A110, killing a spectator.  This account however focuses on th...