- "Hugely exciting....fantastic" Octane
- "Great footage. Four stars" Auto Express
- "Glorious" Evo
- "An entertaining watch" Track Driver
Mountain Legend DVD - Description
This is the gripping, action-packed story of one of the most memorable Targa Florio races of all time, with spectacular colour footage, interviews with the stars and incredible in-car sequences which will have you on the edge of your seat.
The much-missed Targa Florio was one of the greatest motorsport events of all time, and certainly one of the most demanding – at its peak it featured 10 laps of a 45-mile circuit of public roads, and almost 300 corners!
The 1965 race was an all-time classic, and the action and atmosphere is captured here in archive footage from the BP Video Library.
The world-famous event attracted the most famous sportscar manufacturers, including Ferrari, Porsche, Ford, Alfa Romeo, Healey, Abarth and MG, and the most celebrated drivers from across Grand Prix, rally and endurance racing, with names like Graham hill, Timo Makinen, Paddy Hopkirk, Jo Bonnier, Lorenzo Bandini and Rauno Aaltonen signing on to tackle the tortuous mountain circuit beneath a blistering Sicilian sun
The film shows the race build-up, the practice and the dramatic action of the race itself. Mounthwatering sequences of classic racing cars being pushed to the limit on narrow, dusty mountain roads are accompanied by roaring engines – especially the Big Banger prototypes - and fascinating commentary.
This colourful and nostalgic record of the 49th Targa echoes with the sounds of the classic sports prototypes of the day - Ferrari P2s and 275 LMs, GT40s, Porsche 904s, TZ Alfa Romeos - and captures forever the spirit of a bygone age in the history of motorsport.
We are also treated to the view enjoyed by the drivers, courtesy of rally maestro Makinen – a thrilling way to see the Targa Florio.
Despite the star names, the 1965 Targa Florio was about local schoolteacher Nino Vaccarella, who became a Sicilian legend with three victories on his home event.
In 1983 he returned to the course, and our bonus feature, from the archives of Ford, shows Vaccarella revisiting the Targa Florio in a road-going Sierra XR4i. He recounts his memories if the great race, along with other key figures from Targa history, and shows that, despite the passage of time, he has lost none of his passion for sliding the back-end of a high performance car around the twisting Sicialin mountain roads.
"Sit utterly absorbed for just over an hour as period footage immerses you in the wonderful world of the 1965 Targa Florio. Everything from Raymond Baxter's inimitable commentary to Nino Vaccarella hurling his Ferrari round the 45-mile route is glorious. We also enjoyed Paddy Hopkirk sideways in something different to his usual Mini. If only the Targa was still going today" Evo
"An evocative film of the 1965 Targa Florio from the BP Video Library. There is plenty of action from big names of the 1960s rallying and then there are the cars: Ferrari P2s and GTOs, Porsche 904s and Ford GTs, all driven flat-out around the Piccolo delle Madonie course. The snapshots of 1960s racing life - and Sicily - make this film utterly enjoyable" MSA magazine
"The 1965 running of the famous Targa Florio race saw the likes of Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Healey and Abarth compete on Sicily's 10-mile public road course. And this DVD has some great footage from the event, on which drivers hit up to 180mph. But the best bit is the bonus feature, where local teacher, and race winner, Nino Vaccarella revisits the circuit in 1983 in a roadgoing Ford Sierra XR4i" Auto Express
"This hugely exciting period Castrol film - narrated by Raymond Baxter - follows the 1965 Targa Florio, a vintage year when the cream of the old and new guards, rally and race drivers alike, competed. Some real rarities are seen in opposite-lock action, not least the Porsche prototype 906/8 Bergspyder and the Ford GT Roadster, and a fine selection of Ferraris have their bodywork restyled against the Sicilian stone. A bonus feature is a Ford XR4i promo film with 1965 Targa winner Nino Vacarella. Fantastic!" Octane
