The rare and the beautiful took to the road for the 40 km/h and very dramatic five-day Giro di Sicilia Targa Florio road race. Claire Bowen was there
We watched as the vintage yellow Vauxhall powered its way to the top of Mount Etna. And then, on the descent, we sailed past her time and time again as she halted for some tender loving care.
This 82-year-old Vauxhall 30-40 OE Wensum, which is one of only seven in the world, joined 47 other rare and beautiful cars to take part in the annual Giro di Sicilia Targa Florio. Apart from the mountain descent, the car - with its original body and engine - ran trouble-free. "It doesn't like going down mountains on the overrun," explained owner Peter Rae, who had the task of doing the frequent oil top-ups.
Other cars included the only existing 1937 Alfa Romeo Pescara 2300 SS which the president of the car club, Edoardo Vetri, accepted in lieu of his architectural fee, an ex-works 1934 AV 105 Talbot which was blindingly fast in the hands of Rod Quinn - an Aussie with Irish ancestry, and a 1955 High Speed Frazer Nash.
There were seven Ferraris, a 1927 Bugatti and a clutch of Alfa Romeos and Lancias. But the car that stole the heart of the crowds which poured into the town piazzas was a 1957 black Alfa Romeo 1900 Super police car driven by two Carabinieri wearing the uniform of the day.
The vehicle was equipped with nets in front of the front wheels which looked like mud flaps but were fitted to deflect any bullets from hitting the wheels and blowing a tyre. A regulation black phone was dash-mounted and the cops entered into the spirt of the event switching on the siren as they passed the crowds. And they weren't the only police enjoying this event. A team of Polizia outriders accompanied the Giro everywhere and ensuring that the competitors' route through Sicily went without a hitch.
Vincenzo Florio introduced this annual five-day event around the island of Sicily back in 1912. Passionate about motor racing and his homeland, this wealthy businessman was the founder of the oldest car race in the world - the 100-year-old Targa Florio.
But he was dismayed that those who came to race on the famous Madonie mountain tracks left immediately after the race. So he came up with the idea of a race around the island. Today this 1,000km event is a much tamer run, where competitors are judged on how good they are at maintaining a regular 40km/h and completing autotests, rather than on outright speed.
Organised by the Veteran Car Club Panoramus of Palermo, it attracts entrants from around the world including Argentina, Australia and the States. Special guests on hand to dish out the daily awards included former Targa Florio stars Nino Vaccarella, Nanni Galli and Gerard Larousse. Sadly there were no Irish contenders but a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8 Monza, which came third at the Phoenix Park historic races two years ago, was being driven by its English owner Peter Mann.
A team of majorettes and a brass band were on hand to give the vehicles a big send-off on their first two laps of the historic Madonie circuit and then, after a few hours break, it was time for the high profile night time departure from Palermo.
Cars and crowds gathered by the splendid Teatro Massimo - used as a location in The Godfather. Entrants set off into the night for the first long stage across to Sciacca on the west coast. A taxing run for many of the old cars but one which struggled valiantly was a French-owned 1926 Amilcar whose headlights provided about as much illumination as a cigarette lighter.
Day two saw the convoy head off around the south coast, past the Temples of Agrigento, for lunch in a stunning private villa and an overnight near Ragusa.
But it was the third day, and hours spent on the sun-drenched two-mile Autodromo di Siracusa circuit that brought a smile to all the participants. And that wasn't just down to their own performance but also in seeing a Ferrari 330 P3/4 in its rightful habitat.
Owned by American former film director - now Wall Street fund manager - James Glickenhaus, this is just one of three of these Ferraris in the world. It's known as the forgotten Ferrari because it was believed to have been destroyed, but its current owner claims it is at least 80 per cent of the original machine.
It was this model which was driven in anger and crashed by Vaccarella on the 1967 Targa Florio and, completely genuine or not, it's a real showstopper in looks and noise.
But unfortunately it spent most of the event being driven between stages on the back of a trailer. Glickenhaus explained that its Le Mans settings were not right for Sicily's narrow roads and city jams.
The route down Etna passed through some idyllic villages including the medieval town of Castiglione di Sicilia, which is twinned with Killarney.
And a final blast up the Monte Pellegrino hill climb outside Palermo and near the pretty seaside town of Mondello brought the event to an exciting conclusion. And it was the final time to see the Ferrari P3/4 at full throttle.