Vic Elford was my instructor at a Porsche Experience in 1989 or 1990. He showed me how to properly drive a 4WD Carrera through a hairpin, a very different and unintuitive method compared to my RWD experience. He then tolerated my sloppy use of the incredible 928GTS for a couple laps while offering advice. I wish I’d had a lot more time with him. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
Yeah, I assume you're referring to Vic's "PORSCHE high performance driving handbook"? It's a good read! Pours scorn on the notion that one must always be in gear to have any 'control' - Vic recounts a time where he was travelling along the autobahn (at autobahn speeds) in freezing weather. Suddenly saw people crashing around him on the ice. So he knocked the car into neutral (to take the engine out of the equation) and relied on brakes and steering to bring the car safely to rest.
I picked up that book in an aftermarket parts store in San Diego after I bought a Porsche 944S in 1993. It was an interesting read and then an even more interesting driving session on the east county roads of San Diego to practice the things I had read about. Vic also told a story of how when he was driving on snow in a 911 with his wife and kid in the car. He used the car's rear weight bias to flick the rear end around on the turns, while in perfect control. His wife was not concerned, as she knew of his driving capabilities.
Thx! They stopped it on time - cars were already so fast and the circuit was 72 Km.- too long for any seriuos safety service = Rarest video - look at the hard steering work!Nowaday we drive on rails!
"This is where I usually have my practice accidents. Two years ago I hit an Alfa Romeo service car and then last year, ha, last year I hit a local." Fucking hell, to say these people were mental - both racers and onlookers - is a severe understatement. I think his comments of the race being a relic are spot on. Amazing to talk about but even in the 70s they were beginning to be phased out.
Well,at the time safety wasn't felt as a main problem (recall stock cars which were not much safer than the Alfa 333 in the clip)- It's amazing thinking of how many today's stock cars(Subaru Wrx,Audi S3,Bmw M3 etc)
Io nel 1972 ero lì a vedere la mitica Targa Florio,una grande gara, grandi nomi ,e grandi scuderie scendevano sulle Madonie per questo evento se non ricordo male in quella gara correvano ViC Elford e GIJS VAN Lennep Alfa Romeo 33 TT3/ uscivano di scena al 1° giro per rottura della coppa dell'olio. Si dovevano fare 11 giri per un totale di 792Km)
God, Targio was insane. No safety, whatsoever. Using hot Sports Cars as a Rally Race. I have this tape "The Speed Merchants" and they show these guys on the Targa flying through a street with a damn VW Bus parked on the side. Oh but there were a few hay bails to protect the spectators...................:0
Safety levels have always been actually poorest at Targa,and were vanishing year by year being constantly increasing the cars' performance so they had to stop it,avoiding a fatal crash that was easily going to happen - Targa has been quite a lucky circuit for over 20 years (approx.) - foolish pushing luck any further...
Of course they had 00...I just point out that Elford could currently run a good stock car scoring equal or better laptimes on the same roads and this is amazing,isn't it? Nanni Galli with a stock Alfa 155 at Mugello circ.scored a better laptime compared to his laptime with GTAM of the early 70es! That's all=
Imagen you were a car....what kind car would you be?....You'd be a sport car!.....Low to the ground. You would handle well...You would be fast.....You be turbo charged and of course you'd be a Porsche.
Vic Elford was my instructor at a Porsche Experience in 1989 or 1990. He showed me how to properly drive a 4WD Carrera through a hairpin, a very different and unintuitive method compared to my RWD experience. He then tolerated my sloppy use of the incredible 928GTS for a couple laps while offering advice. I wish I’d had a lot more time with him. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
Ditto! He instructed me at Sebring because I had a 928S4. I had no idea who this man was at the time. What great memories.
Neil Clifford of Collecting Cars fame brought me here April 2024. What an incredible moment describing an incredible racing event
Rest in Peace Quick Vic!
this a clip from the documentary "the speed merchants".the car is 33 alfa.
The footage is really wonderfull!!
Thanks for sharing!!
he was right as far sports car racing was concerned. the last real Targa Florio as an international professional race was run in 1973.
Indeed its days were numbered :(
i was about to make the same comment when I hear it !!But I see u catch me :)
Thank you for uploading!!! Great times - we miss them...
I drove part of the circuit In 1984 , and took pictures of old buildings, still with big signs saying NINO !
Absolute complete madness
Rip Quick Vic.
Godspeed, you legend.
I mean that literally. Give Niki Lauda a hard time up there, eh?
Circuito delle Madonie. That is the mother of all race tracks/road courses. 148 kilometers full length.
Not the one Elford raced, that was "just" 72km.
@@Vic-E. Combined with "Grande" layout it's 148 km, so that's why I said "full length".
@@MDDeGrande1994 yeah, but it wasn't used anymore in Elford's era. Last time was before WWII...
@@Vic-E. I know.
Thank you GDH1981 for posting this...Absolutely Bitching!
Yeah, I assume you're referring to Vic's "PORSCHE high performance driving handbook"?
It's a good read!
Pours scorn on the notion that one must always be in gear to have any 'control' - Vic recounts a time where he was travelling along the autobahn (at autobahn speeds) in freezing weather. Suddenly saw people crashing around him on the ice.
So he knocked the car into neutral (to take the engine out of the equation) and relied on brakes and steering to bring the car safely to rest.
I picked up that book in an aftermarket parts store in San Diego after I bought a Porsche 944S in 1993. It was an interesting read and then an even more interesting driving session on the east county roads of San Diego to practice the things I had read about.
Vic also told a story of how when he was driving on snow in a 911 with his wife and kid in the car. He used the car's rear weight bias to flick the rear end around on the turns, while in perfect control. His wife was not concerned, as she knew of his driving capabilities.
Thx!
They stopped it on time - cars were already so fast
and the circuit was 72 Km.- too long for any seriuos safety service = Rarest video - look at the hard steering work!Nowaday we drive on rails!
so great so cool so fast.
It is Vic Elford's birthday tomorrow (June 10th).
He'll be 72 years young!
The approaching car at 1:26 gave me a wobble!!!! 😱
Vic has a very similar narrating style as the great Gerry Marshall.
That's Quick Vic from Sevenoaks talking
Impresionante
"This is where I usually have my practice accidents. Two years ago I hit an Alfa Romeo service car and then last year, ha, last year I hit a local."
Fucking hell, to say these people were mental - both racers and onlookers - is a severe understatement. I think his comments of the race being a relic are spot on. Amazing to talk about but even in the 70s they were beginning to be phased out.
priceless...
🏎🏁🙋♂️
thanks, great (and rare?) video.
Havent Heard of this track until now, splended
Holy crap that Alpha sounds good......
Well,at the time safety wasn't felt as a main problem
(recall stock cars which were not much safer than the Alfa 333 in the clip)- It's amazing thinking of how many today's stock cars(Subaru Wrx,Audi S3,Bmw M3 etc)
It's like Touge driving in Japan.
Io nel 1972 ero lì a vedere la mitica Targa Florio,una grande gara, grandi nomi ,e grandi scuderie scendevano sulle Madonie per questo evento se non ricordo male in quella gara correvano ViC Elford e GIJS VAN Lennep Alfa Romeo 33 TT3/ uscivano di scena al 1° giro per rottura della coppa dell'olio. Si dovevano fare 11 giri per un totale di 792Km)
Tarmac rallying for Le Mans type cars,wonder how impressive Quick Vic Elford would have been in. group B rally car !
Rip Vic
Now the Targa is a rally, but it's not the same.
:39: And if the brakes fail, you sail through the guardrail and down the ravine.
That clip is from the excellent Michael Keyser film - The Speed Merchants.
Not sure how I should feel about copyright on all this youtube stuff.
77. 76 last full one.
Rip
Where is this footage from? Is there a blu-ray?
Wicked
And lahst year, hah, I hit a local...
this is an Alfa not a Porsche
....amazing how many today's stock cars could match the performance of a sport proto of the 70es running that kind of circuit =
Sevenoaks? A race track?
God, Targio was insane. No safety, whatsoever.
Using hot Sports Cars as a Rally Race. I have this tape "The Speed Merchants" and they show these guys on the Targa flying through a street with a damn VW Bus parked on the side. Oh but there were a few hay bails to protect the spectators...................:0
Nurburgring was far more dangerous, to name one, due to way more high-speed corners...
If there were car racing here then why we have never seen car racing on the TT Course?
race for lunatics..GREAAAT:)GREAT VIDEO:)
Safety levels have always been actually poorest at Targa,and were vanishing year by year being constantly increasing the cars' performance so they had to stop it,avoiding a fatal crash that was easily going to happen -
Targa has been quite a lucky circuit for over 20 years
(approx.) - foolish pushing luck any further...
When you watch a video of spectators at 1980's rally events the drivers were the sane ones and the spectators were crazy.
@@carlfrye1566 That's true....Just watching some videos from the 70/80es really is appalling in our days.
Of course they had 00...I just point out that Elford could currently run a good stock car scoring equal or better laptimes on the same roads and this is amazing,isn't it? Nanni Galli with a stock Alfa 155 at Mugello circ.scored a better laptime compared to his laptime with GTAM of the early 70es! That's all=
Not so crazy at the time!Porsche tested even the 917!But thx to God they didn't run it anymore from about 1985 I think=
Imagen you were a car....what kind car would you be?....You'd be a sport car!.....Low to the ground. You would handle well...You would be fast.....You be turbo charged and of course you'd be a Porsche.
And you would sit in a museum the rest of your life, you would never get to watch people fucking
I'd rather be in a car with a bigger displacement NA engine rather than a turbo engine.
so exposed!!!