Ducktailing it to the Targa

[bjmullan]

Here a picture taken at the service station after we passed through the storm, it was very humid and fortunately the lighting strike missed Johnny's head

[bjmullan]

As well as capturing the lighting strike on Johnny I took lots of video which I have edited down to the following:

Porsche in a thunderstorm

[bjmullan]

I thought I would add a few more pictures to this thread. Before going to Sicily I really didn't know a great deal about it. It was the small football at the toe of the Italy boot. Of course there was the Targa and the Mafia and Etna. What I didn't realise was 5.5 million lived on the island and the coastline was 1000km! So we never got to see Etna as it was so far away but we did spend a day in the beautiful seaside town of Cefalu.

[bjmullan]

Cefalu had the usual Italy vehicles which just looked so in place in the old Roman town.

[bjmullan]

Two pictures to go. This is one of my favourites, it's easy taking good pictures when you have the backdrop of the beautiful island and wonderful cars and you take over 1300! At least one might be OK

[bjmullan]

And here is the last picture I took in France after our blast from Dijon to the tunnel during a beautiful evening. Our journey took us through the battlefields of the First World War and I couldn't help think of all of those young men 100 years ago. As we passed Arras a poem I learnt at school came into my head.

“Good-morning, good-morning!” the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,
And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
“He's a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

Siegfried Sassoon

The final toll.

[210bhp]

Regards
Mike

[23e Heure]

An article about our trip has turned up in the current issue of Duck&Whale.

Scan of the first couple of pages courtesy of tp81 (thanks Tom!)

I took the photo. No credit though

[Tp81]

Hope the magazine arrived safely.

[23e Heure]

Thanks very much, Tom: our post room delivered this direct to my desk.
I am dropping a donation into the DDK charity account as a thank you for your club spirit

Our trip to Sicily produced articles in 4 different English language magazines: Classic Porsche, 911 & PW, Duck & Whale, Classic Motoring. All proudly filed away at home.
Apparently there are some articles in the Italian mags too, wonder if I'll ever find those.

For those not already sick of the thread, here for posterity is a glimpse at the D&W article Tom kindly sent me.
Featuring great photos taken by Brandon and Johnny (and myself )

[23e Heure]

This thread was one of the many that suffered "Death by photo bucket". One day I may come back and refresh the image links but...

For anyone returning to the thread, or new readers, in the meantime an edited version of it with all images intact can be found here:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php? ... &p=2387187

[jb]

What a super thread it is on that link

[23e Heure]

As it’s exactly 10 years (what the…?) since we did this trip, I thought I’d bump the thread so some who may not have seen it can enjoy it.

There was a plan agreed between us back in 2016 that we would do it all again 10 years later.
Mike was going to get his red 911 finished for the trip: a fitting tribute to the car that Armando Florida drove in his first Targa in 1968.
And I was this time going to take my 914 GT, participate in the Giro again, and pretend I was Armando in the car he drove in the 1972 race.

Best laid plans and all that…
Life has a habit of getting in the way.

But I also believe life has a habit of bringing unexpected opportunities…
I’ve made the pilgrimage to the Piccolo Madonie several times over the past 25 years: I’m absolutely certain I’ll do it again, just not in 2026.

[Ian Comerford]

Great story, thank you for sharing

[bjmullan]

Can't believe it's 10 years! I've gone back and updated some of the broken links to the pictures I've posted.