#0783 '11 Ore' (11 hours)

Collessano, Targa Florio 1959

Porsche 550 A RS, second place overall
Drivers: Herbert Linge / Eberhard Mahle / Paul Straehle

Maserati A6 GCS, fifth place overall
Drivers: Piero Drogo / Mennato Boffa

Herbert Linge and Guido Scagliarini drive through the mountain village of Collesano in their Porsche 550 during the Targa Florio on May 24, 1959. More than 11 hours at the wheel, under the Mediterranean sun, over bumpy roads, they can celebrate winning the fight for survival for man and machine with second place overall. The four favorite Ferrari Testa Rossa fell one after the other to the grueling test of automotive engineering throughout the day. Graf Berghe von Trips and Joakim Bonnier retired with their Porsche RSK. The driver pairing Umberto Maglioli – Hans Herrmann also had to park their RSK 718 early. Edgar Barth and Wolfgang Seidel won the 1959 Targa Florio with an average speed of 91.309 km/h and just under twenty minutes ahead of Linge/Scaglarini. Two Porsche 356 A Carrera with their 1.6 liter engines followed - with Hanstein/Pucci in third place and Strähle/Mahle in fourth. Piero Drogo, who is known as a vehicle designer, reached the finish line in fifth place after 11 hours and 41 minutes with his co-driver Mennato Boffa in the Maserati A6 GCS-53.