The

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...

was a

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

motor race Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

held on the 108km Medio Circuito Madonie in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on the 24th of April 1927. There were two separate races held simultaneously, one for up to 1100cc

Cyclecars A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key ...

held over 3 laps for a total distance of 324km, and the main race for

Formula Libre Formula Libre, also known as Formule Libre, is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the oppor ...

cars over 5 laps for a total distance of 540km. The Cyclecar race was won by

Baconin Borzacchini Baconin Borzacchini (Terni 28 September 1898 – Monza 10 September 1933) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver often referred to as Mario Umberto Borzacchini. Biography Born Baconino Francesco Domenico Borzacchini in Terni in the Umbria ...

driving a

Salmson Salmson is a French engineering company. Initially a pump manufacturer, it turned to automobile and aeroplane manufacturing in the 20th century, returning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s, and re-expanded to a number of products and services ...

, while the main race was won by

Emilio Materassi Emilio Materassi (October 30, 1894 – September 9, 1928) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver. Early life Born in Borgo San Lorenzo, near Florence, Italy, Emilio began working in a bicycle shop, learning the basics of applied mechani ...

in his factory entered

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...

Report

For 1927 entrants were divided into three classes based on engine capacity. Class I was for 1100cc

, which would complete just 3 laps. Class II was for cars between 1100cc and 1500cc, and class III was for cars over 1500cc. Cars started one by one, with class II cars starting first, followed by class III, at four minute intervals, and finally the four class I cars, at two minute intervals. First to depart would have been Innocenzo Ciri but he had crashed in practice, so it was Sabipa who was first away. Sabipa didn't make it far, however, crashing into a ravine on his first lap. Antonio Caliri would also fail to finish the first lap, and the Diatto of Valdes had several issues. The top half of the field was quite close after the first lap, with less than five minutes separating the top 9:

Ferdinando Minoia Ferdinando "Nando" Minoia (2 June 1884 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian racing driver with an exceptionally long, distinguished and varied career. In 1907, he won the Coppa Florio driving an Isotta Fraschini. In 1923, he drove the world’s ...

lead, in 1 hour 26 minutes and 30.6 seconds, from

Dubonnet Dubonnet (, , ) is a sweet, aromatised wine-based quinquina, often enjoyed as an aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol. I ...

and Materassi, all in Bugattis. Elizabeth Junek, also in a Bugatti, impressed many finishing her first lap in fourth place, followed by

Alfieri Maserati Alfieri Maserati (23 September 1887 – 3 March 1932) was an Italian automotive engineer, known for establishing and leading the Maserati racing car manufacturer with the other Maserati Brothers. Maserati was born in Voghera. In 1903 he and his ...

(in a

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

), Boillot in the only

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

, Lepori, Conelli (both Bugattis) and

Maggi Maggi ( or ) is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century. The Maggi company was acquired by Nestlé in 1947. History Early history Julius Maggi (1846–1912) ...

in a Maserati. Ernesto Maserati closed out the top 10, another 3 and a half minutes behind.

lead the small cars by over five minutes in 13th overall. On the second lap two of the main contenders had to retire: Junek with a broken steering rod and Minoia with broken differential. Materassi drove the fastest lap of the race (1 hour 25 minutes 48.8) and took the lead, while Alfieri Maserati and Conelli also moved up the order to second and third respectively. Boillot struggled with a damaged exhaust releasing hot exhaust gases onto one tire, forcing him to stop twice to change wheels. Dubonnet also struggled with engine trouble. Borzacchini's lead in the 1100cc class had extended to nearly 7 minutes. On the third lap, Conelli was able to close in on Materassi thanks to a pit stop for the latter the gap under a minute after three laps. Alfieri Maserati wasn't far behind, while Lepori, Maggi and Boillot were still in contention. Ernesto Maserati had to retire with a broken axle. Borzacchini won the 1100cc race by over 11 minutes, and decided to keep going as he was now seventh overall, although nearly 30 minutes behind Materassi. Fagioli, also in a Salmson, was second in the 1100cc race, but had to push his car over the finish line due to a broken fuel pipe. During the fourth lap, it began to rain. Materassi was able to extend his lead to around five minutes on Conelli, and 10 minutes to Alfieri Maserati. Lepori broke a wheel in an accident, and although he was able to replace the wheel and make it back to the pits still in fourth place, he would retire. Maggi also crashed his Maserati, but much to the surprise of his team was able to get back to the pits, around an hour later than expected, where he too would retire. Borzacchini was unable to finish the race, with a valve failure shortly after starting his fifth lap. Conelli was the first car to finish the 5 laps, but was left to wait to see if he had won as Materassi had started 36 minutes after him. In the end Materassi would win by just three minutes. Alfieri Maserati lost time but held third followed by Boillot, while Joaquín Palacio was able to overtake Dubonnet for fifth place. Heinrich Eckert and Salvatore Marano both completed the full distance of five laps, but were not classified as they exceeded the maximum allowed time of 9 hours.

Results

1100cc Class

Targa Florio

Sources

{{Grand Prix race report , Name_of_race =

, Year_of_race = 1927 , Previous_year's_race =

1926 Targa Florio The 1926 Targa Florio was a Grand Prix motor race held on the 108km Medio Circuito Madonie in Sicily, Italy on 25 April 1926. There were two separate races held simultaneously, one for up to 1100cc Cyclecars held over 3 laps for a total distance o ...

, Next_year's_race = 1928 Targa Florio

Targa Florio