The monster Sicilian road race was the last of its breed to succumb to world automotive sissification in 1977. Before that, guys were racing 500+ HP sports prototypes through tiny Sicilian villages while locals crowded in, straining for a peek.
This particular shot was taken at the 1970 race, where local boy Nino Vaccarella is on his way to third place in the big Ferrari 512 prototype.
And who beat him? Two of John Wyer’s nimble Porsche 908’s:
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Vaccarella would be back the next year in the much more suitable 3-liter Alfa Romeo T33 and take the title. This was the car with the center-mounted rearview mirror sticking out like the love child of a periscope and a Martian fighting machine from The War of the Worlds: