Driving a Fiat Stilo (and family) around Piccolo Madonie | Thank Frankel it’s Friday

By contrast, most have not heard of Christian Werner, though he shared an SSK with Caracciola at the famed 1930 Le Mans where they single-handedly tried (and for hours succeeded) to fend off an entire army of Bentleys. And yet, it was Werner who chalked up one of Mercedes’ greatest ever victories, winning the 1924 Targa Florio in an exquisite two seat sports car originally designed for Indianapolis by Paul Daimler, but then much modified by none other than Ferdinand Porsche.

I am itching to get behind the wheel even though the car itself, which Mercedes believed to be the winner until it started its restoration in 2022, turned out ‘only’ to be the car that came 10^th driven by Christian Lautenschlager. One hundred years ago here was a car with a 2-litre four-cylinder engine possessing twin overhead camshafts, four-valves per cylinder, and a supercharger. To call it state of the art is putting it mildly.

And yet every time I think of the Targa Florio, it is to another car that my mind is inevitably drawn. An Italian from another era, though also with a similarly sized four cylinder engine with twin overhead camshafts, 16 valves, and forced induction, though this time by way of turbo rather than supercharging. Yes, I am of course referring to the Fiat Stilo diesel estate I hired in 2005 and attempted to do a lap of the Piccolo Madonie circuit with my young family on board.

I’ve done some stupid things in my time, but this was right up there. I’d got all excited when I realised our holiday was going to take us right past the start in Cerda where the original pits remain. And of course, I’d specified a Ford Focus on the booking form, without spotting the ‘or similar’ clause in the small print (a ruse played by all hire companies to deceive you into giving them your business). A rookie error. Surprise, surprise, on arrival in Sicily the hire company were fresh out of the greatest family hatch of its era and rather replete with row after row of one of the worst cars of the early 21^st century.

I had already explained to the family how important it was for me to do that lap, to pay my respects and understand just a little of what confronted my heroes all those years ago. I pointed out that from two weeks on holiday I was asking for less than two hours to do one 72km lap. I suggested they found coffee and chocolate while I indulged my pathetic fantasy in a hired Fiat estate, but it would not be countenanced. Even though they thought Vaccarella sounded like food poisoning, I was told their place was by my side, where they’d derive as much vicarious pleasure from watching my dream come true as I did following in the footsteps of all those legends who had passed this way before. Fat chance.

I shut out the first whimpers and even the early bleats from the back. I was too busy trying to understand how anyone could race around these hills, let alone complete a lap in little more than half an hour. But ‘Daddy, I’m going to be sick’ proved rather harder to ignore. I stopped to allow the children to inhale some fresh mountain air before charging onward, all 96PS (71kW) hauling four people, their luggage, and a heavy Fiat uphill at speeds sometimes approaching 40mph.

Then my wife turned green and starting looking imploringly at me. Brian Redman didn’t have to put up with this. I pulled over again and when everyone felt able to continue, completed the lap at little more than walking pace. The whole circuit took a fraction less than four hours at an average speed including stops of just over 11mph. The slowest lap of the Targa Florio ever completed? Unless you know differently, that’s a record I’m claiming for myself.

I did go back, almost immediately after, and drove both a Bugatti Veyron and an original Type 35T on parts of the course, but so traumatised was I by my Stilo experience, it is what my mind defaults to, even today. So, while I cannot wait to drive the Mercedes, do I think it will finally expunge the memory of those few miserable hours? Not a chance.