 1968 Bizzarrini 5300 Strada PITTSSBURGH, PA - The Cortile, the Italian Car Show at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is pleased to announce that a very rare 1968 Bizzarrini Strada 5300 (No. 0303) will be gracing the Cortile Showfield on July 14-15, 2018 as part of the Proiettore Macchina celebration of Iso Rovolta and Bizzarini cars. This very rare and unique car was once owned by famous stunt driver Carely Loftin and garnered the top result at the debut Keno Brothers Finest Automobile Auction when it was sold for $1,010,800 in 2015. It was recently featured on the inaugural poster for The Greenbrier Concours d'Elegance in May 2018. This slinky, charismatic “rolling sculpture” 1968 Bizzarrini Strada 5300 is rare Corvette-engine-powered bombshell that still attracts stares, whistles and thumbs-up. Bizzarrini was a star engineer behind three of Ferrari’s greatest cars: The 250 Testarossa; The 250 SWB and The 250 GTO. As many great automotive talents do, Bizzarrini yearned to build his own car and power it with reliable American muscle under its curvaceous aluminum Bertone coachwork. The result is a smooth-riding, easy-shifting sports car that feels more like a grand tourer. 1968 Bizzarini Strada Provenance
About Giotto BizzarriniBizzarrini was an Italian automotive company, founded by former Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Lamborghini engineer Giotto Bizzarrini in 1964. The company produced around 200 high performance coupés - including the 5300 Strada - before closing down in 1969.
Bizzarrini then joined the ISO design team to lead the development of a new GT car, a mating of great Italian style to a high-powered, reliable Corvette engine, which he believed superior to Ferrari’s power plants, offering bulletproof reliability and prodigious torque.
He joined forces with the great, young design talent, Giorgetto Giugiaro, who was already in charge of styling at Bertone, and they created the beautiful ISO Grifo A3/C. But Bizzarrini’s urge to return to racing left him restless. So, he once again called upon Pietro Drogo to help develop a new racecar, one based on the ISO Grifo A3/C. It would bear his own name - the Bizzarrini GT 5300 Corsa.
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On Thursday February 11, 2016 the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, along with Presenting Sponsor, the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Foundation, handed over a $400,000 check to the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Valley School.  The large check was initially unveiled and showed $390,000. GPADA president Paul Schimizzi stepped up to the microphone and said that the dealers wanted to round up the donation to $400,000 and promptly took out a marker and generously wrote in the new total of $400,000. This amount is $40,000 more than last year and takes the event over the $4 million mark! These funds were a combined total from the 2015 Grand Prix and the 2016 Auto Show Red Carpet Premiere held that night. The GPADF hosts the party for 1,000 people as the opening preview of the Auto Show. PVGP Executive Director Dan DelBianco accepted on behalf of the Grand Prix and thanked all of the automobile dealers and PVGP volunteers for their yearlong efforts. PVGP Chairman Dan Taylor thanked the ambassadors Anita/Autism Society and Liz/Allegheny Valley School for the inspiration they provide. This is the 9th time in the last 11 years that a new record has been set, bringing our 33 year charity donation total to $4,300,000. This was the second time the check was presented with the help of presenting sponsor GPADF and it was thrilling that the presentation was done at the David Lawrence Convention Center in front of 1,000 attendees. The efforts of our volunteers and sponsors were on display for the entire city to see. Thank you to everybody involved.
For 2015 the PVGP is Celebrating the Marques of Italy. Italian cars of all manufacturers will be honored throughout the entire 10-day event including an All Italian Marque Race on the final day – Sunday July 19 at Schenley Park. We are told that this will be the FIRST EVER all- Italian Marque race ever held in North America.
Cortile Lunch Saturday, July 18 All Italian race cars are invited to drive up to the Italian Cortile at the Pittsburgh Golf Club on the golf course for lunch on Saturday. There will be 300-400 Italian show cars displayed on the 18th fairway. Joe Parlanti will lead the cars through the city streets, departing the Italian Paddock at 11:15 am. Details on Cortile – Saturday Eligible Cars Qualified Italian cars of all marques manufactured before 1973 are eligible. See our Approved Car List for specifics. We already have commitments from several racers and we’re looking forward to featuring 20-25 cars. If you believe your Italian car is eligible and can not find it on our list please email Alain Raymond. Contact
Alain Raymond is a long time supporter of the PVGP and a familiar smiling face throughout vintage racing. He has volunteered to help recruit and manage our Marque of the Year race. If you have any questions regarding the Italian Marque or any aspect of our races please email Alain Raymond Entry Form To enter the Marque of the Year Race you will need to register for our race and add an additional $50 to particpate in the Marque of the Year race. Your grid position will be determined by your best time on Saturday afternoon.   The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix & The Cortile is thrilled to announce that Dwight Knowlton, author of The Little Red Racing Car, has been selected as our Official Artist for 2015! Dwight will be creating our poster art and joining us this coming summer for both book and poster signing, The artwork will also be used on our billboards, ads, banners, t-shirts and many other exciting locations. The poster will be unveiled in advance of the 2015 Pittsburgh International Auto Show Dwight Knowlton is excited to get started on the poster saying “I’m thrilled to say that I am the Official Artist of the 2015 Pittsburgh Grand Prix. I’ll be illustrating and designing the official poster, then developing additional designs for branding, t-shirts, and merchandise. I look forward to creating a truly timeless look for this years event. I’ll also be there in for the PVGP in July signing posters, books and taking in an awesome event – the only vintage racing grand prix on public streets. I hope to see you iu Schenley Park.” ”Dwight wanted to share his enthusiasm for cars with his son “When my son was born, I went looking for the perfect Father/Son/Car book and I couldn’t find it. So I created one. It’s a gift for my son, but ultimately, for all sons, daughters and car-loving families.” The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix shares Dwight’s enthusiasm for cars and vintage racing. As the nation’s largest vintage race, with over 100,000 spectators that is free to spectators, the PVGP brings vintage racing to all generations. PVGP executive director Dan DelBianco knows firsthand saying “fans, aged from 6 to 96 come out to Schenley Park to watch the races from the snow fences and walk the car shows. I personally know of a dozen current PVGP racers that were introduced to the sport through the PVGP. They came as spectators and were immediately hooked on the sights, sounds and smells of vintage cars. Together with Dwight’s awesome book we can all continue to keep the sport thriving so that future generations can appreciate these magnificent machines and the people that created and drive them.” DWIGHT KNOWLTON AND THE LITTLE RED RACING CAR Dwight is a dad, husband, and passionate car guy. According to Dwight “eight months of the year, I drive with the top down. I live in sunny Phoenix, AZ with my wife, son, and new baby girl. We share the house with our dog Tess and an occasional scorpion. When my son was born, I went looking for a father, son, car book for the two of us to enjoy – a book that could help me introduce him to the love of cars. I couldn’t find what I was looking for – so I decided to create one. The Little Red Racing Car is a gift for my son – and for everyone that loves cars, family, and vintage artistic style. The Little Red Racing Car mixes some of the best things in life: family, discovery, sports cars, working with one’s hands, and a dream realized. While the look has evolved throughout the process, it’s inspired by vintage transportation art and features one of the greatest sports-racing cars of the 1950′s – the Maserati 300S – a favorite of legendary racing driver Sir Stirling Moss. In fact, while writing The Little Red Racing Car, I wrote Sir Stirling and shared the project with him. He liked the idea so much, he lent his name to the story! He’s been incredibly kind and supportive of The Little Red Racing Car since it’s release, so much so that I would now count him a friend. The Little Red Racing Car has been featured in various articles and interviews including Road&Track, MotorTrend, Sports Car Digest, and more. It’s no wonder Yahoo Autos raves it’s “The Best Kids’ Car Book Ever.”  SIR STIRLING MOSS HAS AGREED TO COLLABORATE ON DWIGHT’S NEW BOOK TITLED “THE GREATEST RACE” The Greatest Race is the story of Sir Stirling’s record setting 1955 win of Italy’s great race, the Mille Miglia. Side by side in the Mercedes Benz 300 SLR with his navigator Denis Jenkinson, Stirling Moss piloted the car 1,000 dangerous miles – through public roads and cobblestoned towns – in less than 10 hours, setting a record that still stands. It was the first win of the Mille Miglia by a non-Italian, and a first in a non-Italian car. According to Dwight “It goes without saying that it is incredible to have Sir Stirling along for this ride. I look forward to great first-person additions to the known accounts of the race, telling the story for the first time from not a technical perspective, but in an emotional and storybook style.” The book will be written and illustrated in a style similar to The Little Red Racing Car, with some exploration of outline and added texture. Look for updates on the blog and on Facebook as the book develops in the next few months.  SEIZE THE ROAD… AND ENJOY IT.
According to Dwight Knowlton the two words “Carpe Viam!” can say a lot. Literally, Carpe Viam means “seize the road”. So for a car guy, it means “Enjoy the exhaust note while you grip that wooden (or leather) wheel and blast through a curvy canyon.” But it can also means “enjoy the path you’re on,” which is something that I very much try to do while building this brand. |
AtributionThis is a compilation of articles from a variety of sources and contributors. Attrition and sources are always provided at the top and/or the bottom of the posting. Archives
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The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association is a federally registered 501c (3) non-profit organization with a mission to hold a world-class vintage automotive race event for charity.
Since 1983 this volunteer-driven event has raised over $5.8 million to benefit autistic and developmentally disabled individuals through the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Valley School. The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix remains North America's largest vintage race event, the only one run on city streets, and the 8th largest car show in the World. |