What is the Cortile?
The Cortile is the Italian Car Show, at The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix which will again meet on July 16-17, 2016.
In Italian "Cortile" translates into courtyard which is an appropriate name for our display of fine Italian machina on the 18th fairway of the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is the only Vintage Race held on city streets in North America and includes some white knuckle off-camber turns brushing stone walls in s-bends downhill. If you think that's a mouthful to read you should see it in person!
In Italian "Cortile" translates into courtyard which is an appropriate name for our display of fine Italian machina on the 18th fairway of the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is the only Vintage Race held on city streets in North America and includes some white knuckle off-camber turns brushing stone walls in s-bends downhill. If you think that's a mouthful to read you should see it in person!
Where is the Cortile?
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The Cortile area not only has it's own private entrance, at Gate G, so you can bypass all of the inbound traffic, but is also the only car show that boasts the glorious setting of our host The Pittsburgh Golf Club, which offers a cash bar.
How to I get there?
Look for the entrance to the Cortile on Northumberland Street, just below the Schenley Park Golf Course clubhouse at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Schenley Drive.
The Show opens on Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 AM and cars are displayed until 5:00 PM. Cortile and Grand Prix are held rain or shine. For a complete listing of our weekend events just click days you would like to find out more about below: |
View The Cortile Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in a larger map |
What does it cost?
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Preregistration Cost is $125 per car and includes lunch for two on Saturday a Cortile T-shirt, a Cortile hat. Additional lunches can be purchased for $35 each. A cash bar will also be available. There is no formal judging in car show. Visit the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix website for more details of all the events. CLICK HERE To REGISTER ONLINE NOW. for the car show. $150 at the gate depending on space availability: No guarantee for goody bags or lunch.
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What is the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix?
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Since 1983 this volunteer-driven event has raised over $4 million for the Autism Society of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Valley School.
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The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission to hold a world-class vintage automotive event for charity.
It is the region's premier summer event for hundreds of thousands of automotive enthusiasts in that it combines charitable fundraising with car shows and vintage sports car racing on city streets. The 2015 Race Week runs from July 5th through the 19th culminating with our 33st annual vintage races and car shows at Schenley Park on the third weekend in July. |
The inception of the Cortile
The Cortile is a hybrid car show. Hybrid in the sense that it is one of the few car shows on race weekend managed by directly by the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association. Many of the other shows are graciously managed by local car clubs.
In October of 2007 Dan Delbianco and Bob Speer had lunch with Bernie Martin and the subject of Italian cars, and the lack of them at the PVGP, came up. The Italian manufacturer's and coachbuilders had some of the richest history of automotive design and performance engineering. There seemed to be two key problems:
- There where no Italian Car dealers in the Western PA region
- There where no active Italian Car clubs to manage a car show
So, in 2008, at the 26th running of The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, "All Italian Cars" were featured as the "Marque of the Year" There was an overwhelming response! But there was still no local car club and no local dealers to manage an all Italian car show in the future.
During the course of the 2008 show there where many discussions about why more Italian car owners didn't participate. Some of the main reasons given was that the traditional location of the Italian car event turned into a swamp if it rained. It was also noted that many visitors to the PVGP, not realizing the rarity of some of the cars in front of them, wanted to "hop in" because there where only a few Italian cars that showed up.
Bernie's wife and other family members decided early into that weekend that they needed to keep the momentum going with the Italian Marques into the future.
During the course of the 2008 show there where many discussions about why more Italian car owners didn't participate. Some of the main reasons given was that the traditional location of the Italian car event turned into a swamp if it rained. It was also noted that many visitors to the PVGP, not realizing the rarity of some of the cars in front of them, wanted to "hop in" because there where only a few Italian cars that showed up.
Bernie's wife and other family members decided early into that weekend that they needed to keep the momentum going with the Italian Marques into the future.
By the end of the 2008 event the discussion was flowing. Several people made the journey across the park to look at a section of the golf course that was completely vacant near the #8 & #17 green of the Bob O'Conner Golf Course at Schenley Park. It was decided to create an All Italian event every year. Those founding members included Bernie Martin, Walt Spak, Andy Schor, Sean Kunkle, Wayne Long, Chad Pcsolyer, Jim Shaw, Dan Delbianco, Bob Speer and Ian Martin.
In 2009 the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix launched "The Cortile" which has become a very unique, opulent area befitting the gorgeous Italian gems that participate. The Cortile is a PVGP run event and not a club event which makes it rather unique from many of the other car shows that occur over the Grand Prix weekend.
In 2009 the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix launched "The Cortile" which has become a very unique, opulent area befitting the gorgeous Italian gems that participate. The Cortile is a PVGP run event and not a club event which makes it rather unique from many of the other car shows that occur over the Grand Prix weekend.
Last edited: 6 June 2023
