Cortile Cup 2014 Winner: 1982 Ferrari F40
Proiettore Macchina 2013: Abarth
In 1987, there was a supercar war raging between the big three European sports car manufacturers. Lamborghini’s Countach had turned the sports car world upside down with its radical styling and blistering performance. In 1986, Porsche’s innovative 959 introduced a number of automotive firsts and attained a top speed of 197 mph, claiming the title of the world’s fastest street legal production car.
Enzo Ferrari, stubborn as he was, would not let that record stay in Stuttgart. Ferrari’s F40 was developed from Ferrari’s 288 GTO Evoluzione, and it broke a barrier akin to Glamorous Glennis breaking the sound barrier 40 years earlier: the F40 was the first production car to break 200 mph, registering a top speed of 201.4 mph. |
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The F40 was named in celebration of the Scuderia’s 40th birthday, and it was intended for a limited production run of around 400 units, but strong demand pushed the total production number to 1,311, with only 213 destined for the United States. Of course, Ferrari delivered F40s to enthusiasts all over the world, but every F40 to leave the factory bore Rossa Corsa paint and a left-hand drive configuration. Sadly, with Enzo’s death on August 14th, 1988, the F40 was the last car to receive the blessing of “Il Commendatore” before his passing, signaling the end of an era for one of the most iconic marques in automotive history.
The car debuted with a factory suggested retail price of approximately US $400,000 in 1987 ($830,000 today), although some buyers were reported to have paid as much as US$1.6 million.
The car debuted with a factory suggested retail price of approximately US $400,000 in 1987 ($830,000 today), although some buyers were reported to have paid as much as US$1.6 million.
Abarth Winner:
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"Our car is a 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth in classic white. She was optioned with the higher performance wheels and tires, red leather interior, sunroof and the classic-style red stripes and mirrors. The European hood scorpion is my homage to the classic racing Abarths.
Our car was ordered and purchased new and made her initial debut at the 2012 Cortile - less than a day after taking delivery in New Jersey and trekking across most of Pennsylvania that night. The car is owned by both Angela and myself. We live in Burke, VA where we share our home with a passel of Fiats, Alfas and other European makes." |
Alfa Romeo Winner: 1967 Duetto
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The Alfa Romeo Duetto was produced between 1966-1969, but with no US version in 1968. Powered by a 109 horsepower dual overhead cam four-cylinder 1570cc engine, the Duetto round-tail Spider or Osso di Seppia is known worldwide for its appearance in the movie The Graduate.
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Ferrari Winner: 2011599 GTO
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Ferrari unveiled the super fast 599 GTO at the 2011 Beijing Auto Show. Calling it the fastest road-going Ferrari ever, the factory says the front-engine rear-drive 599 GTO, which develops 670 bhp and 457 lb.-ft. of torque, holds the track record at Fiorano with a lap of 1:24 (although other records show the 510-bhp F430 Scuderia being a tenth of a second quicker). Still, that's nearly a full second faster than the Enzo. The car can accelerate to 62 mph in 3.35 sec. and has a top speed of nearly 208 mph.
The 599 GTO's lightweight construction, which features thinner glass and aluminum panels, results in a dry weight of only 3289 lb. That, when factored with the 670 bhp output of the 6.0-liter V-12, means there's just under 5 lb. of weight for each horsepower. |
Fiat Winner: 1975 Spider
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The 124 Sport Spider is a 2+2 convertible sports car marketed by Fiat from 1966 to 1980 – having debuted at the November 1966Turin Auto Show. Designed and manufactured by Italian carrozzeria Pininfarina. The convertible body was designed by Tom Tjaarda, who used his earlier designs of Chevrolet Corvette “Rondine” and Ferrari 275 GTS.
The car was sold in Europe and the U.S. from its introduction until the 1975 model year when it was modified to comply with new U.S. regulations and no European version was produced |
Lancia Winner: 1967 Fulvia
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The Fulvia was the last Lancia wholly designed by the old-line automaker before it was acquired by the Fiat Group in 1969. Produced from 1965 until 1976, this technically advanced model featured front-wheel drive and a narrow angle OHC V-4, which was increased to 1.3-liters for 1967.
In 1963 Lancia introduced the Fulvia at the Geneva Motor Show. It was designed by Antonio Fessia and intended as a replacement for the Lancia Appia. Its tight, boxy shape exemplified the typically clean lines of small Italian sedans from the 1960's. The Fulvia was a front-wheel drive vehicle where its predecessor, the Appia, used rear-wheel drive configuration. The longitudinal engine was mounted in the front. The suspension in the rear was a solid axle with a panhard rod and leaf springs while the front was independent with wishbones and leaf springs. Disc brakes were placed on all four corners of the car. The DOHC V4 engine was designed by Zaccone Mina and mounted forward at a 45-degree angle. The 1091 cc engine was capable of producing between 59 and 71 horsepower depending on the configuration and compression ratio. The HF model had a 1216 cc engine and produced between 80 and 88 horsepower. |
Lamborghini Winner: 1988 Countach 25th Anniversary
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This is ONE of SIX Anniversary Editions produced in this color in the World.
Named to honor the company's twenty-fifth anniversary,and introduced in September 1988, the 25th Anniversary Countach was mechanically very similar to the 5000QV but sported much changed styling. The rear "air boxes" were restyled and enlarged, while the vents behind them were changed so that they ran front to back instead of side to side. In addition, a new air dam and side skirting, both with air intakes, were fitted, and the taillights were restyled to be narrower, with body-colored panels replacing the upper and lower parts of the previous large taillights. The styling changes were unpopular with many, particularly since the intakes had strakes in them that appeared to mimic those on the Ferrari Testarossa, but they improved the engine's cooling, a problem the Countach had always struggled with. It also featured 345/35R15 tires; the widest tires available on a production car at the time. The Anniversary was produced through 1990 when it was replaced by the Lamborghini Diablo. The 25th Anniversary Edition was the most popular, most refined, and possibly the fastest Lamborghini Countach: 0–60 miles per hour (0–97 km/h) in 4.7 seconds and 183 miles per hour (295 km/h) all out |
Maserati Winner: 2002 GT Coupé
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When Carl purchased this car in 2002 in Washington, DC. he drove it straight from the dealer to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Carl was one of the original people who made the trip up the hill in 2008 to review the site for the Cortile we wanted to create in 2009. He told the judges "It has always been his dream to win an award at the PVGP"
Sales in the United States began in May 2002 for the Coupé. The release of the Spyder and the Coupe heralded Maserati's return to the North American market after an 11-year hiatus. The Coupé was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign, who also designed the Maserati Ghibli, and the later mid-engine 1971 supercar Maserati Bora. Interiors design was commissioned to Enrico Fumia and based heavily on 3200 GT interiors, restyled in 1999. The cars were built at the Viale Ciro Menotti plant in Modena, Italy. |
Italian Specialty Car Winner: 1974 De Tomaso Longchamp
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The Longchamp was a limited production gentleman's GT. This car is one-of-one, the first only example of integrated health monitoring. This has been a center piece display car at Concours Italiano in Monterey, CA during Pebble Beach Concours weekend.
If you haven’t seen a De Tomaso Longchamp on the streets of your town lately, there is a very good reason for this. A grand total of 409 Longchamps were made during eighteen years of production. The De Tomaso Longchamp was named after the Longchamp horseracing track in France. it was a spirited performer comfortable for long trips and could carry a small family. |
The Longchamp itself was based on the De Tomaso Deauville, another vehicle not known for its ubiquity in the US. First shown at the 1972 Turin Motor Show, the Longchamp was well received, though by 1973 things had turned quite sour for the supercar industry due to the oil crisis. Designed by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia, the Longchamp borrowed the basic platform and transmission from the Deauville, using the 351 Ford Cleveland V8 which was popular in hybrid supercars of the time. Let’s take a closer look at this coupe after the jump.
As mentioned, a total of 409 Longchamps were built (395 coupés and 14 spyders) between 1972 and 1989, with only a couple per year built during the last years. The vast majority are of Series 1 specifications. Some claim that production actually came to an end in 1986, with later cars being sold from stock. The Longchamp was never officially sold in the United States, although a number of cars found their way into the US as gray-market imports.
As mentioned, a total of 409 Longchamps were built (395 coupés and 14 spyders) between 1972 and 1989, with only a couple per year built during the last years. The vast majority are of Series 1 specifications. Some claim that production actually came to an end in 1986, with later cars being sold from stock. The Longchamp was never officially sold in the United States, although a number of cars found their way into the US as gray-market imports.