Dave Lebrun takes a few minutes for an interview about his 1967 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTV right before the Group 4 Race on Sunday during the 2017 PVGP Historics at Pitt Race.
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by Wallace Wyss for Concourso Italiano July 23, 1934 – June 1, 2017
We lost Tom Tjaarda last week. Tom, a member of the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, was revered by attendees, especially so by the owners of DeTomaso Panteras. He achieved the American car enthusiast’s dream of designing cars in Italy, and I always envied him. Tom chose the right era, the ‘60s, to go there and am thankful that we American enthusiasts had one of us in Italy, making the Italian designs practical enough to bring to these shores. We know Tom best for his Pantera design, both the original and the L model. But, Tom also did a stint at Pininfarina where he designed two Ferraris that reached production—the 330GT and the 365 California Spyder, as well as the Fiat 124—a mass market sports car that even influences today’s Fiat 124 When you look back at Tom’s career, it’s interesting that he earned a degree in architecture at the University of Michigan, but instead chose to work as a car designer. He spent almost his whole career—spanning five decades—in Italy. Tom chose the most exciting time to be there, the ‘60s and the ‘70s. Every time I met Tom at Monterey (after first interviewing him in 1970 at the Pantera rollout) I coaxed a little more of the story out of him about this car or that. Fortunately, Tom had begun writing for Britain’s OCTANE magazine, telling the “back story” of many a design, some of which only made it to the “prototipo” stage. I think his proudest moments were when some one-off design he had done was found, restored and made its re-debut at a concours, as if to say: “See– this one should have made it to production…..” written by Bernard Martin Vincent Vaccaro, from South Salem NY has vintage racing for a little over 9 years. He purchased his current racer, a 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV five years ago. Prior to this car Vince raced a 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta which he campaigned in Pittsbrugh for 4 years when the track was called Beaverun. The 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, which hits a top speed of around 130 mph has got a 2 litre engine and twin Weber 45s. It's sports a red and black livery that features the Captain Lawrence Brewery Logo, the brewery that's owned by Vince's son Scott and located in Elmsford, NY.
When we asked him about his favorite section of the newly expanded Pitt Race course he got a big smile! "The Downhill corkscrew is just incredible!" In 2014, Vince was treated to a tour of the newly re-opened Alfa Romeo Museum and he told us that the racing history of Alfa Romeo on display was something that each and every Allfisti should some day make a visit to see. Vince goes on to explain that the Alfa Romeo racers are a very close community who really support each other during the races. The Ferrari Club of America, Penn-Jersey Region, as invited the Ferrari Club of America Mid Atlantic Region to join them as their members drive from the Eastern side of PA to the West to witness the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix! This will be an informal, "pay as you go event" to allow maximum flexibility and avoid the need to follow a set, prepaid package. Pre-Registraiton fo reh Cortile can be done online at the below button. Pre-Registraion for $125 closes THURSDAY JULY 6, 2017 AT MIDNIGHT. You will still be able to register at the Gate on the 15th and/or 16th for $140 but lunches will close when sold out. The RouteBoth Clubs will be starting from the Harrisburg area at 10:00 AM on Friday, July 14. Ferrari's are free to show up Friday morning, or stay at a local hotel Thursday night to split up the drive! The Ferrari Club will be stopping for lunch along the way, with an optional stop at the Flight 93 Memorial, ending at a hotel near Pittsburgh's Shenley Park, where everything will be happening. Ferrari Club members can enjoy the Cortile and 16 other Car Shows and Pre-race practice laps on Saturday and Vintage Racing on Sunday! The Cortile Cup judging will be on Saturday, giving us a chance to show our cars and maybe win the Pietro Castiglioni Cortile Cup for the best Ferrari! Sunday is race day and Ferrari Club members will be at the Cortile VIP area race side at Turn 9, the Westinghouse Pond, for a private wine tasting. Arrival & Dinner PlansThe plan is to go to the #PVGP "Forbes Avenue of Speed" and have dinner at the Bangkok Balcony, which is in the thick of things. The reservation is at 8:00 on Friday Night July 14, 2017.
On Saturday, FCA will be going to the Cortile, followed by dinner at Mitchell's Fish Market. The reservation there is at 7:30. Please contact Gary Cohen, by email at gmciplaw@aol.com or by phone at 610-283-0864, for more information, cost for the event and/or to sign-up for this event! For the 2017 Cortile Courtyard of Italian Macchina there are some big plans in the works to make Sunday July 16th a MUST SEE event! The Cortile is very excited to announce "Wine on 9"
With the restoration of the Westinghouse Pond now complete, with the help of Cortile participants gracious donations and support to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy for this restoration project, we now have the most opulent trackside viewing area of any of the car shows during the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. In conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the the PVGP we are very excited to announce that we will be taking full advantage of the newly renovated Pond area located on Turn 9 of the track. Mazza Winery has partnered with the Cortile to host a private wine tasting during the PVGP Parade and opening ceremonies on Sunday July 16, 2017. The VIP area is only open to registered Cortile Car Show participants and will kick off around 11am. The entire area is shaded within the tree lined track. It's one of the very best places to watch the vintage races cars jockey for position into the apex of Turn 9 and the execute passes on their way up to German Hill. "Wine on 9" is the brainchild of Deb Schurko,of Pittsburgh Opera gala's fame. According to Deb, "This is really how we've got to use such a gorgeous place! It's so beautiful to begin with and what better place to sit back, savor some good wine and watch vintage racing! It's just the kind of classy thing that the Cortile has become known for!" We could not agree more! Wayne Long, Chief Judge and Founder of the Cortile Cup has announced that he has selected a new Judge for the 2017 Cortile Cup Competition. Tom Bungay will be joining the judging team for the 2017 annual event at the Pittsburgh Golf Club on Saturday July15. Tom has been involved with the collector car business for over 40 years. From racing in the early Monterey Historics, to judging at many West Coast events, Tom has been active in all facets of the hobby. Tom is currently an active participant in Historic racing, driving in events from COTA to Lime Rock. In addition, he owns and operates a Legacy Motorcoars, a vintage car dealership in Jacksonville, Florida specializing in 50’s and 60’s European sports cars. A native of Sacramento, California, Tom has been part of the collector car business for over 40 years. Starting with a restoration shop in Sacramento in the late 70’s, Tom moved south to Santa Barbara working with the sales and restoration of Lotus automobiles. This association with Lotus also led to participation in the Monterey Historics for several years. The Monterey Historics, ta premier vintage racing event in the United States, is held yearly at Laguna Seca Raceway in California. In addition to historic racing, Tom has been active in SCCA road racing since 1970, with a few professional outings, including the Can-Am series in 1981 and Pro Sports 2000. Tom also established Bungay Automobile Appraisals over 25 years ago, a very active company in the collector car market. About Legacy MotorcarsLegacy Motorcars, LLC. was founded by Tom Bungay, a professional in the collector car business with over 35 years of experience. At Legacy Motorcars they are experts at finding that special collector car that you’ve always dreamed of – and they may even have it in stock! Their experience in the collector car market will lead to selecting the finest and most suitable vehicle that meets your needs. Legacy Motorcars also has a pre-owned buyers service, to help you find the exact contemporary vehicle that you want and need, whether it is a slightly used Ferrari or an inexpensive car for your college-bound son or daughter. 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Award WinnerAt the 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance tom's 1961 Maserati 3500GT Vignale Spyder was the winner of “BEST OWNER RESTORED” Trophy.
by Bernard Martin, Managing Director, Cortile Italian Car Show The 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance exemplified grace under pressure. With a 100% chance of heavy precipitation forecast for Sunday for the scheduled Concours d'Elegance and a sunshine-filled Saturday in the mix, Bill Warner and his team chose to move Sunday’s award-winning Concours to Saturday. No small undertaking. As I was having lunch on Friday with several other writers, I noted that I had heard that Warner and his team had come up with a "Plan B" back in 2000 if a weather event caused the the Concours to be moved. As happenstance would have it, one to the people at the table chimed in "I'm on the Board and THIS is Plan B. We are in it. There isn't a Place C. We'll see if it works" It's a momentous task shoehorning a full schedule of Saturday and Sunday events into one day. The Concours show would now coincide with Saturday’s "Cars & Coffee at the Concours presented by Heacock Classic Insurance". The entire Cars and Coffee show field had to be relocated to an adjoining field, transport staff had to move up plans for unloading Concours cars by a full day; with cars that where still en route! It required parking two different cars shows at the same time. Warner and his staff, according to rumor, had to make it all happen with 40% less volunteers who where only scheduled for a Sunday event. No small undertaking. It went off gracefully. It was a tremendous show. Warner and his team pulled a rabbit out of their hat while herding cats and looked great doing it! It also made the task of trying to see over 600+ cars in a short period of time just as daunting. Nevertheless, I was able to find some very nice examples of rolling Italian art on both the Concours and Cars and Coffee Showfield. The Best of Show - Concours de Sport: |
The first 10 customers at Ron Lewis Alfa Romeo will be invited to display their new Alfa Romeos within the Proiettore Macchina show at this year’s Cortile. Each owner will receive lunch amenities, a dash plaque, race program and poster. Alfa Romeo lovers, at Ron Lewis Alfa Romeo, “We Have Your Keys℠” – or should we say, “Abbiamo Tuo Chiavi!” |
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, presented by the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Foundation, has a mission is to produce a world-class vintage racing event in order to raise funds that help provide residential care, treatment and support individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Pittsburgh region through the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Valley School. More information is available at http://www.pvgp.org
Founded in 1975, today the Ron Lewis Automotive Group has grown to over 300 employees and seven dealerships located in Pleasant Hills, Waynesburg, Cranberry and Beaver Falls. Our group comprises: Ron Lewis Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Pleasant Hills; Ron Lewis Ford Beaver Falls; Ron Lewis Chevrolet Beaver Falls; Ron Lewis Kia Beaver Falls; Ron Lewis Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat Cranberry; Ron Lewis Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Waynesburg; Ron Lewis Alfa Romeo / Pre-Owned Cranberry.
Our mission is to pleasantly surprise our customers with a remarkable vehicle purchase and ownership experience. We do this by remaining committed to our customers’ experience and remaining competitive on selection and price. Today “We Have Your Keys℠” to over 1,500 vehicles in inventory, offer two body shop locations, are home to Pittsburgh’s Souped Up Jeep℠ and Souped Up Truck℠ services, offer the only Souped Up Garage on the East Coast, and sell everything from under-$9,000 used cars, to heavy duty trucks, to high performance SRT vehicles. Ron Lewis Automotive now proudly offers “On-Demand” services, including test drives, trade appraisals, “Buy Online” capability and vehicle delivery to a customer’s home, office, or location of choice. To learn more about our organization or to shop for your next vehicle online, visit us online at www.ronlewisautomotive.com.
Alex Wakefield is first and foremost a motorsport artist and enthusiast. As a little kid growing up in Iowa, Alex had always been fascinated by machinery, the pre-race build up and the stories of how those great races happened. He likes to give his own interpretation on how he sees a given period in racing that he find interesting- a more colorful, emotional piece or a precise technical exercise to help convey the visual story. |
- DragonSpeed ELMS P2 team
- Mario Andretti
- Bobby Unser
- Brian Redman
- Willy T. Ribbs
- Jarno Trulli
- Podium Lounge Singapore F1 Weekend, Ritz-Carlton, Singapore - September 16-18 2016
- "SpeedLines" Exhibit at the Museu do Caramulo, Caramulo, Portugal - Spring 2016
- "Espresso, Graphite, and Speed" Exhibit at Southeastern Community College, West Burlington, IA - Spring 2015
A Sample of ALex's Work
Alfa Romeo has been selected as our 2017 Proiettore Macchina! Alfa Romeo has a legendary history, made up of great designers, racers, victories and revolutionary innovations. We have not featured Alfa Romeo since 2010 during the 100th Anniversary celebrations and we're very excited to welcome them back!
A Brief History of alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo has competed successfully in Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing, and rallies over it's illustrious history. It has competed both as a constructor and an engine supplier, usually under the name Alfa Corse or Autodelta, and private entries.
The first racing car was made in 1913, three years after the foundation of the company, and Alfa Romeo won the inaugural world championship for Grand Prix cars in 1925.
The company became a legendary icon in motorsports when Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in 1929 under the Alfa Romeo racing team, before becoming independent in 1939. Alfa Romeo holds the world's title of the most wins of any marque in the world.
Atribution
This 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.
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