This past spring we where approached by Rob Straw from R7 Filmaking and Photography inquiring if he could get some night shots of the Cortile Italian Char show. Rob thought that that city lights in the background would make for some really incredible photography. Needless to say we are impressed beyond our wildest imaginations with his work. Take a look below as some of his magnificent images! Read more below.... Rob Straw went to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix with his family when he was in high school and was immediately attracted racing. He'd always admired automotive design and, as he tell us "Now I got to see those "works of art" speeding around corners on the public streets of Schenley Park!" "Fast forward about 20 years and here I am. I've been a photography, video and design teacher at the college level for over a decade. I find my free time in the summer is now spent at the local park with my two daughters or traveling to racing events throughout the region including those at Pitt Race, Watkin's Glen, Mid-Ohio and VIR. In the winter I snowboard in my free time and always have a "project car" to work on like most gear heads." ~ Rob Straw "For me racing is not just about the speed of the cars on the track. It’s about the personal stories that led them there. Not an event goes by that I don’t talk to people about where they got their car or what got them into racing. I’ve been fortunate to meet some wonderful people along the way and hear so many stories. I’ve met people who design cars for wounded veterans, met a man whose daughter now races the car he once did and even met someone who now races the vintage car they once saw on the track when they were a child over 50 years ago" ~ Rob Straw
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The 2016 Cortile Italian Car show was quite an event.
We started things off with a special presentation by Jeff Mahl on Friday evening about he 1908 New York to Paris Race. It was a lively and very informed presentation about Jeff's great great grandfather's experience racing around the world over 100 years ago. On Saturday we had several very special cars show up for the De Tomaso feature as well as a Stanguellini race car! Take a look at some of the live footage below that we posted on our Facebook Page during the weekend activities for more details.
THE 2016 CORTILE CUP WINNERS CIRCLE
In the Best Italian Speciality Car category that Stanguellini race car took top honors. Our Proiettore Macchina feature winner was a gorgeous white Pantera.
The Ferrari and Lamborghini winners added the iconic Italian sports car colors to the Winners Circle and a very very unique Maserati joined us from Erie, PA to take the final spot in the Winners Circle!
Jeff is the Great Grandson of George Schuster, driver of the American Thomas Flyer and winner of the 1908 New York to Paris Race.
For his victory, George was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame beside other racing greats including Andretti, Bugatti, Ferrari, and Shelby.
This car was partially restored in 1970s and spent approximately 20 years in a private museum of an Italian car collector in Miami, Florida.
The current owner purchased the car in 1994 and has spent the last 8 years restoring it to the original racing condition. This was it's first showing since coming out of the garage!
Make plans now to join us next summer at the Cortile when we will feature Alfa Romeo as our 2017 Proiettore Macchina!
An private preview of exclusive cars and an entertaining speaker sponsored by Algar Ferrari On Friday evening July 15, you to arrive at the Clubhouse starting at 6pm and enjoy a preview of the Cortile Car show and meet some of the other car owners and sponsors on a one-on-one basis. The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix has many sites and sounds to absorb on Saturday and Sunday and our Preview Party gives you the opportunity to chat with other car owners and have some technical discussions about your cars. Cortile Participants in the Preview Show will receive all of the materials they require for entry into the show grounds for the weekend on Friday evening. This event is also open to all Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix car show participants, the only requirement is that you must have a car registered at one of the weekend car shows. Space is limited, Pre-registration is a must. No drive up registration permitted. $45/person. The 1908 New York to Paris Race.
Jeff is the Great Grandson of George Schuster, driver of the American Thomas Flyer and winner of the 1908 New York to Paris Race. For his victory, George was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame beside other racing greats including Andretti, Bugatti, Ferrari, and Shelby. Jeff will also be joining us on Saturday for more about the 1908 New York to Paris Race. You can learn more about that HERE
Since the inception of the Cortile in 2009 we've been searching for Italian Race Cars for display on our showfield. However, since this is the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix more often than not those cars racing on the track. This year, however, we are very please to announce that a 1959 Stanguellini Monoposto Formula Junior will be on display for your examination all weekend at the Cortile.
We are very pleased to welcome Mazza Winery as a sponsor at the Cortile again this year! Not only does Bob Mazza make some great wines right here in Pennsylvania but he's also a race driver! Below you can read about the winery and at the bottom you can check out some video of Bob on the track! Joseph Mazza left his 40 acres of sloping terrain planted with figs, chestnuts and vineyards in Calabria, Italy, in 1954 to make his home in the United States. He sent for his wife, Felecia, daughter Rosina and sons Frank and Robert the following year.
The secret was a young German winemaker named Helmut Kranich, a graduate of the world-famous school of enology at Geisenheim who came to Mazza Vineyards from Henkle and Sekt Co., one of the largest wineries in Germany, known for its champagne. At the age of 23, Kranich had the distinction of being one of the youngest winemakers in the eastern United States. Mazza wines have evolved over the years. Gary Mosier, who from the beginning studied alongside Helmut, served as winemaker for many years, contributing his own signature wines. Many customers, especially those new to wine drinking, prefer the sweet, fruity taste that comes from the native Niagara, Concord and Catawba grapes. Now that the health benefits of drinking red wine are well known, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin have also become popular selections. Robert continued to expand the operation in North East after his brother, Frank, left the region in 1979 to help develop another winery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He soon found that blending the ancient art of winemaking with the most modern techniques and equipment often brings exciting results.
Mazza’s wife and children regularly contribute new ideas to the family business. While still in high school, Mario and Vanessa developed a private-label program, which provides customers with a unique way to commemorate special occasions. Mario has now rejoined his father as the company’s general manager and Vice President after training abroad at the University of Adelaide in Australia in enology & viticulture, while Vanessa contributes as creative director.
In the early years, when unfavorable regulatory conditions and a slowing economy threatened to close down many wineries, Mazza pressed on. He credits his wife, Kathie, for her encouragement and support. “We were not willing to give up,” said Robert. “We both wanted to succeed.” And succeed they have. Mazza wines have greeted the lips of presidents, toasted governors and christened ships, including a limited edition Vidal Blanc reserved for the U.S. Brig Niagara. In addition, Mazza’s Niagara is the top selling Pennsylvania wine in the entire Pennsylvania state store system. Mazza Vineyards continues to earn international recognition for its wines and is one of the largest producers of Pennsylvania-grown wine in the Commonwealth. Mazza Vineyards, Mazza Chautauqua Cellars / Five & 20 Spirits and the South Shore Wine Company are all part of Lake Erie Wine Country, formerly the Chautauqua - Lake Erie Wine Trail, which hosts a variety of special events throughout the year. Each year the Cortile selects a marque or model to highlight for the annual event based upon factors such as historical significance, unique local interest, brand resurgence. The cars of Alejandro deTomaso have been selected as our 2016 Proiettore Macchina!
Alejandro de Tomaso (1928–2003) started his career in the car industry as a racing driver for Maserati and O.S.C.A. He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grand Prix's, debuting on January 13, 1957. In 1959 he founded De Tomaso Automobili originally to build prototypes and racing cars. De Tomaso Automobili (1959 - 2004) was a Modena Italy based automobile manufacturing company founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso with funding from his wife, Isabelle Haskell, an American heiress and race driver. De Tomaso's first road-going production model was the Vallelunga, named after the famous racing circuit, was introduced in 1963. The Mangusta, introduced in 1966 was the first De Tomaso car produced in significant numbers. With the Mangusta, De Tomaso moved from European to American Ford engines. About 400 Mangustas were built before production ended in 1971. In the late 1960s, Ford was in need of a high performance GT to combat the likes of Ferrari and Corvette, and assist in generating additional dealership traffic for its mainstream product lines. De Tomaso Automobili was relying on Ford 289 and 302 V8's engines in the Mangusta model and had purchased the Ghia design and coach-building concern. After Ford's failed attempt to purchase Ferrari, a Ford-De Tomaso business arrangement was consummated and work began on a new mid-engined GT which would become the most iconic of the DeTomaso cars produced: The Pantera. From 1961 to 1963 De Tomaso designed chassis for a number of Formula One teams using O.S.C.A., Alfa Romeo, Fiat-8 and Ferrari V-6 engines. In 1970 Alejandro De Tomaso took an interest in a rising F1 team and built a magnesium chassis, designed by Gian Paolo Dallara, and powered by a Cosworth V8, for Frank Williams Racing Cars for use in the 1970 Formula One. The relationship began to sour after Piers Courage fiery crash at Zandvoort. It would mark the last year De Tomaso appeared in F1. The Pantera followed on the heels of DeTomaso's F1 fame in 1971 with a 351 Cleveland Ford V8 and a low, wedge-shaped body designed by Ghia's Tom Tjaarda. Through an agreement with Ford, De Tomaso sold Panteras in the USA through Ford's Lincoln and Mercury dealers. Between 1971 and 1973, 6,128 Panteras were produced in Modena, the largest number of a single marque of De Tomaso produced. The Pantera was finally phased out of production in 1993 with somewhere around 7000 total units produced. In 1971 De Tomaso also introduced the Deauville which was attempt to rival contemporary Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz saloons. In 1972 De Tomaso introduced a coupé based on the Deauville, the Longchamp. The Longchamp used a slightly shortened Deauville chassis and had the same Ford V8 engine. The body design, however, was substantially different, and influenced by the Lancia Marica prototype, also designed by Tom Tjaarda. A total of 409 Longchamps of all variations were built, by the time the production ended in 1989. Alejandro deTomaso made many acquisitions throughout the 1970's. De Tomaso Automobili owned motorcycle company Moto Guzzi from 1973 to 1993 and from 1976 to 1993 De Tomaso owned legendary Italian sports car maker Maserati, and was responsible for producing cars including the Biturbo, the Kyalami, Quattroporte III, Karif, and the Chrysler TC. In February 1976 Alejandro de Tomaso purchased Innocenti. Innocenti had acquired the rights to Mini from British Leyland and from 1976 to 1987 the top of the range Innocenti was the Innocenti Mini de Tomaso. Over the years they produced Lambretta scooters as well as a range of automobiles. We are very excited to feature the cars of Alejandro de Tomaso at this years Cortile Ralph Gilles is the Head of Design at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Ralph spent some time going through the history of the Alfa Romeo marque, discusses the development of the 2017 Alfa Romeo Guilia, and finishes up the interview with an thank you to the Alfisti Vintage Racing community for keeping the brand alive in the North America during their 20+ year hiatus by admiring Brandon Adrian's very rare and early 1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Spider 750F. This is the actual car that won (1st in Class Winner) at the F.I.A./ARCF 12-Hour 1957 Sebring, Florida International Grand Prix of Endurance for the Amoco Trophy and was 2nd in class in the 1958 Sebring 12-Hour the following year. This is one of if not the most significant Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Spider's in the world with a early F.I.A. competition history and it was the FIRST Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Spider with a International racing win at a majior International F.I.A. event in the world. (F.I.A. World Sports Car Championship). This car is the 'Real' and only original 'Sebring' Spider Below are some close up shot of the new 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia as well as the 1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce Spider 750F On March 12, 2016,at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Lamborghini unveiled both it's new restoration service called PoloStorico, and also it's first project, a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV (Super Veloce), chassis #4846. This example Miura was as the pre-production model for subsequent Miura SV production. It was originally unveiled at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show on Bertone's stand, the car was truly a one-off, carrying over parts from the previous Miura S and introducing new features that would be seen on later SVs. "This is the year in which the Lamborghini Miura celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. This car not only illustrates the iconic appeal of the Miura, widely acknowledged as the forerunner of modern super sports models, but is also a perfect example of the expertise available in Lamborghini PoloStorico in providing the most authentic Lamborghini restorations." Lamborghini PoloStorico officially opened in spring 2015, supporting historic models and Lamborghini's heritage through four main areas: restoration of historic Lamborghini models; archive management; original Lamborghini spare parts for which around 70% of the historic car parc is covered; and official certification of Lamborghini historic cars. 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV PoloStorico RestrorationThe Lamborghini Miura SV (Super Veloce), chassis #4846, was the pre-production model for subsequent Miura SV production. Unveiled at the 1971 Geneva motor show on Bertone's stand (while Lamborghini showed its new Countach), the car was truly a one-off, carrying over parts from the previous Miura S and introducing new features that would be seen on later SVs.
Innocenti was an Italian machinery works originally established by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1920. Over the years they produced Lambretta scooters and, most notably, Mini's from 1965 until 1975 under license from British Leyland. Although the sales of Innocenti's second only behind Fiat in the early 70's a new manger was put in charge and at the end of his three year tenure in 1975 the company was purchased out of near bankruptcy in February 1976, by Alejandro de Tomaso and was reorganised by the De Tomaso Group under the name Nuova Innocenti. All of this background is important to understand more about our first registration for this year's celebration of DeTomaso at the Cortile: A 1975 Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300.
Many details of internal and external were produced by Italian brands (IPRA for the radiators, Carello and Altissimo as regards the headlights). Also for what concerns the mechanical part were made of different choices such as the adoption of the booster on all models Cooper (the English Mini the brake booster solely on the Cooper S). Mini Magazine wrote: Gary's 1975 Innocenti MiniAccording to Gary Daniels, the first registrant to this years Cortile and the owner of the 1975 Innocenti pictured on this posting: "In researching the rarity of this car, I contacted the Mini Cooper Register who has an Innocenti register for more information, They informed me that all factory records had been destroyed and they could not varify the production information of this car. I did find an Inncenti website that listed serial numbers and production date information. According to them, this car was produced in January of 1975 and that January was the last month of production for the Innocenti factory before the purchase by Alejandro de Tomaso. Production numbers for Innocent Minis ran approximately 28,00/year up until 1974 where production was cut in half. In 1975, production was very small for all versions of the Innocenti due to the short production run ending in January, 1975. The 1300 Export version is the most luxurious and smallest production volume of all Innocenti Minis. Nearly all body panels and body parts were made by Innocenti. Notable exterior features include the distinctive Inno grille, badging and extra chrome work, plastic wheel arches, side-repeaters and Rostyle steel wheels. Notable interior features are interior door latches, three-spoke Halebore steering wheel, cigarette lighter and heated rear screen. The dashes is distinct in that the instrument cluster is made up of six Veglia gauges, lined up in a row. All Innocenti's were equipped with Cooper S brakes and a choice of 998cc or 1275cc engines. This car in original trim had a 1275CC Cooper S spec engine with an 11-stud head, S pistons, and an S crankshaft. The con-rods were Innocenti spec. Carburetors were twin SU 1.25-inch, 538 cam and Lucas 25D4 distributor producing about 71bhp. Top end was about 95MPH. This Mini Innocenti 1300 Export has been modified to include a 16 valve, supercharged and fuel injected 200+BHP engine, uprated brakes, adjustable suspension, roll cage, Cobra race seats, four-point harnesses and 10” three-piece alloy wheels with Yokohama 032R tyres. Weighing in at 1300 pounds, this car has impressive performance! Gary's 1967 Rallye Monte Carlo Winner Mini ReplicaGary Daniels is also bringing his replica 1967 Monte Carlo Rally winner for display in the Mini Car show at the PVGP, so you'll want to walk down the hill to check it out as well. According to Primotipo... "By 1967 the Mini Cooper S was long established as a race and rally winner; in the Monte the cars won in 1964, 1965 and 1966, the cars driven by Paddy Hopkirk/Henry Liddon, Timo Makinen/Paul Easter and in ’66 Makinen, Aaltonen and Hopkirk dominated the event. They finished in that order only to have French officialdom throw them out, and Roger Clark’s 4th placed Lotus Cortina, advancing Finnish Citroen driver Pauli Toivonen to a hollow win. The cars ‘were excluded for having iodine vapour, single filament bulbs in their standard headlamps instead of double-filament dipping bulbs’, this was a bit of French bullshit which allowed a Citroen win… The Mini’s advantage was rammed home in 1967 when Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon won the event one last time, the age of the Mini was coming to an end, the ‘rally reign’ of the Ford Escort Twin-Cam/RS1600 and other more powerful specialised cars was about to begin…" [Read More at Monte Carlo Rally 1967: Morris Cooper S] An short interview of Stephan Makowski from Restoration & Performance Motorcars about this Ferrari 750 Monza was campaigned by David Piper for race team Garage Francochamps. Stephan has campaigned a 1950 Ferrari 340 America as well as the TVR and an Alfa Romeo at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Ferrari 750 Monza 1954 saw the introduction of a new four-cylinder sports racer, the 750 Monza. Sporting a three-litre version of the 500 Mondial's engine, the Monza was much more powerful, with 250 hp (186 kW) available, but barely heavier at 760 kg (1675 lb). The new-style body was penned by Pinin Farina and presaged the droop-nose look of the famed 250 GTO, but it was Scaglietti's 750 Monza, with its faired-in headrest suggesting the flowing Testa Rossa that drew attention. |
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