 We are just over 30 days away from this summers Cortile Italian Car Show at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix! We've got some great new things for you to enjoy this year! Saturday & Sunday July 20-21, 2019 2019 Proiettore Macchina: Alfa Romeo  The 2019 Spotlight car of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is Alfa Romeo. Poster art by artist Kelly Telfer. As you know, each year the Cortile selects a marque to highlight for our annual event. The Macchina of Alfa Romeo have been selected as our 2019 Proiettore Macchina! Joining us this summer is the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC) who will be holding their North American Convention and honored also as the spotlight car of the 2019 running of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.. The theme for the AROC convention is "Cortile della Corsa", the "Courtyard of Racing" and will feature Alfa Romeo's on the track as well as iconic racecars on the showfield. Be sure to check out the poster car that was raced by Fangio and Phil Hill. Wine on 9 & Lunch on 9!  Deb Schurko came up with the idea of Wine Tasting on Turn 9 a few years ago and it's become the best place to watch the races on Sunday. Plenty of shade and some wine tasting, courtesy of Mazza Winery, after the opening ceremonies and parade! This year we're introducing something new, but first... This year, we've had a slight price increase on weekend registration to $150. After 10 years we've experienced a few cost increases and it was time to adjust up a bit to make sure we where keeping our contribution to the charity growing compared to the other marques down the hill from us. JKS Sponsors Lunch on Sunday! But, in conjunction with Wine on 9 at the Westinghouse Pond on Sunday,we've also got a NEW sponsor in JKS Financial . As a company with more than 45 years of combined experience, JKS Financial prides themselves with the relationships they build with their clients and they want to build some charitable relationships with us! This summer they are sponsoring and hosting the Sunday Catered Lunch at the Westinghouse Fountain.  This year your weekend entry will get you lunch for two on both Saturday and Sunday! We've also upgraded some of our goody bag stuff. This year we're including a collapsible umbrella (to keep you in the shade of course) and some beeswax lip balm so your lips aren't burned for the wine tasting! And you will love this year's t-shirt! It features the poster art you see up above. Artist Kelly Telfer will be on hand to autograph the posters and even your shirt or hat. Oh! I forgot to mention the hat! This year's is different from previous years. You'll just have to wait and see that! Meet the Cortile Judges! If you have not gone over to the judges tent at the previous years events and chatted with the judges you may just want to do that.
Did you know that Steve Barney was the first person outside of a direct Ferrari employee to ever get to own a Ferrari Grand Prix Car? Ask Steve about Nikki Lauda's F1 Car that he owned thanks to his friend Enzo Ferrari. Steve is also the founder of Foreign Cars Italia in the south and is pretty intimate with all Italian marques. You may also want ask some questions of Tom Frasca. Tom was Dipendenti Ferrari for the North American Racing Team, more commonly known at NART. Tom served as Luigi Chinetti's right hand man for 26 years until 1994 and was a witness to much of the history that has made Ferrari an iconic name today. Stop by the judges tent at 2pm to ask them some questions! Now, to do all that you've got to register! If you have not done so already, click the button below and register now for the Cortile Weekend. (If you own an Alfa Romeo CLICK HERE instead). Thank you very much for your continued support of our charities! Bernie
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 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! 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 Motorcars Legacy 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 Winner At the 2017 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance tom's 1961 Maserati 3500GT Vignale Spyder was the winner of “BEST OWNER RESTORED” Trophy.
 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, etc. 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 RomeoAlfa Romeo was founded as A.L.F.A. "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili" which stands for "Anonymous Lombard Automobile Factory" on June 24, 1910. In August 1915, the company came under the direction of Neapolitan entrepreneur Nicola Romeo and in 1920, the name of the company was offically changed to 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. In 1961 Alfa Romeo started importing cars to the United States and was became a bit of a household name as a result of it's starring role in the move The Graduate. In 1995, Alfa Romeo took a hiatus from the United States market until it was officially confirmed on May 5, 2006 by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne they new Alfa Romeo's would once again be sold in the US. North American sales resumed in October 2008, with the launch of the low production 8C Competizione coupe. The next biggest significant milestones in Alfa Romeo's North American return occurred in 2014, with the launch of the more affordable two-seater 4C coupe and most recently the Giulia’s launch quickly followed by the Stelvio SUV. We hope to have several Guilia's on the show field for viewing this summer.
 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 
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
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.
 In 2016 it has been re-restored into a 1959 RaceWorne look  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 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.
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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 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. |