Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

[gxg95]

All Italian cars are the "Marque of the Year" at this year's PVGP. Details at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association

According to their promo literature, "It is the nation's largest vintage sports car race and the only one one run on city streets."

There were quite a few Alfas at the 2007 show, and many more racing. Anyone on the board here planning on attending this year?

The site has some nice photos from the show and races last year, including this:

[Gary K]

I participated in 2005 and found it to be a great event. The organizers treat the competitors and spectators very well. There is a huge field where there are vendors and car corrals and a area on a hillside from which to view the race. Recommend attending or participating.

[Sprintn]

Great Photo!!! Looks like a cool road!

[Michael Conrey]

I'm thinking of attending (as a spectator) with my family. Does anyone have a recommendation on a campground nearby?

Michael Conrey
Smithsburg, MD

[Michael Conrey]

This one's coming up in two months. Who else is planning on attending?

Michael Conrey
Smithsburg, MD

PS. I found a great campground, Pine Cove Beach Club and RV Park

[gxg95]

Here are a few photos from the show in Pittsburgh.

[gxg95]

More photos

[gxg95]

A few more .....

[gxg95]

Two interesting Lancias

[gxg95]

And a few poor quality shots of Alfas on the track..

[Alex Csank]

Those are some great photos! Here's a short article about the event...from my perspective:

FEAR AND LOATHING IN PITTSBURGH, PA (with apologies to Hunter S. Thompson)

OK...so Harlan Hadley and I headed up to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix on Saturday morning, meeting at a diner in Frederick, MD (just behind the hotel chosen for the 2010 AROC Convention BTW) at 6:30AM. We then had a great drive in my Verde (Trogdor) with Harlan at the wheel, arriving at our 'flea-bag' motel, about 20 miles outside P-Burgh before 11AM. We then made our way down to the Concorso, paid the $125 entry fee for my car, two passes, and free 'soft' drinks and lunches for both Saturday and Sunday.

The auto show was HUGE! There were separate sections for Italian cars, which was a corral called "Marque of the Year". It wasn't really a "Marque" of the year because any Italian marque which sowed up was represented...but that was done because there just are never enough Italian cars to equal what the bigger marques bring (Chevy, Triumph, BMW, etc...) out for a show. There were so many cars, that when combined with all the vintage racers, neither Harlan nor I were able to even scratch the surface of any of the other nations and types of cars represented. There was an entire hillside of British cars, a valley filled with Germans, the Swedes were well-represented, as were the French. The US car area stretched as far as the eye could see, and had row upon row of all the popular American machines, and many of the very rare and often unseen antiques, hot rods, customs, bone-stock restorations and more...listening to the 'Hemi' guys rev up was fun (for example!).

The Italian corral was made up of a whole herd of (mostly newer) rearing horses, mad bulls and Tridents, and Maserati had a very nice tent and dealer set-up. There were certainly a few very rare and nice older examples as well. A couple of fun, older Lancias (an Aurelia and a Flaminia coupe) showed up and there was a very nice Fulvia HF as well. Alfas were well-represented with a good mix of cars, including three very nice Sprint Speciales.

The vintage racing took place on the public roads (closed for the weekend) which wind their way through beautiful Schenley Park. We took the shuttle bus over to the paddock and wandered around, jaws-dropping at the pre-war Alfa with Fangio's name still painted below the cockpit, the early Bugatti, the flat-head Ford powered Indy car and waaaay too many others! Row upon row of oddball vintage racers were present. Everything from 500cc single cylinder Formula 3 cars, to the under 1 Litre and motorcycle engine powered sports cars, to the 3 cylinder Saab 93...wow! It seemd like everyone showed up! Of course, Alfa were plentiful, with the Lepro GTA and the ex-Horst Kwech 'orange' car both making appearances as well.

Unfortunately, the Italian car parade laps were actually just a very slow parade...and many of the 20, 30, 40 year old (and older) cars did not like the stop and go, 1-2 mph parade in the 90+ degree heat. To make matters much worse, the weather gods conspired to slam the event with a major wind, lightning and rain storm early in the afternoon on Sunday, putting a BIG damper on the remainder of the races.

So, Harlan and I (a little wet, but otherwise fine) decided to depart a bit early and headed out into the awful P-Burgh traffic bound for home. Faced with appalling traffic throughout the city (we spent at least 4 hours of the weekend stuck in 90+ degree heat and 'parking-lot' traffic in Pittsburgh over the weekend!), we eventually got lost and had to stop for directions. Of course, with all the use of A/C, wipers, lights and the mandatory upbeat '60's and '70s Motown music I was playing in the car...we drained the battery and couldn't re-start. Finding a great little Thai cafe, we sat and drank Thai iced-tea and had a couple of fresh spring rolls while we waited for the AAA guy to arrive. Back out on the road finally, we thought we had beat the traffic and were 'home-free', when the PA Turnpike came to a dead stop while we waited 4 and a half hours for the road to be cleared of a terrible tractor-trailer accident. We got to meet some nice folks, kicked a ball around with some kids and spent our time discussing what the police should be doing to get folks off the turnpike.

What a weekend!! It was good...it was bad...it was Fear and Loathing in Pittsburgh, PA!!!