2015 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix??

Karen and I participated in the "Countryside Tour" in 2013 and it was a blast. (They loved Bridget enough that we're still very prominent in the slide show!).

 

We met up with a couple other TDr owners for dinner but were pretty wiped-out from the drive (many hours and 110F that particular day). That whole story's here.

 

I'd like to make that trip again this summer and stay for the actual race. 

 

It would be very cool to see you there too, Kelly.

Kelly, I've been going to the PVGP for years. Usually drive my 912 with a group from here in Central Pa. I've also driven my VS Speedster one year, and various Jaguars over the years. You will be welcomed by many of the clubs with your Speedster, I have seen a number of replicas in with the Porsche Club of America. One year I was invited to drive several parade laps with the PCA to represent my year of manufacture (1968). Open Paddock area give you close up access to the cars and drivers. One year I met up with a guy who had restored my original Speedster (real) that I owned when I was 16 and later sold for $600 ! He had it appraised for $184,000, that was several years ago. I highly recommend going. It is a must on my yearly calendar. Chuck

OK,  this is starting to sound like an outing.  An important question will be: how much of the proceedings can be attended?  As I look over the list of events, the official stuff goes on for about a week or more ahead of the actual race, which is the last day, Sunday.  I suppose one could spend a week in the vicinity doing this and that.  Being a mostly retired guy, I could manage that, but for others, maybe not so much.  And one can have too much of a good thing.  So some planning and coordination will be involved.  It is good to know that the side events are welcoming to the faux Speedsters.  A couple of years ago I asked the organizer about which class I could race with, and he just laughed.  The final race is for the real vintage cars, and they do not like any mods on those either.

PS: and $600 is a nice figure.  That is what I paid for my first coupe in 1966 -- it was a '56 A.  It had had ten years of tough running then, I gave it another ten, and it is likely now just so much iron oxide at the bottom of a graveyard somewhere.

2 kids graduating on Carlisle weekend so that's out.  Pittsburgh sounds like a nice trip.  I've never been to Pittsburgh and have always meant to go.

That's one vintage racing event I haven't been to yet, but have thought of.  Seems like a good week long celebration.

The weekend before the event at Schenley Park, bigger bore cars are raced north of Pittsburgh at a purpose built race course. Each car club has it's own venue, BMW, Porsche,Audi, Mercedes Benz etc. Saturday is British car day, and there is an International car show where I've also seen replicars entered. I generally go out for just the weekend, should you decide to go start thinking about a place to stay. If you haven't yet visited their website you may want to plenty of information there.

So looking at the car show stuff on Saturday I see that the British Car Day people are explicitly excluding 'replicas and heavily modified' examples. The Porsche folks aren't saying. The Subaru people I didn't really try, the VW paddock seems to be all purebreds.

 

But the American Car Show explicitly welcomes modified cars and hotrods. My car was made in Arnold, Pennsylvania--the body was, anyway. Most of you-all have American-made cars too. $30 bucks to get in the show and you're on the course & given a dash plaque and a program instead of half a mile away, which costs $15 & gets you nada.

 

Anyone?

 

Ah, wait...found it: International Car Show is the Festivus for the Restivus.

Well, I guess that's where Canadian cars fit in.

I reached out to Bud Osbourne at the PVGP. Here is what he told me:

 

Hi, Ed. Glad you are going to be returning to PVGP, again, this year. For Saturday, you can register in the Larry Smith Memorial Car Show, which accepts highly modified, or replica/kit cars. This would be where your friends with the 356 replicas would probably be welcomed. Another thought is to see if the VW folks would welcome you all. I suspect they might and they have a pretty nice area, down with the BMW folks and in spitting distance of the Porsche display. 
I'll make some inquiries for you, from this end and see what I can do for you. 

Thanks for your interest and enthusiasm. 
Bud 

Our PVGP plans are not set in stone yet, but we are there every year.

 

Just a side note; Beck and Superformance (and possibly others?) have cars that have been accepted into vintage racing and compete at the PVGP as well as many other SVRA events.  We didn't complete last year (just hung out) but the previous year we won 9 out of 9 races... 

Carey

Very impressive, but not that surprising.  What were you running 356 or 550?  Air cooled I'm assuming.

This sounds like an awesome event.  I'm going to try to attend if I can get off from work.

I also sent an e-mail to the events PoC, and asked what was cool and what was not Re: replicars.  A Bob somebody. Have not had a response yet.  We should definitely make some plans, zero in, and figure out how to do this.

We've attended the vintage races a couple of years in the past. Schenley Park is a perfect venue for the races and it's all free. A super event and my wife got some terrific photos.  I'd like to be able to attend other events during the week but it hasn't fit our schedule in the past.  Considering going this year but on the fence.       

ECB and HotFoot:

 

You gotta go.  Let's figure this out.

 

PS:  I am a Carnegie Tech alum, and spent my last year there with my first car:  a 1956 356 A coupe.  There is much to say about that old rag of a car, but in this space let's just mention that the road course through Schenley Park that is used for the PVGP is one I am quite familiar with.  Not sure I ever booked any elapsed times, but . . .

Got the green light from the better half. So I'm in. Gonna try to do Thurs through Sunday this time, starting with the Countryside Tour. 

"Countryside tour"  That sounds like the 5+ hours it will take to get there.  I am thinking of eschewing the turnpike for a more leisurely jaunt through the secondary roads.  There are several possibilities, but running up along the Potomac river might be one way.  More later. 

Sounds like an excellent idea, Kelly.

 

Osbourne says he expects "to hear back from PVGP Car Shows Chairman Bob Speer, very soon, as to where all of the VW-based specials will fit-in best. I do expect it will be with the VWs, which I think you and your friends would be pleased with."

 

He says the Countryside Tour is mainly limited* to cars whose chassis were built prior to 1983. So I guess pan-based cars would rate under those rules.

 

*he says he's grandfathering-in some of the modern cruisers who've been with the run all along.

 

 

Phil,

904/GTS.  Chuck wants to run it and a Spyder this year, we'll see.

The last time we were out there they started us in one "open" group, moved us to the big bore group, and then finally to the Porsche/BMW challenge group.

Thanks Carey

That alone is worth the price of admission.  Hope to see you there. 

I would pay to see it. Yet I won't have to!

Signed up for the countryside tour just now

 

http://www.pvgp.org/countryside-tour/

 

Gonna maybe hang out for the actual race this time. Anyone got any lodging suggestions?