The Cortile Italian Car Show
When: Saturday, July 16th – Sunday, July 17th, 2016
Where: Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Admission: Free to spectators
Information: cortilepittsburgh.org
Image Source: Cortile Italian Car Show (cortilepittsburgh.org)
The Preeminent Show of the Preeminent Grand Prix
The Cortile Italian car show is one of 16 automotive events taking place on Saturday during the nation’s largest vintage race event, the Pittsburg Historic Grand Prix. Of the 16, the Cortile certainly has the most flair. Featuring the beautiful, vintage offerings of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, and others, the Cortile pays homage to the automobiles of Europe’s most stylish peninsula. While not a concours, awards for best-in-class will be bestowed upon a truly standout example of each major marque.
Image Source: Lamborghini Miura (cortilepittsburgh.org)
Saturday’s car show leads up to Sunday’s series of all-Italian vintage races, utilizing the same track as the Grand Prix. The Cortile’s race day is a unique opportunity to witness highly sought after cars driven wheel-to-wheel in a thrilling display of skill, elegant design, and historic techniques.
This year’s Proiettore Macchina, or featured marque, is DeTomaso – a badge made famous with cars like the Mangusta and Pantera that clothed big American V-8s under svelte Italian curves. Though grossly underpowered in the U.S. thanks to 70s emissions regulations, the value of these cars is finally rising to match their character and rarity.
Image Source: DeTomaso Mangusta (rmsothebys.com)
Alejandro DeTomaso also brought a number of other marques under the flag of the stylized T, including Innocenti and Maserati. The vehicles built during this period like the Maserati BiTurbo and the spunky Innocenti Mini
The weekend following the Pittsburg Historic Grand Prix vintage races, the city comes alive with car shows and special-interest races. The Cortile joins a number of car shows honoring specific marques, including Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
Image Source: Cortile Vintage Races (cortilepittsburgh.org)