Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

Qualifying races and car show, 7.23.11, Schenley Park

Having bought a car from one of the Bobby Rahal dealers, we had an invitation last year for this event to the VIP tent, but for some reason we didn’t use it.  We should have, because this is one fantastic event, and I won’t miss another one if I can help it.  It is one of the largest events of it’s kind in the U.S. and according to the website, it is the only one still run on city streets.


Actually, the day was projected to be very hot and humid, and it was raining before I even finished my breakfast.  That combined with a migraine almost kept me home, but I had to get out of the house, and I was going to that VIP tent this year, dang it!  


I got to the parking lot outside the Phipps Conservatory around 9am.  I was determined to beat the crowds and the worst of the heat.  Fortunately, the rain was holding off, although the skies were grey.  The rain had made for some very steamy conditions, but after 15 years in south Florida, it was nothing I wasn’t used to.  Part of the racecourse ran past Phipps, and you could hear the cars already out on the course.  That got the excitement going, and I was suddenly very glad I hadn’t stayed home.  There was a good spot to see the cars come around the corner on a hill opposite Phipps.  I got out my camera and waited.  The first cars around the corner were delightful!  They were some of the oldest, and old cars just have wonderful character.  They may not go as fast as the race cars of today, but to me they are more fun to watch.  


My goal as a photographer was to try panning - focusing on the car and moving the camera with it while taking the picture.  This gives you shots of the care in focus, with the background blurred, so you have the sensation of speed.  It is not easy to do, but I was getting the hang of it, and ended up with some shots that accomplished my goal.  Actually, later in the race, as the sun came out, I shot myself in the foot in that regard.  I set the shutter speed up a little too high to get the blur I wanted in the later shots.  Oh, well.  Lesson learned!


I watched a few different heats make their runs.  This day was for practice runs and qualifying races.  The big race was to be on Sunday.  I could have stayed in that spot all day, but there was a car show to see as well, and supposedly another good spot for taking photos, so I set off for the main event area.


Because of the rain, they were still getting the cars that were part of the show to their locations.  From what I heard, people come from all over the country to this thing.  One guy even shipped his car from Hawaii.  The first thing that struck me was that European cars were being set up on the right side of the road, nearest the course, and American cars were on the left side of the road.  It was kind of funny.  But they actually had a much bigger scheme for this event.  Not only were cars divided up by region - such as the German and British sections - but they were also divided by make.  So, if you like Porsche, you could spend all of your day in the Porsche section.  Actually, Porsche was the Marque for the race, so there were hundreds of them.  It was Porsche nirvana, and I was trying not to drool all over myself as I walked up and down the lines of beautiful cars.  


Finally, I found the other good vantage point for picture taking.  After watching a few more heats, and taking way more pictures than I needed to, I went back to walking around.  The place was a sea of cars, and I started with Porsche again, so I could get some pictures there.  After that I wandered over to the British car section and was amazed at all of the MG’s, Triumphs, Jaguars and other cars from across the pond.  They were all beautiful.  But the head was starting to get to me, so I headed to the Rahal VIP tent for lunch and a break.  It was nothing special - burgers, dogs and BBQ - but it was tasty and more than welcomed at that point.


After lunch, I took a look at the Shelby exhibit.  These were the only American cars allowed on the European side, I think.  I’ve always loved the little Shelby Cobra, but they had a green one that just took my breath away.  Oh, to have such a car.  After that, I figured I’d check out the American cars, since I knew I wouldn’t last much longer.  I found myself amidst Fords and Pontiacs.  There were some beautiful GTO’s, an adorable Model T truck, and a couple of sherbet colored Thunderbirds that struck my eye.  But my favorite, on the outskirts of this section (headed into GM territory) was on old Cadillac Coupe de Ville - the kind that is about a mile long, with huge tail fins.  And of course, it was pink - metallic pink at that.  Gorgeous!  


As much as I wanted to keep exploring - some of my favorites are the old Mopar muscle cars, like the Barracuda, Charger and Roadrunner -  I knew the heat was going to do me in soon, so I decided I should leave.  I don’t think I saw half of what was there to see.  Next year will be different.  I will plan to hit as many of the events as I can, so I can see all of what this wonderful event has to offer.

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