SAAC Forum

There is also a very active Cobra club in Pittsburgh with several members attending many of the Grand Prix events throughout that following week.  You will find some pictures from last year at www.pvgp.org.  There are parade laps offered to certain groups at Schenley Park on the track before the races.  If you (and anyone else) can make it and would like to get on the track for a parade lap, I can speak with the Executive Director and should be able to make that happen!  I was fortunate enough to lead the parade in 2019 in my '65 GT350 with Mr Cantwell riding shotgun.

Hello Evil Twin.  Looking forward to having you in town.  I am a local Pittsburgher and am on the car show committee for the Pgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP).  The SAAC convention will be part of the Grand Prix's first weekend at Pitt Race (the Grand Prix races will actually take place on the 15th-16th), but then there are events around town (generally various downtown locations) each day the following week leading up to the big weekend at Schenley Park (near Pitt and CMU) for the vintage races there.  Those are the smaller bore vintage cars (I think up to around 4 liters ... ie Allards, Porsches, MG's, Jaguars) since it is held on very tight city streets throughout the downtown city park.  That weekend, there will be over 3,000 cars in the show on the various fairways of the golf course as they are racing around you.  It is truly one of the best car events in the country (only vintage race still held on city streets) and it's all for a great cause.  Over 1,000 volunteers put it on with the proceeds going to the Allegheny Valley School and Autism Society.  For anyone who has never attended, you can get a lot of information at www.pvgp.org.  Please feel free to ask if you have any questions and I will try to check back here regularly...I'm usually not on here.  Anyone who can attend will not be sorry.  Any Shelby's would park on the American field.  Ferrari is Marque of the year, so I expect that there will be close to 100 of them.)

Anyone attending SAAC itself, we had one of the best turnouts of vintage cars in recent memory the last time at PittRace and I expect another one this time as well!

Steve, just getting around to checking the forum.  Extremely well put!  It was great seeing you again at both SAAC and at the Pgh Vintage Grand Prix also.  I think the turnout was great and as a long-time SAAC member myself, I think teaming with Team Shelby was a big success and should certainly be considered moving forward.  The more the merrier!!!  Heck, many of us have vintage as well as new Shelbys anyway.  Great job to everyone -- thanks for all of the hard work.

Look forward to seeing those of you who are able to attend.  Even though going to be very hot, I'm sure it will not disappoint.

Just an FYI -- I have arranged for 3 national Tiger Club judges to come to PittRace on the 13th to certify some Tigers.  I currently have 9 cars coming, which is likely all they can handle for the day.  So, why do I mention it at this point.  One, just because this may be the largest contingent of Tigers assembled for awhile outside of a national Tiger convention and if you do have a Tiger and are interested, please feel free to drop me a line since I can see whether we can sneak another one in or in case someone backs out.  The current cars are coming from PA, OH, and NY.  They will not be entered into the Popular vote show since they will be getting looked at during that time.  This will be occurring in a garage/tent in the paddock area in case you happen to see a bunch of Tigers assembled together.  When each car is done, I may have them park together up on the grassy knoll by the water tower where there will be some Vintage Grand Prix show cars assembled.

Hello Dan, I will let someone running the event address your registration materials question, but being a local I can tell you that there is only 1 road into the track.  Very simple and essentially in the middle of nowhere.  You would take the Turnpike to Exit 13 (next to last exit on PA going toward Ohio), which is Route 18.  You will follow Rte 18 for only about a mile or so and the entrance to the track sneaks up on you on the left side.  THere is a sign on the right side of the road pointing you there, but you could easily miss it.  The road into the track has a few houses on it which you will pass and then I understand SAAC will have a separate line when you get to the gate for registration while the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand will have another line for general spectators.  But, one way into the track and easy to find other than maybe missing the turn!!!  Have a good trip.  Jason

Yes Saturday for certain.

I will be staying at home and driving the 10 minutes to the host hotel and 30 minutes to the track from my house....I get real lucky this year   I just may need a few more drivers to get some cars to PittRace!!  Will be great to see you at the Grand Prix again Steve.  I can't recommend it enough, but anyone able to stay for the Vintage Grand Prix or come back the following weekend when we will have 200,000 spectators on the Schenley Park golf course for 3,000 cars in the show and vintage racing all around you will not be sorry!  Various fairways of the golf course host different makes.  One area will have 600 Porsche's, another 800 British cars, about 100 exotics from Cars and Coffee, yet another about 70 Ferrari's and then we hope to pull 400-500 Shelbys and MUstangs in the Marque of the Year display area.  Chuck Cantwell is excited to be our Grand Marshall.  Info at www.pvgp.org.  The event is truly one of the best in the country and the only vintage race still on city streets.  Put on by over 1,000 volunteers and 100% benefits Autism.  I am Chairing the Marque of Year activites, so am in promotion mode.  I'm done with my cheap plug now, thanks for reading!!

Any questions, please drop me a private message or I can be reached directly at gt350man@verizon.net.  Would love to have as many vintage Shelbys there as possible.  Jason Uhler

Forgive me for being naive, but outside of the wheels having "KH" on the fronts (and I assume they all did?), what other identifications were there in terms of stampings on the correct wheels?  I have a few steel wheels that came with my car when I bought it, but they've been packed away for 25 years and I want to finally check them out.  Something tells me that they are not the correct ones, but I do vaguely remember seeing KH on them.  I also assume other rims not used on Shelbys could have had KH also though?  Thanks!

Not sure that SAAC has anything up yet, however we have the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix registration flyer online at the website www.pvgp.org for those interested and able to stay until the following weekend.  I am coordinating the efforts for the Shelby/Mustangs Marque of the Year events throughout the week.  We'd love to have as many of you as possible (all years welcome for the 3,000 car show on the golf course -- not just vintage cars!).  As mentioned before, this is a100% charity event.  For that reason, even if you are uncertain whether you can come, you are certainly welcome and encouraged to register and your $50 will essentially be a donation to the autism society.  Last year, BMW was Marque of the Year and they single-handedly contributed about $125K to the charities from the events throughout the week.  We are trying to break that record.  I appreciate anyone's support and welcome any questions you may have.  You would be amazed by this event if you are able to attend particularly the big show and vintage races the weekend of July 20-21.  I am very pleased to have gotten Chuck Cantwell to be our Grand Marshal!  I will try to attached the flier as well -- hopefully this works. Thanks, Jason

Steve, it would be great to see you again at Pitt Race and perhaps Walnut Street.  I am on the Pgh Vintage Grand Prix Marque of the Year committee, but will not have ultimate decisions as to how many Shelbys and which will get invited to Walnut.  That decision likely will not come until June if I had to guess since we are trying to pull some historically significant cars for the event also.

I would highly encourage anyone coming to the convention to consider and look into staying the following week or coming back for the following weekend.  It promises to be a great event.  Here is a link to the Marque of the Year page of the website  https://www.pvgp.org/marque/.  If folks can't stay another week, which I understand is a lot, you would really appreciate the Vintage Races on Saturday and Sunday at PittRace the weekend of SAAC, so staying through Sunday is a great idea.  I've already spoken to the regional director of Team Shelby about some events/driving tours they are planning and I understand SAAC members will be able to attend as well.  Stay tuned, but glad everyone is getting booked.

JD,
To elaborate on the Alfas, they will actually be staying at the same host hotel as SAAC coming in just after the convention is over. They are expecting 200 cars and they are looking to place a $4 million one in the lobby!  I know that because my friend, who is also very active in the Grand Prix and is a Mustang guy, is the Sales Manager at the hotel.  I usually park with Fran at the event in Schenley Park.  There are several local vintage Shelbys around town who usually attend.  There is a real nice invitational event in town on Monday July 15th where about 200 cars are roped off on an affluent street and we hang out for beer and pizza at a local establishment.  Shelbys will be parked together right in front.  If anyone is able to attend that event, please let me know what you plan to bring and I can provide that information to the gentleman who runs the event (his dog was named Shelby if that tells you anything about his interests!).  There isn't a lot of room, but I'm sure he would love to have a nice selection of vintage cars there.
Jason

As a Pittsburgh native and active volunteer of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix each year, I can't say how excited I am to have the convention back in town (so much has been done to the track -- now PittRace since it was last here for SAAC-34 when it was a much smaller track called BeaveRun) but more importantly the fact that Shelby is Marque of the Year for the PVGP.  I cannot overstate how incredible this event is each year.  It spans the better part of 10 days beginning with the weekend SAAC will be at PittRace and then there are events around the City of Pittsburgh each night leading up to the big races in a beautiful park near downtown Pittsburgh (next to Carnegie Mellon University and Pitt).  That following weekend for the races will yield about 3,000 cars all over the golf course for an incredible show on Saturday as the racing is occurring on city streets all around you.  It is the only such vintage race in the county still run on city streets.  That weekend will draw several hundred thousand people.  Shelby being Marque will have a prominent spot and involvement in each of the events throughout the week and will have a special parking area for the weekend at Schenley park.  The website, which has already been provided, provides a lot of details, but I would be happy to answer any questions any SAAC members have about that event.  This really is a wonderful car event in which Ford is heavily involved.  Last year, Henry Ford III's Ford GT was there in a display with my '65 GT350 among other cars.  Please try to figure out how you can stay all week -- you won't be sorry!!!  I didn't mention that they pull about 100 exotic cars as well for the shows (Ferrari's, Lambos), it is run by over 1,000 volunteers, and is 100% for charity (Autism society).  I will be working on the Marque of the Year committee for the PVGP, so am certainly open to any suggestions as well.  Hope to see you in "the Burgh"!!!!
Jason

Pitt Race has actually changed a lot since SAAC 34.  The owners of VIR have since purchased the track and invested a lot of money.  It is now approx 3 miles long, which is twice as long as it was for the last convention.  The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand will be going on at Pitt Race on July 13-14 for the big bore cars (i.e. Shelbys) culminating in the vintage races on July 20-21 at Schenley Park in downtown Pittsburgh near Pitt and Carnegie Mellon Universities.  It's there were over 1,000 volunteers put on the only vintage race in the country still run on city streets and where you will see 3,000 cars in the show on Saturday all over the golf course and 300,000 spectators.  A must see event.  Hope to see you there!
Jason

Steve,
It is a 10 day event with the weekend of July 13-14th being at PittRace just outside of Pittsburgh.  That's where the big bore cars run (i.e. Shelbys).  The main event at Schenley Park with the 3,000 cars however and the vintage racing on city streets is on July 20-21, 2019.  The Chairman of the Board for the PVGP is a Ford dealer and has strong ties with Dearborn and the Ford family, so it should be good.  Henry III's new Ford GT was there this year at Schenley Park in the Ford display.
Jason