Each year, the Vintage Grand Prix takes place in Pittsburgh – but drivers (and car nuts) from all over the country head to The Keystone State with their classic racers.

Alfa Romeo, Mustang and Jaguar – you will see them all in Pitts. There’s something special about a vintage race car – the simplicity of it. Before computers and circuits, in a time prior to aerodynamics (and unfortunately, safety features) when all you had was the throttle, a helmet and goggles, and guts.

Below, Pittsburgh’s Charles Schwimer gets into his 1965 Maserati 151 Topo to participate in a high speed test session for the upcoming Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix at the Motorsports Complex in Wampum, Pa.

Bob Koch works on his 1959 Elva Courier in preparation for its next session in the high speed test and tune session.

John Goodman (no relation) of Philadelphia rolls out his 1958 Alfa Romeo Giuletta to the track, as he too will participate in the upcoming Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

All photos – source via AP Photo/Keith Srakocic & CTV.ca

Here at Automopedia we love a DIY (Do It Yourself) project. Sometimes, the outcome is a little over-the-top. Is this V6 AF-powered wild hog too much…yes, and we are OBSESSED. With over 156 horse power in this 2.5 liter V6 Alfa Romeo engine, the chances of you being pulled over just about triple. Or, maybe they are reduced to Zero – since no CHIP is gonna be able to catch ya.

Chris Barber, gear head and cycle enthusiasts, is responsible for “Alfabeast” – and is part of a lifestyle which includes motorcycle fans mating two completely different, intensely fast/stylish forms of transit to make one powerful two-wheeled ride. His creation has been featured in Motorcycle Mags globally, including North American periodicals, Europe, Germany and an upcoming Romanian spread.

Those interested in specs, we’ll let Barber explain: “The engine is rebuilt with new bearings and rings, it was in perfect condition before but since I had to strip it down to machine the block, it made sense to replace any wear parts. The tranny has new shafts, gears and bearings.”

“Six individual 4 ft exhaust pipes, pair of downdraft Weber carburetors. Kawasaki ZXR750 front forks, discs and calipers. Cooling system with thermostatic switched fan on both oil cooler and water radiator, I rode it around at Daytona bike week one year and it didn’t overheat in the traffic. The engine is wet sump with an external PACE oilpump. Ignition is dual/stacked BSA triple, running negative earth, with four twin post DYNA coils.”

Sources: Jalopnik | DucCutters

Actually, Alfa Romeo is coming back to the United States after a 13 year absence. What do they bring as a peace offering? How about the all new 8C Competizione sports car! This exclusive ride from the foreign auto maker is the largest anticipated return of an Italian since the sixth Rocky movie.

Only 84 copies of the 8C Competizione are coming to shore sometime around late 2009 or early 2010, so if you have a few hundred grand hanging around your bank account (and after the recent economic crash, who doesn’t?) you best contact Alfa Romeo and reserve a vehicle today.

The standard 8C Competizione will strike American soil with a 4.7 liter V8 engine, pumping out 450 horse power with a six-speed electronically controlled manual. If all goes well, you may expect more Alfa’s (including an upcoming GT racer) to make their way overseas in years to come. In fact, according to Automotive News, Fiat (who owns Alfa Romeo) is in talks to construct or take over a car plant in the United States by 2011.

It’s possible we maybe be seeing Alfa Romeo dealerships in the states soon, and an announcement on what models will be sold very soon.

According to Automotive News we’ll have details on distribution and specific vehicles in 3 months. It also states that there’s currently a debate in Alfa Romeo on whether or not to expand a factory they own where they build construction equipment into an automobile factory, or to purchase one that has been closed by a U.S. auto maker. It would be nice to see them do the latter, and bring some jobs to those areas that have really been hit hard.