Oktoberfest and the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Another month, another roadtrip! This time my destination was Pittsburgh, PA, where the BMW Car Club of America was hosting their 49th annual Oktoberfest celebration in conjunction with the PIttsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. The CCA Oktoberfest is typically a week long event which I'm almost never going to be able to do all of - Instead, I decided that I would drive towards Pitt slowly and see clients for work along the way, crash the last weekend of the event, during which I would get to marvel at vintage exploding machinery bomb around Schenley Park, and then meander my way back towards Chicago.
My trip began July 10th - that same morning I had said goodbye to my mother who had spent the previous weekend visiting me in Chicago. It was a delightful weekend filled with exploring, musicals, and good meals - the perfect way to recharge. I also happened to be a little under the weather and in an exhausted haze, so I hopped in the 318ti and headed towards Fort Wayne, IN without even checking the engine oil level or the pressure in the tires. Typically I always check all of the fluids and pump up the tires before to trip to ensure maximum performance and longevity, so I was fortunate that the car didn't need me to add much of anything.
I made my first fuel stop in Valparaiso and at that point had remembered to pump the tires up - at that particular Shell station, compressed air was free! I took this opportunity to fill the tires up to 32 psi (I pump them up higher on highway trips to get better fuel mileage), but noticed a rather derelict Porsche 914 sitting in the weeds in the corner of the station. The owner/operator who I purchased bottled water from said, "Belongs to an old employee. That things a piece of shit anyways. Stupid Volkswagen." What some people may see as shit, I see as an opportunity...I'm hoping that someone saves that little 914 eventually, as it looked very original.
Abandoned Porsche 914
I continued on and made it to Fort Wayne, where I accomplished some good work related tasks. Due to my exhaustion and malaise, I elected to forego the typical exploration and just stayed in for the day I was there. One day I'll get back there to explore their downtown area. Apparently, Fort Wayne is the second biggest city in Indiana, so there must be an area of town that's worth seeing.
After completing my tasks in Fort Wayne, I drove towards Sandusky, Ohio, with a very short hour pause in Defiance, OH. Apparently Defiance is famous from the show Scandal, but I can't see much else that could make it famous. Sandusky is famous for it's Cedar Point amusement park, which I did not stop at. The next day and half were fairly uneventful besides work, as evidenced by the fact that I took zero photos until I reached Cuyahoga Falls, OH. After a lovely dinner with some old friends in Akron, I took some time to detail the TI after it had gotten rained on. I had recently paid a detailer in the Chicago area to get it nice and shiny, which involved a polishing process that made the car very easy to keep clean. 30 minutes in the hotel parking lot made the paint shine right up.
The next morning I went to a meeting at a Chrysler dealership but happened to park next to a replica of a Shelby Cobra in the parking lot. While working with the Fixed Operations Director, I mentioned the Cobra to which he said, "it's funny you mention it, I just picked it up last week." Then began the 20 minute long banter about classic cars. People who have the classic car disease like me end up speaking a different language - it's kind of like music. When you find someone else who you can discuss chord progressions with, your day is made.
My last meeting of the week was in a small town East of Akron called Garrettsville, OH. I didn't know what to expect there, but I was surprised to see a cute business district that was parallel to a river. After the meeting I stopped for a waterfall-side lunch, and latte at the historic cafe to finish up some emails (I might make a separate post about this charming little town). Once completed, I had the same feeling that a high schooler feels when they get let out for summer break - elation, freedom, knowing that you finally get to do the things that you want to do without any immediate responsibilities. At that point, the only thing between me and the biggest BMW show of the year was a one and half our drive through the western Pennsylvania hills. How much better could it get?
I left Garrettsville to find that the drive into Pittsburgh was gorgeous and starkly different than Ohio - maybe that's why there's a state line there. I soon found the cruise control in the TeaEye accelerating to keep up with the increasing elevation. The highway eventually formed a canyon in between the lush hills and it was then that I knew that it would be a fun weekend - a modified E30 3-series flew by me up the hill and into the tunnel where I could hear the engine sing. It was clear just by the timbre of the exhaust that this car had had a newer and more powerful 6 cylinder motor swapped into it at one point, and judging by the fact that all of the windows were open, air conditioning was not (I later met the owner - he was very jealous of my A/C).
I eventually arrived into Pittsburgh just in time to experience their version of rush hour traffic - 5 PM on a Friday. The traffic was embellished by a stunning vista of the city and its numerous bridges. I had not known this prior to getting there, but the city is built around 3 rivers that converge. In my attempt to avoid traffic I ignored the GPS and went over one river and one of said bridges and ended up Downtown. It became clear very quickly that Pittsburgh is a lot bigger of a city than I had originally thought. Some of the Bauhaus-style buildings were almost Chicago sized, mixed in with historic structures that seemed gothic and European. The streets were brick and pedestrian traffic was bustling. This short view of downtown Pittsburgh on a Friday made Cincinnati seem rural; I had previously thought them to be of similar size.
In my attempt to go back over another bridge towards the CCA host hotel to catch check-in, I passed a few other 90s BMWs stuck in traffic in blistering 90+ degree (F) weather. I eventually made it to the host hotel and miraculously found an open parking spot next to another 318ti with the rare California roof. This particular car was white and had Colorado plates - I recognized it instantly, as it was the only TI that attended Oktoberfest 2016 at the Monterey Historic races in Central California. I later met the owner, Alan Warner - he drives this car all over! The rest of the parking lot was a veritable art gallery with all of the variety, but I headed towards the lobby of the host hotel to check in and receive my credentials for the weekend before they closed.
Sitting in the entry driveway to the hotel were 2 timeless BMW 507s and a rare pre-war 1939 321 Drauz Cabriolet roped off and guarded with security. These cars were clearly the stars of the show. I recognized the white 507 as belonging to Dirk, who I just knew as "dirksgarage" on Instagram. I had had a few conversations with him in the past about joining a classic specific chapter of the BMWCCA that he runs (BMWCCCA - creative acronyming), so I walked up and introduced myself. He immediately opened up the trunk of his 507 and pulled out the CCCA monthly newsletter. On the cover was a picture taken by our friend Kyle van Hoften that happens to feature my fathers' '69 BMW 1600 Cabriolet at a recent club event. Needless to say, I joined the club shortly after this exchange.
After I checked in and received my credentials for the weekend, I finished up some stuff for work and headed to the hotel that I booked for myself and my friends Jake Metz and Ben Younce to stay in, which happened to be a little further away but was cheaper. After a week of eating and working out of various Panera restaurants all over the midwest, I had to laugh when I saw that our hotel had a Panera occupying the entire first floor. Jake was the first to arrive in his 1966 BMW 1600, which is often referred to as a BMW 16oo when typed out due to unique badging only on 1966 cars (pictured below). The car also happens to be for sale, so Jake was advertising it at the event.
Jake Metz's rare 1966 16oo
We settled in at the hotel and took the TeaEye (and its glorious air conditioning, something most old BMWs don't have) to meet some friends for dinner at Hofbräuhaus on the river. Hofbräuhaus is in the style of a traditional German beer hall - long wooden tables with bench seating, enormous goblets full of Bavarian brew, and the rhythm of an Oompah style band generating liquid dimples in said goblets. It was extremely "on brand" for a BMW themed event weekend. We all caught up over pretzels and other indulgent German foods; Our group happened to have members who came from many different cities: Columbus, Lexington, Louisville, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and me from Chicago. Even though we love cars and traveling hundreds of miles for car related events, we all agree that the big reason we keep making these inefficient trips is because of the people. We all share the same sickness and we connect on it. What could be more glorious than this?
After dinner, Jake and I cruised to a CVS so I could get some lozenges for a tickle in my throat that wouldn't go away. Upon pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed a weird vibration from the rear end, specifically at low speeds. Since it went away at higher speeds, we thought nothing of it, until we got back to our Panera and we saw that I had a flat tire. A flat is a fairly stressful situation no matter where you are, but during the apex of a multi-state roadtrip, it became (in my words) a huge buzzkill. The silver lining was that I was with a bunch of like-minded friends, who happened to be way more prepared than I was. Ben had just arrived to the hotel with his son, Rowan, from Indianapolis. Ben offered his portable air compressor so I could at least get the tire pumped up to limp to a tire shop. He also had a plug kit, which is perfect for roadside repairs. Seeing as how the next morning was the first day of the big show, I went to sleep stressed but relieved at the same time.
By the time our caravan had descended upon our Panera the next morning, I had already pumped the tire up to a bulging 40 psi. I had called various tire shops to try and locate a tire of this size and style - of course, the closest tire shop was 400 feet away from our location but had a broken tire machine. Everyone in the group agreed, I should just pump the tire up to get into the show, and upon leaving, pump it up to get out. So I did exactly that. The tire even held air for the whole day.
The Vintage Grand Prix was a spectacle. The grassy area of Schenley Park in Pittsburgh was dedicated to various car corrals of different nationalities and marques, while other historic iron bombed, screamed, and yeehaw'd around the park roads surrounding. Much like the Monterey Historic races which I used to attend regularly, this was complete sensory overload. Since the morning was the time slotted for practice sessions, Jake and I used this time to wander the corrals and check out some cars.
It happened to be a humid 95 degree day with nay a cloud in the sky, so bottled water was a hot commodity (pun most definitely intended). Every time I saw a booth with water, I made sure to stop (shoutout to all of the vendors that were liberal with their water bottles - they probably saved some people from heat exhaustion). As we made our way past the Mercedes and Porsche sections, we climbed a hill to the British car row. I made sure to check out the Lotus section, but was drawn to an amazing food spread nearby under the shade of some trees. We wandered over, drawn by the water bottles, to find that the local Bentley car club (which I had just learned was a thing), brought their own amazing 4 star buffet, filled with caprese and all of the creamy brie one could ask for. I filled up on the glorious tomato cheesy nectar, grabbed some water bottles, and thanked them profusely for their generosity, before heading towards more British cars.
We tripped over endless Triumphs, original Mini Coopers, Jaguars, Bentleys, and even a Land Rover club, of which many of their brilliant owners "popped the awnings" for shade. After checking out most the Italian paddock, we ventured towards the BMW corral to watch some racecars do what they do best: scream around tight corners.
Once the racing sessions had concluded, I had to deal with the flat tire that still ailed the TeaEye. Multiple people had offered a tire plug kit, and our friend Jason Gipson was extremely prepared for the worst and had brought a floor jack from Cincinnati. On the lawn of a public park surrounded by expensive and priceless German hardware, I jacked my lowly $3000 hatchback up and removed the wheel. We were amazed to find a pointy, thick piece of metal stuffed in the tire's only straight recessed groove, right in the center of the tread pattern. It truly was a case of roadtrip rubber bullseye. There couldn't have been a more perfect place for the tire to have been punctured, as this part of the tread pattern would never touch the road anyways. What was worrisome, however, was how much the sidewall had worn down from it being driven on while flat. There was no real way to know this without removing the tire from the wheel, and we weren't privy to one of those machines at this particular moment. With the tire plugged, the weekend carried on.
That night, a group of us, mostly from Ohio and Kentucky, met up at Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse for some pies and brews. Everyone can enjoy a good slice of pizza - besides cars, pizza is another thing that brings us together. Most of us, with full bellies, then headed over to the Oktoberfest host hotel to see what hijinks were occurring. Seeing Larry Wilson's insanely modified tan 2002 was a treat (currently at auction: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-bmw-2002-30/).
The Korman engine in Larry Wilson’s 2002
The next morning was a little different, as we headed towards the park to stage for what would be an enormous parade lap. Since my car was newer than my friends' 2002s, I split up from them and lined up with some newer BMWs and slowly met their owners. I started chatting with a group of older gentlemen that had come from all over the east coast to meet each other. Turns out they had been friends for over 50 years, and every year they meet at the BMWCCA Oktoberfest. Hearing them make fun of each other and talk about the "old days" was perhaps my favorite memory from the Oktoberfest weekend. Another experience that really cements the idea that these events are about the people more than the cars.
The parade lap was good fun - I happened to be the second to last car out of all 500+ to go around the makeshift course in Schenley Park. I made sure to have the sunroof open and performed Queen Elizabeth's wave at a few corners. All worry I had about my potentially paper-thin tire wafted away in the wind, as I was given free reign and both sides of the road to hit apexes and to lean into a few corners.
Photo by Kyle van Hoften
The racing continued, and I tried not to take too many photos because I wanted to take all of the sights and sounds in the old fashioned way. Besides the almost unbearable heat and humidity, it was a perfect afternoon of lounging in the grass and entertaining racing. Throughout the day, people slowly made their exits, because sadly, real life beckoned. I was fortunate enough to only have a 2 hour drive that evening to a work stop in Massillon, OH (post on that coming). Around 3 pm the field was almost cleared out, so I made my exit as well. My route to the small town in Northeast Ohio took me on some beautiful backroads, some of which happened to be in a tiny sliver of West Virigina shoehorned between Pennsylvania and Ohio. I stopped a few times to check the pressure of problem tire and noticed it was slowly losing pressure. My worries returned and I vowed that the next day I would find a new tire just to get me home from the trip.
A tire pressure stop: the Zepernick wildlife park somewhere in eastern Ohio.
After my first stop in Massillon, OH, which was just south of Cleveland, I found a Discount Tire store and headed straight there. They had a tire in my size made by a brand called Sentury. I saw it as an $80 insurance policy, just to get me home to Chicago. It did that perfectly, and soon I'll be replacing it with a Hankook sport tire and refinishing the wheel while I can.
I'll make it back to Pittsburgh one day. From my brief observation, it seems to be a lovely town. Hopefully on the next trip, the company is just as good.
