Smith’s Alfa Vintage Racing Chronicles

Story by Sam Smith

My love for Italian cars started in 1960. A visit to Marlboro Raceway allowed me to get up close to cars only seen in Road & Track magazine, like a long wheelbase California Spyder and Charlie Hayes’s 250GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta.

Following the Italian line, Fiats seemed appropriate and affordable. My first car was a FIAT 1100 Sedan, my second was a 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Normale purchased in 1964. It was to be the first in a series of delectable Alfas and four Ferraris. I did my first Ferrari club track event in 1977, took instruction from several SCCA certified instructors, participated in my first VSCCA race in 1985 using my venerable Ferrari 250 GTE. I then did the Skip Barber three day school in April 1989 at Sebring and continued to race the 250GTE until 1992.

Upgrading to an Alfa

In 1993, I purchased an Alfa 1300 Veloce…nicknamed “Luigi,” that would take me through twelve happy years of vintage racing. “Luigi” is a 1959/60 continuation model that Alfa Romeo started producing in September of 1959 and continued building through 1961. The serial number says this is an interim 750 series spider veloce. The Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA) allows cars built before 12/31/59 to participate in their regularly scheduled events held mostly at northeastern race tracks. On that basis, “Luigi” is grandfathered in. Officially, “Luigi” is a 1959/60* Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1300 Spider Veloce (Max Hoffman called them “Supers”) – s/n ‘AR1495f11302’. It sold new in 1962 in Oakridge, Tennessee to SCCA racer “Racey” Fizzell, who sold it in 1965 to one of his pit crew, Michael Jamison. It had been an SCCA racer since 1965.

The black Alfa, SCCA #54, (as in the 60s comedy TV series, Car 54, Where Are You?) was used mostly for driver’s schools and regionals and it may have done several nationals as well. I lost the SCCA log books on a trip home from Florida in 93! Its last outing was in 1976 and sat unused for 17 years, which is when I decided to purchase it.

Twelve years with Luigi

My friend Bob and the folks from Grand Touring, Inc., in Laurel, Maryland, and I fixed or rebuilt everything necessary to get “Luigi” road and race worthy again. We formed a Scuderia and christened it “Old Marlboro Motor Sports Dirt Bag Racing Old Geezer Racing Enterprises – or “ommsdbrogre” perhaps the result of too many beers.

The late David Carte and I did the paint job – a silver gray with burgundy trim -which from the paint scheme looks more like one of Bruce Jennings’ old Porsche 356 Carrera Speedsters. We were ready to go racing. The Ferrari was gone, long live the Alfa!

1999-2002

Somewhat fittingly, “Luigi’s” first track outing was at a Ferrari Club of America track event in October 1999. I then raced “Luigi” in the 1999 and 2000 VSCCA Turkey Bowl Vintage Races at Summit Point West Virginia, the weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday.

In November of 2001 “Luigi” and I once again did the Turkey Bowl – I remember it was dry on Friday, pouring rain on Saturday, but we kept the shiny side up and clean.

The next year, we bought new lower front and rear springs, Bilstein shocks and had Grand Touring install them and a safety prep in September. We then entered and participated very happily in our fourth Turkey Bowl in November.

At some point in these early ventures, my friend Les Smith became the ommsdbrogre competition engineer and made sure “Luigi” and his pilot went forth buttoned up and safely. We were AKA Les Smith and More Smith, as I was a bit taller.

2003-2006

2003: It was a great year for Scuderia ommsdbrogre. I attended the VSCCA driver’s school in April at Lime Rock and Pocono and made my first trip to Virginia International Raceway in May for the VSCCA Governor’s Cup. It rained all weekend but I learned to like the rain at VIR. I also did the Gold Cup on the big track at VIR in July. It was a big MG weekend – 70 cars started our feature, and a super weekend. The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix was the best! Scary track but fun, raced with an MGA twin cam. Turkey Bowl was a good weekend, my fifth time for this event. The kids came up Sunday afternoon –great!-had my first racing spin (on someone’s oil or antifreeze). No damage.

2004: ommsdbrogre enjoyed four great weekends; May at VIR VSCCA on the short track, July, the Pittsburgh VGP in the rain again, September a fantastic Watkins Glen SVRA vintage grand prix including the downtown festival with 50,000 folks. Then did a road rally in southern Maryland that was much scarier than racing. Lastly, for the sixth time the Turkey Bowl to finish the season.

2005: The VSCCA VIR on long course in May was lots of fun as I had good race with a Swallow Doretti which is a TR-3 with fiberglass body. The Pittsburgh event was awful – rain and poor organization made trip stink. The big deal for ’05 was organizing Alfas at the Glen for the SVRA Watkins Glen Zippo VGP in September. Peter Krause, Rob Mocas, Brian Stark, Les Smith and I gathered 57 vintage Alfas for the weekend. But the motor blew on “Luigi” early in the weekend and it went to Peter Krause’s shop for another motor.

2006: With the new Peter Krause & England motor, roll bar and seat, the car felt very good. We did the VSCCA VIR in May and the Gold Cup in June – great fun. “Luigi” was accepted for Steve and Debbi Earle’s Lime Rock Vintage Fall Festival in September – once there, had great time and great support from friends. The Turkey Bowl best ‘tbowl’ so far – kids, with new son-in-law Joel, showed up – made the ’06 weekend/year very good.

2007-2011

2007: First race was Pittsburgh where the crankshaft broke at number four rod pin in the second practice. Got a “new” 101 crank from Krause and installed it at Richard Garre’s shop just north of Baltimore and made it to Turkey Bowl. had a great time except no kids showed up?

2008: A very, very good year. Did the VSCCA VIR long course in May and at Pittsburgh in July received highest honor – a Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix race group spirit flag!! Then off to the VSCCA event at the new Thunderbolt track at the new New Jersey Motorsports facility. And another Turkey Bowl at Summit Point. “Luigi” now had twenty-seven entries in his log book.

2009: We did the revived Jefferson 500 at Summit Point in May, did the Chicago Historic Brian Redman Invitational Classic at Road America raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in July, and did “Luigi’s” tenth Turkey Bowl – great because daughter Ann, Joel and Grandson Caden showed up on Friday to cheer Pop on.

2010: Four weekends: Peter Krause’s VSCCA event at VIR, a hot July at Pittsburgh, in September the USVGP at Watkins Glen – and organized another Alfa show at the Glen with Peter, Rob, Dick and Les -55 alfa racers including 5 1930’s 8Cs and of course our 11th Turkey Bowl – I was given the ‘talking tom turkey’ as he was not talking (he is now after a little tlc and batteries).

2011: With the family expanding on the grandkid front – four darlings now – only did Turkey Bowl #12, but the whole family showed up while I got a virus and landed in the regional hospital as a result!

Luigi was sold in 2014 on Bring a Trailer to an ex-pat American living in Europe. He wanted to start up vintage racing again. I was told at the time Luigi was living at a shop near Goodwood Race Track, but I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of Luigi since.