S1 Lotus 7 in the 2013 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

I'm driving Dad's 1959 Lotus 7 with a Coventry Climax motor. Gridded 13th at the start, I enjoyed working my way through the field despite severe problems with the brakes.

[@lateralg3169]

Brilliant!! 1950s car and 1950s Health n Saftey (ie none) round a beautiful park. I wanna go to Pittsburgh just to see/drive in that. Brave driving in that Chapmanmobile, those walls, trees and telegraph poles look pretty sturdy. well done.

[@BraddersCat7]

A real pleasure to see an S1 being driven as it was intended; a true clubman racer. Bravo sir!

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you.

[@garthpaul6216]

Bloody brilliant - best 20+ minutes on youtube I've had in a long time.

[@andrewgardner9615]

Take a look at Ivan's Shed and his blue 1957 s1 7.

[@mw8653]

Superb drive think I blinked about 5 times thru whole video didn't want to miss anything.

[@frankkossowski3578]

Wonderful 7 driving, wonderful l race Track, this must be Heaven!!

[@b1gt00l4u]

The car, the race, your driving skills, your proud father: simply AMAZING!!!

[@mikejankowski2305]

IF I were to vintage race, or do any racing other than autocross again, this is the venue and that car is the type I want to race. Sawing away at the wheel, marginal brakes, opposite lock all over. What an effort!

[@warrenwalker8170]

Remember the book that you read in your teenage years called the red car.. This is where it all started for me and although in that book (a classic) the car was an MG it works equally well may be better for the lovely red Lotus thanks ww ( lotus elan -91, jaguar xke black 64, and s G 20 Ginetta)

[@tom_forsyth]

Impressive commitment on such a high-consequence track! Well done.

[@gileswardle76]

Fully committed driving. Fantastic. Chapeau.

[@richardwendt9266]

My god, what a beautiful car, noise and amazing driving. My hat off to you sir! Absolute gold! Just can't get over the noise that engine makes, that burble with the backfires, and the acceleration.

[@bohemianracer]

This race has to be the coolest vintage race in America, well appreciated. Although I am concerned about all the trees and poles on the track.

[@tedsohier2292]

Come to Pittsburgh this July and check it out! This will be our 33rd year of vintage car racing in this city's beautiful Schenley Park. A very challenging race circuit, but a very safe event.

[@mcspeedypantsjr5713]

Just let 'em race. "Land of the free" lol

[@PiefacePete46]

Yeah... chop 'em down! :o)

[@jordanpene5279]

Nice driving, I drive my Lotus 7 in a similar fashion. Worked crossflow engine 150hp

[@StefanVapaa]

Thanks. They're so much fun when driven with gusto.

[@sussertheoriginal]

That was a pleasure to watch. The sound of that Coventry Climax is beautiful and your driving is spectacularly good to see. Thanks. Signed, Inspired Caterham driver.

[@StefanVapaa]

Thanks SuperSequential! Waving to the corner workers is a key part of the weekend. I couldn't do what I do without them doing what they do.

[@Rangefinder52]

Great car, great driving, racing as it should be, I could watch this over and over, a Lotus 7 in its element.

[@arjuhama]

Great driving. Very nice cornering adjustments in the face of a set of broken brakes. What a really good way to honor your dad. I'd like to see you do Caterham 7 grand prix's, a few laps around the Nurburgring, or a Le Mans.

[@StefanVapaa]

Arnaldo Juris Maclang Thanks Arnaldo! I would certainly love to lap the 'Ring and La Sarthe. That would be a dream come true.

[@thetrainshop]

I had no idea Pittsburgh had this, and wowee you've got some really masterful driving goin here! It must be an absolute pleasure to drive, and a huge honor to your father.

[@rnor3146]

Hi and thanks for these video and for what you did and what you do! The Lotus 7 is The Car, short, lightweight, and the pilot and the car make One. Have good drives and thanks again. Forza. 😉👍👍👍👌

[@7sevencat]

Thank you for this video S1Seven Lotus.A great job and very beautiful car........

[@Kulis747]

I posted this to my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. I'm acquiring the parts to build a Locost 7 to see if I would like this style of car in Alaska. I've been a fan of the vintage European style sports cars for many years, they just aren't very practical way up north. But, I've went back and lived this race vicariously about three times through your view. I really appreciate you sharing it, now I'm feeling compelled to go out and look for an original.

[@StefanVapaa]

The Locosts are great, but vary wildly depending on who builds them and with what. The originals are great and are a good investment too. You'll likely have fun in either case.

[@isabelleperree1269]

Good pilot!! Great pleasure to see! Good job! Thank you for your film!

[@amp9930]

Nicely driven! It was enjoyable watch for all 23 mins.

[@kerincrowe4161]

Nothing quite compares to the feeling of four wheels clinging to the road with their fingernails - and yes, you feel it in your gluteus maximus. Keeping a car in that very narrow space is totally exhilarating.

[@chrispritchard4676]

Wow, best race I have ever watched! Real seat of the pants driving. In my younger days I had 2 big valve Lotus 7s and a Caterham hpc, but never drove like this. Well done sir!

[@carlosmontero1080]

I've always loved that special punch of any super 7 , even more on this 59'. Really exiting old times driving. Congratulations.

[@ashwaite8661]

WOW. What an absolutely brilliant piece of driving! Just imagine what you could do with brakes that worked! ( I've just come across this video and hunger for more).

[@Mrcoconutgun]

Absolutely phenomenal driving. AND THAT ENGINE NOISE!

[@joralebedev8608]

I kneel before your prowess... I shared on Facebook this saying "You think you can drive, I think you cannot..." The sound of that engine is, well, it elicited quite a response...

[@StefanVapaa]

Haha, that's funny Jora! Thank you for the compliment and for sharing my video. I'm glad you and your friends enjoyed it.

[@UnitedStatesOfSpange]

this is so badass. be awesome to do an event like this where they close the streets off

[@kitfoxman]

Stefan, that was some talented driving my friend. You were pushing the car to the edge, but at the same time had exquisite control. Nicely done.

[@1silvervespa]

Best advice ever !

[@leehopkinson6824]

Thanks dad. Nicely put x

[@jameshickman5299]

Nice driving. A walkaround of the Lotus would be appreciated. It looks like you’re running skinny tires. I like that. Let’s be careful out there.

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you! A walkaround is an interesting idea. When we take it out of mothballs for the season I will try and do that. Yes, skinny tires per the vintage regs. In this case, 500-15 L-Series Dunlops.

[@scottlentz6783]

Great Video ..as a 7 owner ..trying to grasp running on the skinny tires of the day ..TOO much Fun

[@MsStephaniegirl]

my 1993 fraser super seven 4 age hand made in New Zealand sound the same, they are awesome !i drove a series 2 in red at 11 yrs old, never been the same, lol im onto my 3rd super seven!! oh superb car and video watched it 50 times hehe :)

[@sanpedropro]

I have always liked the Lotus 7. Now I am in love!

[@rinaldolocatelli975]

Fantastique, un des plus beaux moments de pilotage que j'ai pu voir à bord d'une véritable flying carpet

[@paulrhoden3276]

You are so lucky, what a fantastic course to be allowed to race on; wish we had something like that in the UK.

[@StefanVapaa]

I agree. We are very lucky to have this event.

[@johnnytenjobs]

A bit like the old Crystal Palace. Perhaps.

[@MagicAyrtonforever]

What a venue, what a car and what great video footage, looks great in 60 fps. Thanks for sharing!

[@clivedoyle9350]

What a great drive in a great little car and it brought back many happy memories for this 86 yr old. I raced a Series 1 Seven with a 1000cc Holbay engine in the UK back in the early Sixties. The Climax is the best engine for the Seven though.

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you Clive! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it.

[@frogman8591]

THAT WAS A BAD--ASS CAR & DRIVER !!!

[@go4it1011]

Fab video loved every minute of it - great sound too. Dangerous track with no brakes lots of things to hit! Have a Caterham Seven also

[@MrAndyj007]

corona isolation bordom got me here, what a brilliant drive and video... !!!!!

[@RobertWedderburn]

Such nice driving! Well done! It was fun to be in the car with you and see everything from your POV. This just made my craving to buy me a Lotus 7 even worse!

[@langa06]

Very good drive, congratulations. You just gave me some ideas as to what to do with my own S1 Climax

[@stevenfoust1979]

Love your video, Looks like great fun. You done some great driving. Thanks for sharing your video I loved it.

[@brunosoudy5811]

Très belle course. Bravo à ce pilote pour la première place

[@DunsfoldDave]

real old school racing past lamps post and trees, brilliant.

[@robertrishel3685]

Great driving!! What an AWESOME event! It’s a real shame there isn’t something similar in every major city in America. It would certainly go a long way towards the popularity of motorsport. Bravo to Pittsburgh! Fantastic! Personally, I think the fact that the consequences are high is as it should be; racing is supposed to be dangerous, it’s inherent.

[@TheMxboy199]

Love the Grand Prix every year

[@1silvervespa]

Nice to get city streets for such an event .

[@Blenzo480]

What a car! Great driving!

[@TheYellowElise]

Nice battles and perfect driving!

[@vlxlv]

I was subconsciously started to clap at the end of the video, haha great driving.

[@alponching002]

what a really amazing car. looking forward to build one (locost)

[@marshallman1au]

Very VERY nice .... !!! Now to fix the hole in the floor that my right foot put in it through braking for you! ROFL!

[@StefanVapaa]

Marshall Man thank you for the nice words and for doing your best to help me out!

[@thinsmoke7679]

What a race, that was very impressive. really enjoyed that!

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

This is one the best bits of racing I saw for a very long time. Well done, way better than today's pussy F1!

[@alancollard8939]

great video must admit you were real brave with the way the car would oversteer out of some of the turns , the motor was real strong ,but I was hearing wheel spin out of some of the turns , hence the oversteer , either the rear dampers are to stiff or not enough front roll stiffness, we are thinking of running the pittsburg race with a 62 super seven

[@OzwheelOswego]

Great driving! Can't even imagine racing with those skinnies. Tires on my MG are thin enough LOL

[@gbmgtd]

...great race...grat vid.... well done... Guess I better go watch next year.....

[@oliveralexsmith]

Great circuit!

[@johngagne1]

Hahahah... I bet George (dad) enjoyed (crapped) watching this video. Very nice driving using different lines to beat some of the guys (especially the road-hog grey car).

[@jimaagenes8445]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[@rideyourbikent]

great driving really using it !!

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you kitfoxman! I enjoyed every minute of it.

[@khr400]

What a beautiful noise!!!! Omg!

[@madogblue]

Awesome video, I miss my Se7en!

[@martinvestergaard6707]

good racing!

[@richardguy5752]

Great car control & tactics bud! P.S.Get some race shoe linings. Richard

[@ikoknyphausen198]

Nice driving. Watched 14 mins. Totally infected with race fever.

[@bughat1]

great driver,,,,,,,........

[@joshcaputo7694]

Great run and nice video, thanks for sharing, I'm inspired! :)

[@bigtuni7790]

Kids just love a 7, after all they look like toys :-)

[@konliner9286]

I miss the old days when tires were thin.

[@charliefortin555]

I could feel you get in the zone and get faster and faster. It makes me want to do it all over again. But those stone walls and curbings won't let me make mistakes. Nice job!

[@jimmybritt9537]

" nice run 👍👍🇺🇸 "

[@JimBrodie]

Seat of the pants. Fantastic effort.=]

[@przemysawlipinski560]

Grat race. !!!

[@TheMxboy199]

Is there anyway I can get involved and help this year? I love going and looking at the concourse with my dad but the racing is just so cool

[@StefanVapaa]

...and of course there are all the spectators to wave to as well!

[@nelsonr.7117]

Fantastic race, congratulations! What tire size do you have in front and rear?

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you! The tires are Dunlop L-series 500-15 front and rear on original knock-off wire wheels.

[@StinkyPinky00]

What kind of car and model name was the little 1 seater behind you at the start of the race? I would love to drive one, and own one.

[@fraser1448]

This is magic, such splendid car control, and in such a beautiful car too. I love the shade of red, do you happen to know the specific paint code/name or reference by any chance?

[@peterbonnez]

Good drive.

[@adammielniczek7584]

I`m in 50`s !!!

[@davidcordes9283]

Spine tingling

[@1silvervespa]

Driven with intent !

[@Cav34]

Amazing driving! Do they still do this event?

[@StefanVapaa]

Thank you and yes, they do. It is on the calendar for this summer.

[@amelierenoncule]

I fancy that at the races end, when you were waving, you SHOULD have been holding up ze cardboard sign that read, "NO REAR BRAKES!"...which would have gotten you more applause. Maybe even "Lucky". BTW, perhaps next time, you'll consider bolting on a "Jake-brake"?

[@motoflyte]

I think I would prefer exact replica cars for racing. Keep the originals safe

[@another3997]

The originals were meant to be driven.? So many cars are treated like precious ornaments. Drive them, care for them and enjoy them.

[@warrenwalker8170]

PS Great Track

[@JonPowersDrives]

great driving, that thing RIPS!!!! what type of engine? Also, what does it take to register to drive? Obviously you have to have the car, but how do you register?

[@StefanVapaa]

Registration is simple... PVGP.org has an entry form under the "Drivers" tab. Of course, in addition to having an eligible car you also have to be an eligible driver. That means you possess a valid vintage racing license. There's a variety of ways to go about getting a license bust they all start by joining a vintage racing "club" and working through their licensing requirements.

[@StefanVapaa]

Thanks for the compliments! The engine is a Coventry Climax FWE.

[@MarkJolyon]

Beautiful 😍

[@TheGreasemonkie]

Nice video! nice car! your mixture is too poor or your ignition timing is too late. Opportunity to end first!

[@tedsohier2292]

Terrific video, and great driving, Stefan! Who needs brakes?

[@StefanVapaa]

Thanks Ted!

[@Daka543567]

do some racing at targa florio

[@Toby_the_Glen]

You have a very unusual driving style. It sounds as though you are dipping the clutch in and out while cornering?

[@StefanVapaa]

That is the engine rising and falling with wheelspin

[@Toby_the_Glen]

Oh, ok, interesting technique?