The Pittsburgh Section has a tightly-knit community of Mercedes-Benz owners, who are cordial and active. The club attempts to have at least one gathering a month in the good weather and finds reasons to meet over the winter months. The signature event of each year is the group’s participation in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP), which hosts ten days and two race weekends of vintage street racing and car shows. The weekend car show boasts anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 cars and motorcycles on display. There are sub-shows for Italian, American, and British cars as well as brand specific shows such as for Mercedes or Cars & Coffee’s Exotic Car Display. The PVGP features a marque of the year, which frequently results in the event hosting a national car club meeting, such as the BMW Car Club of America’s 2018 Oktoberfest and past MBCA national events. Besides bringing together as many gearheads as possible, the goal of the PVGP is to support the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Merakey Allegheny Valley School. The PVGP has been held annually since 1983 and has succeeded in donating almost $6 million in total charitable contributions each year. 

 

Unfortunately, the PVGP was canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation. Despite these cancelations, the PVGP and the Pittsburgh Section have been urging people to continue to make their donations to these worthy causes to make sure that they can still meet their goal for 2020. Within days of the cancellation of the event, members of the Pittsburgh Section gathered to take a drive across the streets of the city to Schenley Park, which hosts the road races and major car shows of the PVGP, to raise money. The local section has promised to match club donations up to $1,000 and has started a challenge for the other auto clubs in the city to beat us. The Pittsburgh Section coming together and starting a charity race between clubs is highly indicative of the tough spirit and competitiveness for which the city is known.

 

Given the shift of the PVGP to smaller events and the MBCA moving to host numerous online car shows during the summer of COVID-19, the Pittsburgh Section aims to show off some of its most unique vehicles in this article. Most of these vehicles came to the 2019 show and will likely return for 2021. 

 

We hope that these mini features inspire those from near and not so near to attend the event in 2021. We hope to see some of these cars in person and add to the ever-growing number of Mercedes parked on German Hill. 

Our goal on that front is to overtake the number of cars displayed by our Stuttgart rivals, the Porsche Club. More information about the PVGP can be found by visiting www.pvgp.org.For information about the Mercedes show or to make a donation to this worthy cause, visit www.pvgp.org/car-shows/schenley/mercedes/. 

 

 

The Pittsburgh Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America prides itself on the diverse range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles owned by its members. We have plenty of modern Mercedes machines, ranging from daily driver C300s to an AMG GT-C. However, we also have rare working vehicles such as this unusual 1991 Unimog 1650. Owner Bob Kunsak and his son Steve run the independent Mercedes-Benz repair business RK Industries Import Auto Repair. Bob has owned a wide range of Mercedes over the years. He fell in love with the brand working on one at a garage earlier in his career. He has had so many, in fact, that it is hard for him to remember what his first Mercedes was, though he thinks it was likely a Fintail. Bob appreciates most Mercedes, but he has a special appreciation for the hardworking Geländewagen and Unimog models. 

 

Bob currently owns two Unimogs, but his 1991 1650 has a unique story related to Pittsburgh. This particular Unimog spent many years working at the Pittsburgh Port Authority, from which Bob purchased the vehicle in 2016 in an auction. 

When he purchased the vehicle, all of the work infrastructure from the cab back had already been removed. However, a few of the re-railing devices and a hydraulic attachment were still mounted to the front. At the moment Bob is in the process of restoring the vehicle. The engine starts and runs perfectly, but the vehicle is not currently road ready as Bob is meticulously servicing the complicated hydraulic system, which also operates the brakes.

 

Bob plans to finish the mechanical restorations as soon as possible. He is looking forward to driving the Unimog around Pittsburgh, though it will no longer serve to repair the city’s railroad infrastructure. Instead, Bob looks forward to driving around in a vehicle that matches the stature of his shop assistant, Boris the Great Dane.

 

 

In keeping with the city’s association with hard work, the Pittsburgh Section boasts an E55 AMG with perhaps the most miles recorded. As many Mercedes-Benz owners have shown over the years, a properly maintained Mercedes can run forever. The Conforti Brothers, Nick and Matt, certainly can attest to this with their 2003 E55 AMG. Recently, the odometer clocked 425,000 miles, which is coming close to the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back. 

 

Nick and Matt became obsessed with the W211 E55 when their neighbor bought one as they were growing up. They fell in love with the car and desired to own what they described as a realistic dream car. In 2017, Nick and Matt saw this particular 2003 E55 listed for sale. It had been a single owner car that had roughly 402,000 miles on it. They enjoyed the idea of owning one of the highest-mileage AMGs ever. After a year of work, they finally succeeded in acquiring the car.

 

For the brothers, this was the first Mercedes that they had ever bought, though their father, Frank, had purchased an E350 new in 2011, which he still owns. In the past two years, the Confortis have collected seven additional Mercedes. They also have a 2008 E550 to round out their current W211 collection, though they hope to have one of each gasoline-powered release of that chassis. One of their most recent additions is a barn find 1986 190E2.3-16 Cosworth. They chronicle their adventures on their YouTube channel (The Conforti Brothers) and on Instagram (@theconfortibrothers). 

 

 

In addition to their hardworking everyday attitude, Pittsburghers are known for their love of sports. The city is home to three world-class sports teams: the Steelers (American football), the Penguins (ice hockey), and the Pirates (baseball). Not only does the city house these teams, but the teams have been successful in the top contests of their sports. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls and the Penguins and Pirates have each won five Stanley Cups and World Series respectively. The city’s love of sports and world dominance are reflected in Mark Sheldon’s SLC, which is an homage to the Mercedes rally cars from 1978 to 1980.

 

Mark, the owner-operator of Mark’s Classic Cars of Coraopolis (on Facebook and Instagram @marksclassiccars), decided to build this car in honor of the 40th anniversary of the top-four Mercedes finish of the Ivory Coast Rally in 1979. In that year, Mercedes-Benz took first through fourth places for the 5,668km rally. Mark spent six years researching the rally cars of the era and finally found a grey-market 1981 380SLC that most closely matched the production equivalent of the rally cars. He then spent three months building his homage, which included fabricating the fender flares himself, as no factory nor aftermarket versions are sold. 

 

Mark is a longtime fan of Mercedes. His first was a second-hand W126 300SD. Over the years, he has conservatively owned 35 to 40 vintage Mercedes, including eight 300SDs alone. The rally car holds a special place for Mark, though. He wanted to build it not only because of the rarity of the car itself, but in admiration of its feats. The Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0 was the first eight-cylinder car to win a World Rally Championship event, and also the very first to do so with an automatic transmission. In addition to the rarity of the Mercedes rally cars, the base model on which Mark built his homage is fairly unique. As far as he has been able to determine, it is likely that only about 1,100 examples of this particular 380SLC configuration were produced. 

 

 

While Pittsburgh continues to pride itself on its working-class roots, the city has also had its fair share of wealthy residents. Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, and Henry Clay Frick were some of the most important figures of the Gilded Age, who either made or expanded their fortunes in Pittsburgh. Reminders of these men and their philanthropy still exist across the city, such as Carnegie-Mellon University, the Carnegie Museum, and the Frick Pittsburgh. A taste for the finest luxuries of life remains in Pittsburgh as well. Although Pittsburgh might not see the same concentration of exotic or luxury cars as New York, Los Angeles, or Miami, a growing number of its residents can be found driving not only standard Mercedes, but extensively tuned ones. 

 

Paul Georg retired early and spends his days enjoying fine automobiles. His love affair with Mercedes-Benz began with Bobby Ewing’s SL on the TV series “Dallas.” He knew that he someday needed to have a similar vehicle. In 2001, this dream came true when his SLK320 was delivered. He named the car “Baby” and used it as a daily driver for 14 years. In 2016, he had the interior refinished at Hahn Auto Restoration in Harmony, Pennsylvania, a known restorer of Gullwings and other concours winning cars. Over the years, Paul has also heavily modified other components of the car such as adding the rims, bumper, exhaust, and side skirt for the SLK32 AMG. 

 

Paul also owns two Renntech tuned cars, a 2015 GLA45 AMG and a 2015 S550 4Matic. He purchased the GLA new in March 2015 and uses it year-round. He defined the vehicle as a midlife crisis car. Initially, he wanted a small, practical SUV that was also fun to drive, though admittedly he stressed that there is nothing practical about an AMG. For example, they do not make a winter tire that fits a 20-inch AMG wheel, so he had to downsize to a 19-inch rim  to take on Pittsburgh’s winter driving. As far as modifications, Renntech made only performance enhancements to this vehicle, and what enhancements they are. At an AMG performance event held at Watkins Glen, the car was clocked at 236 MPH. 

 

His other Renntech modified car, the S550, benefits not only from engine performance enhancements but also a Maybach style interior, which for a variety of licensing reasons is called “Executive Seating Plus II.” These interior upgrades include TV screens, tray tables, and a passenger side footrest, as the length of the S550 is not sufficient for one on the driver’s side.

 

Paul also enjoys bicycling and he has the 2005 Mercedes bicycle, which he can take to events on the roof of either his GLA or S550. Both vehicles share the same sized roof rails. For longer journeys, Paul also affixes the rooftop storage unit. 

 

 

Pittsburgh is a city that is both reinventing itself and holding onto its roots. The members of the Pittsburgh Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America and their cars exemplify the diverse nature of Yinzers as well as their commitments to hard work, enthusiasm  for sports, and the pursuit of luxury. We would be glad to welcome other members of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America to our city and to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, where these and dozens of other unique Mercedes-Benz vehicles are on display.