Month: December 2022

Keith’s Blog: A Never-ending Sears Catalog

I was reminiscing with a friend last night about how our homes and childhoods would light up when the Sears, Montgomery Ward and Spiegel catalog would arrive around this time of year. We would always take turns picking out our favorites. I liked farm sets with plastic horses and cows. […]

 (Back to the) Future Collectibles

1985 Toyota Pickup Xtracab SR5 4×4 #89965. S/N JT4RN66SXF5073411. 259k miles. “2.4-liter 22RE inline-4, 5-speed manual transmission, dual-range transfer case, electronically locking differentials, repainted black, gray cloth upholstery, 15-inch American Racing alloy wheels, Bilstein shock absorbers, Smittybilt tubular bumpers, roll bar w/KC auxiliary lights.” Condition: 3+. SOLD AT $21,000. Bring […]

It’s Not a Restoration, It’s a Build

Let’s make one thing clear right from the start: A car is only “as-born” once. It can never be returned to that state. Any attempts to do so result in a fictional re-creation, done to please the owner and whatever standards he is aspiring toward. And that’s okay. We can’t […]

Unredeemable Jackpot

The Dillon County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina announced that a 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spyder, valued at $23 million, was stolen during the early morning hours of July 25, 2022. Detective Sara Albarri said that the 8C was inside a 2009 Haulmark trailer pulled by a white […]

The $500 Million Endowment

In early November 2022, McPherson College announced that an anonymous donor had made an extraordinary endowment gift to the school. This record-breaking, potentially $500 million donation is the largest single commitment ever made to a liberal-arts college. This news thrust the small Kansas-based school into the headlines. It is notable […]

Middle Manager

If you want to out-Miata the Miata, there’s really only one option. You’ve got to pull out all the stops for mass reduction and centralization. You’ve got to go lighter and more focused. You’ve got to make a mid-engine sports car. So, some 23 years ago, that’s what Toyota did. […]