When it comes to driving old cars, some weeks are better than others. Between producing the magazine, running the business, traveling and doing non-car activities with Bradley and friends, the days fill up quickly.

That’s why I am so appreciative when things fall together and I’m able to get serious seat time.

During the past week, I ended up with three “Alfa days,” and the cars in the garage that have been patiently waiting their turn got a chance to Read More

Bradley’s first crash wasn’t his biggest one, but it was a wake-up call. When you go down on a motorcycle, even on a little one and in the dirt, you go down hard.

We talk a lot about how to get kids involved in our world of cars and motorcycles (and by extension, boats and planes). I have long maintained that the only way to infuse some gasoline into the blood of the next generation is to give them first-hand Read More

It’s been a little over two years since I bought the SCM 1958 Alfa Sprint Veloce, s/n 1993E.06524.

It was an accidental purchase as I was leaving Concorso Italiano, and the little Alfa appeared to need nothing. I’d been looking for an “eyebrow” Sprint Veloce for more than a decade and was delighted to have finally found one.

As always seems to be the case, the “needs nothing” car turned into a “restoration through discovery,” with the entire Read More

I am on the plane home from the inaugural Chantilly Concours d’Elegance, and I feel a little bit like a gearhead Cinderella having to leave the ball. Participants began arriving at the Chantilly Chateau, located 35 miles north of Paris, on Friday, September 5th. Cars were unloaded the morning of the 6th, with many of them participating in a 100-km tour. The welcome dinner was that evening, and the concours itself was held on Sunday, the 7th.

For the past Read More

My 23-year-old daughter Alexandra has had a summer of milestones. First, she graduated from Oregon State University, with a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship and a minor in Writing. (Two years ago, following a year studying in France, she earned a diploma in International Business from L’École de Management in Grenoble.)

Then, just last week Daimler Trucks North America offered her an internship in project coordination in their IT department. She starts September 8. Read More

Sometimes I just feel contrarian.

A few weeks ago I drove our 1967 Duetto on the Porsche club-sponsored Northwest Passage.

This past weekend, the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Oregon had its annual summer tour. As I have five Alfas, naturally I decided to drive our 1967 Volvo 122S, a.k.a. “The Amazon.”

There was actually some logic to this choice. While the Duetto performed admirably on the Porsche tour, it felt rather like a mobile Read More

Monterey Classic Car Week 2014 is over.

You’ll be able to read the complete auction results in an upcoming issue of SCM, along with reports on the concours and gatherings.

For collectors, the most awaited moment was when the 250 GTO crossed the block at Bonhams on Thursday night. Some media fantasizers had predicted a final price in excess of $70m. Others said that if it didn’t hit $50m it would be called “a flop,” and the market Read More

It does say something about the nature of a tour when the primary topic of conversation each night revolves around whether or not your car has air conditioning. And when you offer someone the chance to drive your vintage Alfa in exchange for a turn behind the wheel of their late-model Porsche, you get turned down every time.

SCM has been a sponsor of the Oregon Region Porsche Club of America‘s Northwest Passage for many years. Jim and Read More