Through happenstance, SCMer Chris Bright and I ended up living a floor apart in the same condo. As you wind down through our building’s four levels of underground parking, you see some unusual cars. The most mysterious is covered, but a discerning eye can spot the sensuous lines of a […]
Blogs
Keith’s Blog: Wouldn’t You Rather Drive a New Porsche 911?
The 2025 NW Passage — Spring, an annual tour put on by the Porsche Club of America Oregon Region, is fast approaching. From June 11-16, some 40 sports cars, mostly late-model Porsches, will set off on a 1,500-mile romp through the Pacific Northwest. Stops include Leavenworth, WA, Sandpoint, ID, and […]
Keith’s Blog: How the Internet Changed Swap Meets
I’ve been attending the Portland Swap Meet for more than 30 years. It is billed as the largest auto swap meet on the West Coast. In the early, pre-internet days, walking though the swap meet gates was like dropping into an Alice in Wonderland hole with no idea what magical […]
Keith’s Blog: Back in the Saddle
Long-time readers will remember that I suffered a stroke in January 2019. Ever since, my left leg has been too weak to depress a clutch, and I have not been able to drive a manual-shift car. I have been working at physical therapy every day, and it has begun to […]
Keith’s Blog: Flat Out
My son Bradley and I had spent two good-weather days driving a pair of our classics that were cumulatively more than a century old. On an atypically sunny Thursday and Friday, we put 100 miles each on the 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 and 1975 Porsche 911S. On Saturday, we were […]
Keith’s Blog: From GT to Sports Car
As I mentioned last week, it’s been a cold, wet miserable winter, even for Oregon. So when three days of bright, 60-degree sunshine came along, we “seized the moment.” After spending a day behind the wheel of the SCM 1971 Jaguar E-type, with its pre-emission 5.3-liter V12 and 272 horses, […]
Keith’s Blog: Just Three Clicks
Our winter has been cold and wet, even by Oregon standards, including some snow last month. With some sunny days in the forecast and temperatures above 50 degrees, I had dedicated last week to exercising our classics. As trickle chargers are not allowed by my condo homeowner association, I have […]
Keith’s Blog: The Best Buy Online Last Week
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about a low-miles (187 to be exact) 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL600 that sold for $193,500 on Bring a Trailer, including buyer’s premium. We remarked that this is no longer a car but an artifact. It’s unknown whether this car was “pickled” before it was […]
Keith’s Blog: Is Three Times the Charm?
One of the great features of online auctions is their transparency. You can see how many times a car has been listed, read all the comments for each listing, see what the previous high bid was and whether the car sold or not. Also, at least with Bring a Trailer, […]
Keith’s Blog: Come to Oregon for the Emerald Invitational
There’s a new classic car tour here in the Pacific Northwest: The Emerald Invitational, conducted by Vintage Underground, a high-end restoration facility located in Eugene, OR. This is an all-inclusive tour, with accommodations and dining included, happening July 6 – 10. It’s limited to just 35 cars, built before 1974 […]