This year marked the 52nd annual Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance. It is the longest running concours in the Pacific Northwest, held on the bucolic, tree-lined grounds of Pacific University. This concours has a mission. Every dollar raised goes directly towards Rotary Foundation Scholarships for students in the Forest Grove, Banks and Gaston school districts. To date, more than $1 million has been donated. SCMer Brad Miller gave me a ride to the show, and also was awarded Best in Class for his 280SL, fresh off a 6.5-year restoration. My son Bradley came out in the newest addition to the SCM fleet, […]
Keith’s Blog: 52 Years in the Forest
One response to “Keith’s Blog: 52 Years in the Forest”
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Keith,
I don’t know what Enzo would say, but the Ferrari Daytona Spyder, at least to me, is the most beautiful Ferrari ever made.
As far as the American Motors Marlin and Rambler American, don’t be so harsh on them!!! American Motors, the last independent auto maker, always had to do more with much less, and put out some interesting cars that served a need. On East 68th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan, not that far from where I currently work, once in a while I come across the same red 1971 AMC Gremlin. A bit on the rusty side, I still marvel at its utilitarian style.
Last year on PBS, they aired a great 6-part documentary on the history of American Motors:
“The Last Independent Automaker is a six-part documentary series covering the rise and fall of the American Motors Corporation (AMC). Produced by filmmaker Joe Ligo, Jimm Needle, and historian Patrick Foster, the show features rare archival footage and exclusive interviews with over 35 former designers, CEOs, and assembly line workers.”
You can watch this documentary FOR FREE on YouTube. At this point, the only vestige of AMC is the Stellantis Jeep Division, which was originally Willys, then Kaiser Willys.
Even with their limited resources, AMC was always ahead of the curve, embracing small economy cars before the Big Three, and really introducing the first crossover:
“Based on the compact AMC Concord, the first crossover was the 1980 AMC Eagle, introduced in August 1979. It combined a passenger car body with an elevated ride height and a rugged four-wheel-drive system, widely recognized as the original mass-market crossover SUV.”
An AMC product will never be as iconic as a Ferrari Daytona Spyder, but will always fill a niche in the automotive history lexicon.
Glenn in Brooklyn, NY.
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