Last Sunday, the 25th annual Collector Car and Boat Show was held in Lake Oswego, Oregon. That’s a suburb of Portland and about fifteen minutes from my condo.
It is organized by the nonprofit Oswego Heritage Council. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to the Council, whose mission is to preserve and interpret Lake Oswego history.
There were about 200 cars on display at George Rogers Park, and 40 boats at nearby Sundeleaf Plaza. Attendance was estimated at 5,000.
The event is casual and fun. Every entry is accepted, and the cars are arranged on the field a “first come, first served” basis. I saw no teams of straw-hatted blue-blazered judges anxiously clutching clipboards.
Shockingly, in a world of $650 concours tickets, there is no admission fee. There aren’t even parking meters on the surrounding streets.
The show includes motorcycles, and for the first time this year, historic bicycles.
My son Bradley went with me, as he is home from college between semesters.
Continuing my post-Pebble pricing PTSD, I was delighted to be able to get a latte for $5, ten caramel-dipped mini-donuts for $6, and delicious street tacos for $3 each. I tipped generously and still had change from the two $20 bills I started with.
The weather was perfect. As we strolled between the rows of cars, I was reminded both of how many ways we have invented to combine motors, bodies and wheels, and how cars draw people together.
There were a surprising number of SCM subscribers there, and I had engaging conversations with them. Our Legal Files columnist, John Draneas, showed his 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. He recalled I had encouraged him to buy it over a decade ago. Had found it on eBay Motors, in Scottsdale, and we were headed that way for the Barrett-Jackson Auction.
He remarked that it was one of the few smart buying decisions I have been involved with.
We also ran into good friend and English-car guru Dave Adams. He was kind enough to explain to Bradley how to tell Jaguar XK 120s, 140s and 150s apart.
As we walked by some original Minis, I told Bradley that, when he was three days old, I had brought him home from the hospital strapped in a car seat in the back of a late-model German-built Mini.
We also spent some time looking at the tidy engine bay of a very handsome, black-over-red Alfa Giulietta Spider “abnormale” owned by Ron Krueger. Born as a downdraft Solex-equipped normale, he talked Bradley through the things that he had added that are unique to a Veloce. They include forced air induction, tubular headers and dual sidedraft Webers.
We chatted with the original owner of a 1972 C3 Corvette, and contrasted it with the C3 Collector Edition that was once part of the SCM fleet.
The three cars that made an impression on me were a stunning small-bumper yellow Pantera, a long-time-owned, attractively shabby and original dark green 289 Cobra and a better-than-new restored red Fiat 850 Spider.
Best of Show went to long-time collector Commander Rand H. Wintermute, who showed his Beck 550 Spyder replica. The awards ceremony was mercifully brief (another contrast with that famous show down south) and by 2 pm we were left with the rest of the day to enjoy.
Do you have thoughts about whether it is appropriate for a replica, no matter how well executed, being awarded Best of Show? I look forward to your comments below.
Read my previous blog posts here.
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