Keith’s Blog: Classic Car Tours 2.0: The Next Generation

I’ve been going on classic car tours since 1992. I started with the Mille Miglia, which was a pretty swell way to begin.

That was followed by the California Mille, the Monte Shelton Northwest Classic, the Colorado Grand, the Argentine Millas, Tour Auto, the Modena Cento Ore and more.

Over the years, I have driven thousands of miles just for the fun of driving.

But now I want something more from my touring experiences than just burning up blacktop.

I believe this summer’s SCM 1000 Tours, both the AMG Invitational and the SCM 1000 Classic are ushering a new way of looking at touring.

We want the four days of driving to be full of fantastic back roads. That’s a given.

We also think modern touring is about more than just driving like your hair is on fire.

Here is how we have decided to proceed. All SCM Tours will be “hub and spoke,” that is we will stay in one hotel for five nights. Our clever routemaster, Bob Hui, has come up with some juicy choices for the Classic that will include the Columbia Gorge, Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, and the coastal city of Astoria. Start and finish each day will be at the lovely Skamania Lodge in the Columbia Gorge.

The AMG Invitational, with routes starting and ending in Bend at the Hilton by Doubletree will include Crater Lake, the Oregon High Desert and the Painted Hills.

In the evening, we will have our traditional “Conversations with Collectors,” where participants can chat with a panel of collector car experts. I look forward to these.

Following the chats, we will have a five-minute sneak preview of the coming day. This will include an outline of the route, photos of highpoints and, where possible, some short videos on the history and culture we will be experiencing.

This “Touring 2.0” will provide an immersive experience into the great Pacific Northwest, while being more user-friendly than some other formats. For instance, if you or your co-driver want to take part of a day off, you can stay at the host hotel and charge out the next morning.

When the car-centric week is wrapped up and you are headed home, we are sure you will have deepened your bond with your classic car. Our intent is that you will also come away with an enhanced awareness of the cultural and geographic features of this part of the county.

To learn more about our events, or to register or be put on the waiting lists, go to www.SCM1000.com.

If you have thoughts about how we might add to or enhance your classic car touring experience, I look forward to reading them in your responses below.

See you this summer!