The nose of SCM’s 2006 Lotus Elise made a sharp cracking sound when it hit the parking lot divider. Suddenly everyone was looking my way.

There were 50 or so Porsches scattered around, with owners busily attaching their event stickers to the sides of their cars.

This was the 20th Annual Northwest Passage Tour, presented by the Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America. SCM has been a sponsor for ten of the years, and I’ve driven on eight Read More

Those of us who are addicted to old cars have daily opportunities to add to our collections. Whether it is an online auction, an ad in a club magazine — or simply a friend who has decided it’s time to sell — the temptation is there.

As an inveterate car hoarder, I’ve learned to ask myself a few questions before I pull the trigger:

First, am I ready for the agony of adding a car to the collection?

By now, Read More

Last weekend, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The four days were chock full of activities, mostly thanks to Lisa McNabb, the energizer bunny of the club.

I first joined the club in 1969, when I came to Reed College. Over the years, it has been my support group as I have dealt with my hopeless addiction to and infatuation with the cars of Alfa Romeo.

On Friday, ex-GTA racer Stu Moss organized a 200-mile tour Read More

Covering 1,000 miles in a 50-year-old car can be a daunting challenge.

For SCM30, coming up in early July, SCM will have all six of its Alfas entered. In all, they will be covering 6,000 miles. What could possibly go wrong?

SCM30 (our 30^th anniversary tour) is in part a fundraiser for the Portland Art Museum. To that end, we made four of our Alfas available to those coming from out of state. For a $5,000 donation made to Read More

SCM’s 30th Anniversary Tour is fast approaching, so it’s time to test and finalize the route.

The route master is Neil d’Autremont of Sidedraught City. He’s given me the instructions for the last section of the final day. By freeway, it’s about a 100-mile stretch.

I’ve been planning to take the 1960 Bugeye on the scouting expedition. My plan is to head to Astoria, on the Oregon Coast, then down to Newport, then over to Sweet Home. It’s about Read More

Now that our 1961 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale is coming back to life, we’ve got some questions to address.

The car is an unusual mix of a well-aged mediocre paint job, excellent original chrome and a completely incorrect interior.

From 20 feet away, the car looks terrific. This is why I was attracted to it at the Auctions America Fort Lauderdale sale a couple of years ago.

It had been in a museum for nearly 30 years. The engine was Read More

There’s been a lot written about the demise of swap meets. We’ve all heard how the Internet is now the quick-and-easy way to find and or sell what you need.

However, the human factor is overlooked in all this. Just as I believe land-based auctions are a way for like-minded enthusiasts to come together, so are swap meets.

The Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon (www.alfaclub.org) host an annual swap meet each spring. This year I volunteered the SCM “Bat Read More

During the Cold War, a top-secret fallout shelter designed to house 1,100 people (every member of the U.S. Congress and one aide per politician) during a nuclear war was constructed under The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV.

This past Sunday, for the first time, The Greenbrier’s bunker became the home for a variety of sports and racing cars, including a 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC and a 1972 McLaren M8F CanAm.

The Greenbrier is a “Grand Hotel” in the traditional Read More

“Do you want the spare parts that go with it?”

It’s a familiar phrase when you make a new acquisition. More often than not, the seller is anxious to get rid of the spare parts that accumulated during their ownership. Sellers waving goodbye to a car are often happy to clear out their garage — and help fill yours.

When I bought Bradley’s 1960 Bugeye Sprite a couple of years ago, the seller threw in a 1,275-cc block, head and Read More

Just about 100 years ago, Bob McGill, one of the founders of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon, was born.

Just about 60 years ago, McGill bought a new 1958 Alfa from Rambo Motors in Portland. A Normale, its serial number was 1495.02609.

McGill died at age 92 in 2011.

Exactly 40 years ago, Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon began to celebrate Bob and his Alfa by having a tour that featured “Old Spiders” (those built between 1955 and Read More