For the first time in ten years, I’ve just had a holiday in Scottsdale.

As there was no Arizona Concours this year, and shooting for “What’s My Car Worth” is on hold, my only official duties during Arizona Car Week were to host the SCM Insider’s Seminar at the Gooding Auction.

Aside from that, I spent the rest of my time doing exactly what I did before we started SCM — I lollygagged around the various auctions, kicked tires and Read More

Last week I wrote about the decisions I was making concerning the restoration of our 1961 Giulietta Sprint Speciale.

We need the car ready by the SCM 30^th Anniversary Tour in July. Which means it should be on the road by the 1^st of June to have time to shake it down before the tour.

Which further means that we need to start making decisions about the direction we want the restoration to take now.

Materials have to be Read More

The SCM 1961 Alfa Sprint Speciale is in transition.

When we bought it at Auctions America in Fort Lauderdale in March of 2015, it had been stored for at least 30 years in the Cayman Motor Museum.

Its engine was frozen — upon disassembly, it appeared the head gasket blew, and the car was pushed into a corner to sit for decades.

At least it had the correct engine (AR00120.00778) for the chassis (10120.177277).

It appears the car had been Read More

It’s a new year and a time for a fresh start.

For some of us, car collecting is like being stuck in a pounding surf, where each wave that hits sucks $5,000 out of your pocket.

For others, it’s a daily lesson in collector car math — buy a car for $50,000, put $50,000 into it just to make it decent — and then sell it for $50,000.

But maybe if we are just a little smarter and more thoughtful Read More

Last week I picked the first six cars I’d like to find under the Christmas tree. There’s no linear order to these selections. These are just cars I like — and that represent a specific point of view in the world of collector cars.

Last week’s six were the Mazda Miata (Best First Sports Car), Ferrari 308 GT4 (Best First Ferrari), 1974 VW Thing (Most Ridiculous Four-Seater), 1967-68 Ford Mustang (Best Affordable Pony Car), Hyundai or Kia (Best Modern Econobox), Read More

It’s every gearhead’s fantasy to wake up on December 25 and find the garage stuffed with a dozen new toys.

Here are my first six picks for your 2017 Yuletide surprises.

Best First Sports Car: The Mazda Miata has to be the iconic affordable sports car of the past 30 years. When it was introduced in 1990, the only other RWD convertible sports car available was the wheezy, rev-resistant, long-in-the-tooth, last-generation Alfa Spider.

The Miata offered the feel of an Read More

I’ve had a glorious weekend with what are fast becoming my two favorite cars.

While the 1967 Alfa Romeo GTV and the 2003 Porsche 996 911 are are decades apart in construction, they offer many of the same driving rewards to an old-car enthusiast.

The Alfa is a tried-and-true front-engine, rear-wheel-drive design. The Porsche has a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration that the company has perfected over the past 50 years. In some ways, they are polar opposites.

Last Saturday, I Read More

Early Saturday morning in the pouring rain, I was chugging up the Cedar Tree trail in Oregon Tillamook National Forest.

I wasn’t wondering why a manual-transmission-equipped late-model Ferrari brings such a premium at auction. I wasn’t figuring out how to source the FISPA fuel regulator I need for my Giulietta Sprint Speciale. Installing studded snow tires on the SCM Suburban wasn’t on my mind.

Instead, I was drinking in the glorious feeling of off-roading in the forest with 19 other Read More

It’s horses for courses when it comes to old cars.

A modern SUV could travel easily on Interstate highways at 75 mph — and plow through snow and scramble up dirt roads. But where’s the fun in that?

Part of what makes old cars so appealing is their lack of competence. They require our skill set to make them work properly. This is why I drove SCM’s 33-year-old RHD Land Rover D90 turbo diesel 64 miles to Oregon’s Mount Hood Read More

It’s a rite of passage that we’ve all experienced.

The first time we were behind the wheel of a car, started the engine and actually drove the machine.

For most of us, that moment is lost to time and captured only by our memories.

However, it today’s world of smart phones with video cameras, nothing goes unrecorded.

Bradley’s first drive was posted to Facebook for others to see within minutes of his accomplishing it. His glorious moment has been Read More