Monterey Classic Car Week 2014 is over. You’ll be able to read the complete auction results in an upcoming issue of SCM, along with reports on the concours and gatherings. For collectors, the most awaited moment was when the 250 GTO crossed the block at Bonhams on Thursday night. Some […]

It does say something about the nature of a tour when the primary topic of conversation each night revolves around whether or not your car has air conditioning. And when you offer someone the chance to drive your vintage Alfa in exchange for a turn behind the wheel of their […]

It’s been five years since I’ve been to the Concours d’Elegance of America (formerly known as Meadow Brook). I’d heard good things about the new location, and when Concours Chairman Larry Moss asked if I would be interested in being co-emcee, I eagerly accepted. As Michigan has been the location of […]

There’s nothing better than a great car event that happens in your own backyard. No packing, no airports, no rental cars, no hotel rooms – just go into the SCM garage, pull out your favorite car (and a couple for your good friends) and head out. This was the 42nd […]

Last week, I savored a four-wheeled gourmet experience at RM headquarters in Chatham, Ontario (Canada). CEO and founder Rob Myers invited me to spend a couple of days at RM, and a generous buffet line of cars awaited my arrival. Gord Duff, one of RM’s top car specialists, showed me […]

When the old car thing bites, it bites hard. Those of us in search of of vehicles that turn ordinary trips into motoring adventures don’t stop with sports cars. We just spent a weekend with the SCM’s RHD 1984 Defender 90 200 tdi. Perhaps the Land Rover imprint happened while watching […]

SCM and the Alfa Market Letter In 1988, 26 years ago, I put an ad in Hemmings Motor News that said, “Subscribe Today to the Alfa Romeo Market Letter. Hundreds of Alfas for sale in every issue. One year, $33.” I had just left my job as a sales manager […]

I had the proud-father satisfaction of watching my daughter, Alexandra Dorel Martin-Banzer, graduate from Oregon State University this past Saturday. She received a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship and a minor in writing. Two years ago, following a year studying in France, she earned a diploma […]

“I’m thinking of getting into collector cars. What’s the best car to start with?” It’s a question we are asked all the time. There is no correct answer, just as there is no “right” choice for which pinot noir to pair with salmon, or which running shoes to wear for […]

As I shepherd the SCM fleet through its never-ending process of repair, restore and improve, I am constantly making judgment calls about when to upgrade and when to leave things alone. For instance, I just delivered the 122S to Guy Recordon at Guy’s Interior Restorations to have the front seats […]