It was the summer of 1968. I was 17-years-old and had just graduated, as class valedictorian, from Lincoln High School in San Francisco. I was accepted to Reed College in Portland OR, but there was no financial aid available. Tuition, along with room and board on campus, was about […]
Blogs
Jim’s Blog: Car Spotting at Portland Transmission
Here in Portland, car season kicks off with a pair of huge swap meets in early April. About a month later, on the Saturday before Mothers’ Day, the city’s car people wake up all their classics and head out for the inner east side of town, where all gather for […]
Keith’s Blog: My Favorite Cars: 1963 Giulia Spider
My first two cars were British — a 1960 Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite and a 1958 MGA. “When are you going to get a real sports car?” asked my good friend Bjarne Holm. Bjarne was driving his mother’s 1958 Giulietta Spider Normale. We were parked outside Lakeside Presbyterian Church near Stonestown […]
Keith’s Blog: A Mother/Daughter Road Trip
Last Saturday my daughter Alexandra and her mother Cindy Banzer took the SCM 1967 Giulia Super on an Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon tour. It was a 112-mile dash from Portland to Astoria on the Oregon coast and back. This was the 41st running of The Old Spider Tour, celebrating […]
Jim’s Blog: Are Engine Swaps OK?
Small block, big block, and LS Chevrolet V8s tend to find their way into all kinds of classic cars. Should they? I’m all about making a vintage car more drivable — from steering and brake upgrades all the way through the addition of modern fuel injection. All of these things can make […]
Keith’s Blog: My Favorite Alfa is a 4-door Sedan
I had a chance to go for a drive in the SCM Giulia Super last weekend. We took a scenic, winding route, starting on Portland’s curvy Skyline Boulevard and passing through the tony Pearl District downtown. From there we headed out through an industrial area on Highway 30 and […]
Keith’s Blog: A Car I Wouldn’t Collect
I’ve recently been asked about the sale of a 500-mile 1987 Buick GNX on Bring A Trailer for $130,000 on March 25 of this year. On March 18, a 1986 Grand National (a very different car, I was reminded by Colin Comer) with 5,700 miles bid to $38,750 and did not […]
Jim’s Blog: 1957 Chevrolet — Buy, Sell, or Hold?
The 1957 Chevrolet is probably the most iconic American classic car of all time. But with interest in 1950s cars cooling thanks to a changing demographic in the classic car world, is it still the collector car it once was? The Chevrolet fin may not have been the biggest or […]
Keith’s Blog: My Resto-Mod Zagato
The Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato is now back from Nasko’s Imports. To afford cars like this, you can try your luck on sites such as https://159.65.23.250/. I decided to ignore the factory specs that concours judges adhere to and make it a better for my style of driving. Nasko installed […]
Keith’s Blog: The Rite of Spring
Editor’s note: Jeff Zurschmeide, frequent contributor to SCM, is taking over Keith’s Blog with week with his report on last weekend’s Portland Swap Meet and PIR Auto Swap Meet: By Jeff Zurschmeide April in Portland means two things: rain and the Portland Swap Meet. Both are as inevitable as […]