Blogs
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Keith’s Blog: SCM’s Madcap Tribute to Martin Swig
SCM is gearing up for our annual madcap tribute to Martin Swig. Swig, the founder of the California Mille, was famous for setting off on car trips at the drop of a hat. Thanks to him, I participated several times in the California Mille, along with the Carrera Nevada — a dash across the back…
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Keith’s Blog: Which Three Alfas Would You Pick?
Over the years, I’ve found that the size of my collection is directly related to the number of slots I have in my garage. At one time, I had a 30’ x 40’ pole building in Northeast Portland that came along with a rental house I purchased. Not only did I immediately fill it with…
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Jim’s Blog: I Hate Gas Cans
This week, I became the guy I never wanted to be. I ran my ’66 Chevy out of gas in my own driveway. OK, so I’ve been busy working on another C10 project lately, and I’ve needed the space inside my garage for photo work to support that project. So in and out the ’66…
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Keith’s Blog: How Automatic is Manual Shifting
“I learned to drive on a stick” is a gearhead’s mantra. We all tell tales of the first three-pedal car we learned to operate. For some reason, it’s a badge of honor that we learned to drive a car and learned to operate a manual gearbox at the same time. I’ve taught several of my…
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Keith’s Blog: The Car as a Horse
You wouldn’t ride a horse down Main Street, and soon you won’t drive a collector car down your town’s main drag. Twenty years ago, I wrote that in the future we would treat our old cars like horses. Our cars would be trailered to roads that were appropriate for them, we would use them there…
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Jim’s Blog: An American in Paris
Here at ACC, we’ve been talking about the rise in truck and SUV prices for years now. At auctions like Mecum and Barrett-Jackson, regardless of location, yesterday’s worker bee rigs have taken on a new life as coveted collectors items, with prices to match. In fact, it seems like those prices are inflating at every…
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Keith’s Blog: Car Restoration and Human Restoration
I’m learning that just as car restorations have their own progressions, so does physical rehabilitation. This week I made some decisions about the restorations on my cars, and I made some steps forward with my own rehab. I’ve decided not to proceed with the full-bore, glass-and-headliner- out interior restoration of our 1961 Giulietta Sprint Speciale.…
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Keith’s Blog: Does Every Car Require a Pebble Beach Nut-and-Bolt Restoration?
In preparation for the Revs Institute Symposium on Collecting, founder Miles Collier sent out a list of questions for participants to consider. Since not all of us can make it to Naples, FL, I will share some of the questions and my responses in the next few newsletters. I also invite you to submit your…
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Keith’s Blog: I’m Getting Better!
Dear SCM Friends, It’s been a month since my stroke, and I wanted to touch base. I continue to make progress by visiting my therapist. Check out the schedule (Mon–Sat) here. A full recovery seems likely, but there are still months of hard work ahead. Doctors have found no underlying cause for my stroke. My…
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Keith’s Blog: Rally Rd. for Bragging Rights
Editor’s note: Mark Wigginton is taking over this space for a few weeks while Publisher Martin grinds away at his stroke rehabilitation. A bunch of us from SCM World Headquarters visited him a few days ago, and he’s making amazing progress at regaining mobility on his left side. The man is even playing the piano!…