Blogs

Don’t Buy a Project Car

Our old cars continue to make the transition from daily use appliances to coveted artifacts. This change raises an entirely different set of questions when it comes to deciding the quality and condition of a car you might buy. Just buying something that runs and drives is not what we’re […]

Jim’s Blog: Three New Year Resolutions

There are only a few days left in 2016, and that has me thinking about all the car things I did — and didn’t do — this year. Here’s what I’m going to do differently in 2017. About six months ago, I jacked up my Caprice to change the oil […]

Help Pick My Next Car

I’ve got that classic-car itch, and only you can help me scratch it. In my column in the February issue of SCM, I wrote about the three cars that are calling to me right now. I invited subscribers to vote and comment on your choice. As a blog reader, I’d like […]

Jim’s Blog: SEMA in Photos

SEMA is where the automotive aftermarket comes to show off its skill — this is where the newest trends, the biggest builds, and the coolest new products all converge in one week of car-crazy overkill. ACC was on-site in Vegas this November, and while we ran a feature of the […]

Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Car Symposiums

Barrett-Jackson is fielding an ambitious, compelling lineup of car-collecting workshops from January 16-20, 2017 at their huge Scottsdale Auction. SCM Publisher Keith Martin will be a part of the “Getting Started in Car Collecting” panel on January 16. SCM’s sister magazine, American Car Collector, will present “The Top Ten Collector […]

The Spider Veloce is Finished!

Two weeks ago, Bill Gillham sent me a brief email: “Your car is ready for you to come and pick it up.” After more than a year — and a six-figure resto bill, our 1965 Giulia Spider Veloce is ready to come home. The notes from Bill had been getting […]

Alex Conquers Hog’s Back

Eight years ago, my daughter Alex (then 17) and I were trying to get up the Hog’s Back Hillclimb in our 1973 Land Rover SIII 88. My off-roading skills were rudimentary. I attacked the hill with too much speed and tried to muscle my way up. I got hung up […]

Jim’s Blog: When it Just Clicks

So you’re all done at the car show. You hop in your classic, hit the key, and instead of that V8 cranking over, you get nothing but a tinny click. Hit it again and it clicks again. Third time’s a charm and off you go. Sound familiar? I’ve had my […]

The Right Car for the Right Trip

I’m just back from a visit to the High Desert Museum. Located in Bend, Oregon, about 150 miles from Portland, it’s a jewel. It’s true to its location, the desert, and to its mission, which is to help us understand the ecosystem of Central Oregon’s high desert — and the […]