Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
Blogs
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Jim’s Blog: The Promise of a Project
There’s something pretty appealing about a classic car project. For me, there are a lot of possibilities that circle around a rusty remnant of a car — especially when its revival is in my hands. What color was the car and what color will it be when you’re done with it? What engine was in…
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Keith’s Blog: A Bugeye Nose Becomes a Dinner
“Do you want the spare parts that go with it?” It’s a familiar phrase when you make a new acquisition. More often than not, the seller is anxious to get rid of the spare parts that accumulated during their ownership. Sellers waving goodbye to a car are often happy to clear out their garage —…
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Keith’s Blog: 400 Miles in a 1965 Alfa
Just about 100 years ago, Bob McGill, one of the founders of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon, was born. Just about 60 years ago, McGill bought a new 1958 Alfa from Rambo Motors in Portland. A Normale, its serial number was 1495.02609. McGill died at age 92 in 2011. Exactly 40 years ago, Alfa…
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Jim’s Blog: Buy an Offbeat Collectible
Everybody loves Tri-Five Chevrolets, Shoebox Fords, Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and Challengers. But if your goal is to stand out from the classic car crowd, the best bet is to find something different. Owning an old car is a social thing. You can’t take a classic anywhere without striking up a conversation with people in parking…
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Keith’s Blog: 1,000 miles in a 15-year-old Porsche
When I bought my first car in 1967 — a 1960 Bugeye — it was just 7 years old. I bought my first Alfa in 1968, a 1963 Giulia Spider Veloce. It was 5 years old. By 1975, when it was 15 years old, the Bugeye was hopelessly archaic. The same was true for the…
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Keith’s Blog: Buicks, Rileys and Alfas – The La Jolla Concours
This past Sunday marked my 7th year as emcee of the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance. In the bright morning sunshine, I looked over the 135 cars on the lawn at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, which is right on beautiful La Jolla Cove. The setting, which overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean, of this concours rivals that…
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Jim’s Blog: The One The Got Away
We’re wrapping up ACC #39 this week, but there’s still time to submit responses to our Readers’ Forum question. What car should you have kept? This builds off a blog I wrote a few weeks ago — I’d like to know what car or cars you’ve owned in the past that you wish you still…
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Keith’s Blog: Happy 60th Birthday to the Sprint
On April 3, 1958 — 60 years ago — our Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce rolled off the assembly line in Arese, Italy. In the small-displacement GT category, it was one of the most sophisticated cars in the world. The Sprint coupe was also the car that saved Alfa Romeo as it made a post-WWII…
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Keith’s Blog: Jurassic Park Meets Vintage Racing
The worst new car often performs better than the best old car. To remind myself of that, I try to rent the most basic car possible when I’m on the road. My ride for the past two weeks in Mexico has been a Hyundai Grand i10. This model doesn’t exist in the United States. The…
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Jim’s Blog: Preserve or Restore?
ACC’s gears are turning as we prep for issue #39 — and that means its time for another Wrenching column. So today, Auction Editor Chad Tyson and I have snuck out of the office and are in my shop, working on ACC’s 1966 Ford Mustang. I’m writing this from my workbench. Here’s the thing about…