Blogs
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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 Cars: What to Buy and…
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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 shorter and shorter. “Tracked down…
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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 on some rocks near the…
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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 1966 Caprice since October 1998.…
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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 colorful history of the area.…
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Old Skills for Old Cars
Last week I took the SCM Giulia Super out for an afternoon drive. There was light rain and the roads were wet — but not slick. I drove out Oregon Highway 30 towards Scappoose, and then took the turn off to Sauvie Island, a bucolic island in the Columbia River. The highway is a gently…
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Jim’s Blog: ACC Question of the Month — Best Classic Road Tripper
This month’s ACC Reader’s Forum question comes from our own John L. Stein: “I’m looking to set up a 1,000-mile road trip with some high school friends. To do it right, we need a classic car. What’s the better option of the sub-$20k cars below? Or is there a better choice out there that I…
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Taking Kids in Unsafe Old Cars
Should we really take our kids in our old cars? I got word last week that Chip Star’s Race Car Resurrections, the shop that has Bradley’s 1960 Bugeye, located a 3.7 rear end and was rebuilding it. Stock ratio was 4.22, and 3.9s are common. So scoring a 3.7 was a find. However, the installation…
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Hilton Head’s Complete Car Experience
“I fussed around, tried to get clever and missed my chance to buy the Cobra Daytona Coupe at $4m. And I’ll never get another chance at it. ” Miles Collier was telling the attendees of the SCM Insider’s Seminar at Hilton Head about “The One That Got Away.” This was my third time attending the…
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Jim’s Blog: ACC Heads to SEMA
Every year, the automotive aftermarket gets together in Las Vegas to show off its latest and greatest products and show cars. It’s a one-of-a-kind event, closed off to the general public and yet still well-known by most in the car community. This is where annual styling trends are set, where influential new products make their…