Collecting Thoughts

Dad’s passing was tough — and parting ways with his collection is no easier Never parting with anything means everything becomes someone else’s cross to bear There was a lifetime of hardware in Dad’s shop. Steel, aluminum and fiberglass, almost all of European descent, almost none of it expensive. And when he passed last summer,…

An increasingly rare sight as old racers become too expensive or delicate to risk driving in anger. Photo courtesy Rolex. Vintage racing faces inherent challenges — and a major question about where it goes from here Any longtime historical-racing devotee will tell you that things aren’t like they used to be. The grid of 2026…

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Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “collection” as “an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby.” Historically, most collectors fit into that last category, accumulating automobiles that interest them as a leisure pursuit. More recently, there has been a growing number of people buying special cars as a financial investment. Although…

When I figured out that the wrecking yard in Pennsylvania had a genuine Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth sitting on its crowded lot of discarded junkers, my next course of action after arranging for enclosed transport was to locate a manila folder. In it went the crummy, low-res photos of a beige sedan with its iconic…

I  know this is a bad idea. I understand this is not the smart thing to do when buying an old car. SCM’s John Draneas, in his many excellent “Legal Files” columns, warns us. I have read those words and completely agree. Yet here we are, doing something I know is wrong. This is not…

If there is a heaven for car enthusiasts, it will look very much like the Goodwood Revival. It’s a perfect alchemy of history, performance, variety and good beer. Plus, you might bump into Sir Jackie Stewart, and who doesn’t dream about that? The truth is, if you’ve been a gearhead for any length of time,…

This coming September, I will be sending my precious and rare unrestored 1964 Abarth-Simca 2 Mila Corsa Short Nose to the Duke of Richmond’s motorsports soirée, the Goodwood Revival. Alert readers will immediately recognize that this is the self-same Goodwood Revival defined by “racing, red in tooth and claw.” There may be old cars there,…

I recently took a drive with a friend who works as a mechanic at a high-end shop in Southern California. He told me a cautionary tale about a customer who bought an older Ferrari with a sheaf of maintenance receipts, including a recent major service at another specialist in the area. The customer brought the car…