Collecting Thoughts

My “poster car” growing up was a silver 2002 Porsche 996. It was actually on a calendar on my bedroom wall. I remember hitting that month and never flipping to the next. Perhaps it was because my dad is a Porsche enthusiast, or maybe that car was just special. In any case, that’s the one…

Sitting in a marketing meeting in Detroit one day not so long ago, I recall seeing a presentation that explained how the Corvette’s primary competition was the Porsche Boxster and 911. There were some other cars mentioned as well, but I had already tuned out. As a guy in my 40s at the time, with…

To celebrate his magazine’s 30th anniversary, SCM Founder and Publisher Keith Martin, a veteran of countless driving tours in vintage cars, planned a tour of his own — and invited magazine subscribers to join him. Keith’s impressive guest list included Miles Collier, SCM columnist and founder of the Revs Institute; David MacNeil, chairman of WeatherTech;…

“A roaring motor car … is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.” — Filippo Marinetti, a founder of the Futurist art movement Picture the scene: a quaint cobbled London mews that once housed the horse stables of the Kensington aristocracy but had since become a mecca for classic-car collectors, the global center in the…

As many who read this column know, I am a retired opera singer. One of my favorite composers is Giuseppe Verdi — not least because he wrote amazing music for the baritone voice. Verdi loved Shakespeare, and one of the best baritone roles he created was that of Macbeth. In Act Two of the opera,…

Way, way back in 1968, I suddenly found myself in a hospital bed. I was 7 years old, and my tonsils had to come out — right now. It was an emergency. I was forced to put on a smock that tied in the back. The room was cold, and I could hear the hospital…

The iconic Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang fastback that co-starred with Steve McQueen in the car-chase movie classic “Bullitt” sold for $3.74 million at Mecum Auctions’ Kissimmee, FL, auction in January. This sale was the culmination of an extensive, sometimes heart-rending story that is like something from the golden age of Hollywood. This sale was…

“Moose! Don’t hit the moose!” A full-grown moose stands six feet high at the shoulder and weighs over 1,500 pounds. Hitting one at 100 mph in a fiberglass Corvette would be a very bad idea. Downshifting from sixth to third and nailing the throttle, while swinging the car wide to the right, put the problem…