What do you think about this? You’ve been a loyal collector-car policy customer for many years. You’ve insured 27 cars on the policy and never had a single claim. One night, one of your collector cars is stolen. The police recover it four days later, but the thieves have damaged it to the tune of just over $12,000.
No big deal, you’re just happy to have it back almost in one piece. Then, your collector-car insurance company denies the claim. When you object, they take you to court to establish they don’t owe you anything, plus they want you to pay their attorney fees.
Bizarre? Maybe, but believe it or not, that’s just what happened to an SCM subscriber we’ll call “Bob.”
Toyotathon
1974 Toyota Celica GT #60536. S/N RA21199092. 74k miles. “2.0-liter inline 4, 5-speed manual transmission, Carnival Red paint, black vinyl upholstery, black vinyl roof, silver 13-inch steel wheels, Toyota AM/FM stereo, Pioneer cassette player, toolkit, spare parts, window sticker.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $64,050. Bring a Trailer, 11/29/21. When I […]
Earning Their Place
The 2021 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance played host to a special class of Porsche 917 race cars. That this gathering — 50 years after the 917’s overall win at Le Mans in 1971 — would occur there, rather than in the paddock of some storied racing circuit, is significant. We […]
Two Much of a Good Thing
The early 1990s is not a period fondly remembered by either auto-styling aficionados or performance enthusiasts. This was the era of the inglorious 250-horsepower Corvette, when a new Ferrari infamously got outrun by a stock GMC pickup, and Giorgetto Giugiaro was slumming with the likes of Subaru. From this time […]
Risky Business
Drifting is perhaps the most exciting new auto-racing variant of the times. Propelled to stardom by the “Fast and Furious” movie series, drift fans can’t get enough of the sideways-sliding, rubber-burning spectacle. The problem has been finding appropriate venues for the sport. The first, and likely best, purpose-built drifting venue […]
A Vessel of Memories
Facebook didn’t exist when SCM was created. My first posts with pictures of Bradley were made 12 years ago, when he was 3. The equivalent period of his sister Alexandra’s life is captured in piles of three-by-five-inch photos scattered and stashed and filed and piled in innumerable places. I tell […]
1988 Alpina B7 Turbo/1 Katalysator
This Alpina B7 Turbo/1 is number 243 of 278 examples produced between 1984 and 1987 and is one of 42 examples fitted with a catalytic converter. The car was produced in October 1986 and first registered in March 1988, and it was imported to the U.S. by the seller in […]
1973 Alpine A110
This Group 4 berlinetta, series number 18372, body number 6387, is a type 1600VC. The A110 1800 was registered on April 3, 1973, with the number 3697 HK 76. It has a heavy Morocco-type body, of which eight examples were constructed in Dieppe and registered between March and April 1973. […]
1987 Porsche 959 Komfort
Claiming highly original unrestored condition and a life of modest driving use, this preservation-quality 959 should strike the fancy of any Porsche enthusiast. According to a factory build record and the research of respected marque authority Jürgen Barth, the 959 was assembled in November 1987 and finished in Grand Prix […]
2016 Ferrari LaFerrari
Perhaps more than any other automaker, Ferrari has a tradition of building limited-production supercars that push the envelope of performance and design, while enriching the manufacturer’s cachet. From the competition-intended 288 GTO of the mid-1980s through the 40th anniversary F40 model, the F50 and the Enzo, these cars have served […]