Sixty-six thousand. That’s how many miles cars wearing an SCM 1000 roundel traveled last summer. And we’re just counting the entrants. The tally doesn’t include the dozens of support staff and amazing volunteers involved who kept the events running like a Halda Speedpilot. The SCM 1000 AMG Invitational was held in Bend, OR, in June (see p. 42). It featured performance Mercedes models, mostly those wearing an AMG badge. The star was undoubtedly a 2009 SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, one of just 75 built. According to Michael Kunz, manager of Mercedes-Benz Classic, there are only three in the U.S. No one […]
Sixty-six thousand.
That’s how many miles cars wearing an SCM 1000 roundel traveled last summer.
And we’re just counting the entrants. The tally doesn’t include the dozens of support staff and amazing volunteers involved who kept the events running like a Halda Speedpilot.
The SCM 1000 AMG Invitational was held in Bend, OR, in June (see p. 42). It featured performance Mercedes models, mostly those wearing an AMG badge. The star was undoubtedly a 2009 SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, one of just 75 built. According to Michael Kunz, manager of Mercedes-Benz Classic, there are only three in the U.S.
No one could recall seeing one being driven on the open road before, let alone for 1,000 miles. Ably piloted by Wynn McCaw and John Schommer, it seemed to end up being the first car to arrive at each stop, even though it was often the last to leave. How that happened it still a mystery.
With mechanical reliability not so much of an issue, the owners were free to enjoy the magnificent scenery and undulating two-lane roads.
As is the case with all SCM 1000 Tours, there were cultural stops with docents each day, and “Conversations with Collectors” most evenings. A popular topic the first night was a discussion with Kunz and AMG Product Manager Brian Cotter about the $143m sale of the Uhlenhaut coupe. Their insights brought us a new perspective on the sale.
I drove my 2004 SL55 AMG. I found that driving a modern high-performance machine on back roads can be just as rewarding as hustling a vintage one through the curves, just in a different way.
All the cars on the tour were magnificent machines. It’s not often AMG owners get together and take a few days off just to go driving.
A step back in time
Held just a month later, the 2022 SCM 1000 had an entirely different feel to it. Limited to cars built before 1975 (when smog and safety regulations changed the nature of the entire automotive industry), the tour was based at the handsome Skamania Lodge. Located in Stevenson, WA, it has a sweeping view of the 17 million-year-old Columbia Gorge. (We’ll have more coverage in the November issue.)
While the theme of this year’s tour was “Cars of Italy,” SCM has always had a philosophy of “the more the merrier.” Consequently, the first car out was our 1971 Citroën DS21 Pallas. It was piloted by Hagerty Grand Marshal Bill Warner and SCM Contributor Ken Gross.
Neither had driven a DS before, and both approached the car and its unique suspension and BVH semi-automatic gearbox with some apprehension. It doesn’t exactly shift like a modern PDK. After learning to master it, Warner referred to it with affection as the “Vague-O-Matic.”
The cars this year were spectacular. Among the Ferraris entered was a 250 GT LWB California Spider Competition, a 250 GT PF Cab, a 400 Superamerica, a 330 GT, a pair of 330 GTSes, a 365 GTS, and three Daytonas (two convertibles and a coupe). Multiple Alfas, Lancias and Lamborghinis were also in attendance.
My favorite times each day were departure and arrival. In the morning, watching the cars start made me think of a modern-day Jurassic Park for classic cars. Each car rumbled and snorted in its own peculiar way as multiple carburetors, camshafts and ignition systems came into play.
Later in the afternoon, I enjoyed seeing each car pass under the SCM victory arch, with driver and navigator both wearing smiles of accomplishment as they finished their 250-mile route.
The older cars on this event were not as reliable as the AMGs. The flatbed truck and mechanics of our official support team from Vintage Underground were constantly busy. The process of fail, repair and proceed was repeated many times, most often with success.
Cool cars
For this tour I drove our 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe. While not Italian, its GM-sourced air-conditioning meant we proceeded through the Gorge, up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, and all the way out to Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast with grace, pace and delightfully cold air.
My now 15-year-old son Bradley spent a day as the navigator for Kevin Blount in his 1953 Allard J2X. It’s a brutal car, and Kevin drives it like his hair is on fire (which it might well be, given the heat produced by its Cadillac V8).
At the end of the day, I was concerned that Bradley would have been intimidated by this exposure to such a raw driving experience.
As they crossed under the SCM arch, he had a smile that stretched from horizon to horizon. “That was just incredible, Dad. Next year I’ll have my license, so when do I get to pick out a car for me to drive?”
Our cars were born to be driven, and by using them we extract experiential and emotional value from them. What a treat to see these cars cover so many miles.
Next year can’t some soon enough. ♦
To receive tour updates, visit www.SCM1000.com.
