2018 marks SCM’s 30th Anniversary. When we published our first issue of the Alfa Romeo Market Letter — quick-printed on blue paper — we never imagined the roller coaster ride that was ahead of us. To celebrate this anniversary, we are going to have a five-day, 1,000-mile tour of Oregon’s best back roads. Dates are July 8 through July 13, 2018. The tour will begin and end in Portland, OR. While many of the details are still being finalized, we wanted to give you an early heads-up so that you can submit your applications and mark your calendars. The route has […]
2018 marks SCM’s 30th Anniversary. When we published our first issue of the Alfa Romeo Market Letter — quick-printed on blue paper — we never imagined the roller coaster ride that was ahead of us.
To celebrate this anniversary, we are going to have a five-day, 1,000-mile tour of Oregon’s best back roads. Dates are July 8 through July 13, 2018. The tour will begin and end in Portland, OR.
While many of the details are still being finalized, we wanted to give you an early heads-up so that you can submit your applications and mark your calendars. The route has been set, and lodging is secured.
You can expect fine Oregon wines, excellent food and inviting accommodations. Even better, imagine the camaraderie of 80 SCM fanatics who would all rather be driving a vintage car on winding, Douglas fir-shaded, two-lane roads through the Cascade Mountains than doing anything else on earth.
My co-host for the tour will be SCM Editor at Large and host of the “Assess and Caress” segment of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” Donald Osborne. Donald and I will have presentations in the evenings. In addition, each night there will be a preview of the roads and attractions of the coming day. SCM’s “Legal Files” columnist, John Draneas, will be involved in the presentations as well.
The tour will be a benefit for our presenting partner, the Portland Art Museum. The route will include many of the most spectacular roads in Oregon. It will include the lava fields of McKenzie Pass, the high desert of Eastern Oregon, a tour of Crater Lake and more.
SCM Contributor Thor Thorson recently commented that “Oregon roads offer the kind of wide, rolling, fast driving that enthusiasts east of the Rockies can only dream about — mile after mile of empty roads through open forests and sagebrush with great visibility.”
This will be an intimate event, with plans for no more than 40 cars. Preference will be given to cars built in 1967 and earlier, along with continuation models and cars of special merit.
The tour will be held in conjunction with the opening of the Ken Gross-curated exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, “Streamline — The Shape of Speed — 1930 to 1942.”
That exhibit will present a select group of rare automobiles and motorcycles that demonstrate how auto designers translated the concept of aerodynamic efficiency into exciting machines that, in many cases, looked as though they were moving while at rest.
There will be opportunities for tour members to have an exclusive tour of the exhibit. In addition, plans call for the Director of PAM Brian Ferriso to join us on the tour and to have a discussion about the exhibit and the streamlined styles of Alfa Romeos.
As we are celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the Alfa Romeo Market Letter, initially 30 slots will be reserved for the cars from Arese. The route is perfect for Alfas from the 6Cs and 8Cs of the ’30s and ’40s to the Giuliettas, TZs and GTAs of the ’50s and ’60s.
Current plans include a reception at the Art Museum on the afternoon of Sunday, July 8, with the street in front of the museum reserved for cars on the tour.
The tour will return to Portland on Thursday night, with a reception at the host hotel, the Hotel deLuxe in downtown. Secure parking will be provided each night.
The cost is $6,000 for two. If you wish to participate in the tour but don’t own a qualifying Alfa, we have a solution. For a donation of $5,000 to the Portland Art Museum, a pre-1968 Alfa will be yours for the tour (three cars are available).
The Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance and Wine Tour will take place the following Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15. Alfa Romeo is the featured marque, and there will be a special display class for cars that participate in the SCM 30th Anniversary Tour.
More details about the 30th Anniversary Tour will be provided as they become available.
We expect the tour to fill quickly, and urge you to submit your application at your earliest convenience. Applications are available online at www.sportscarmarket.com/anniversarytour2018.
If you would prefer an application to be emailed or faxed to you, please call or email our Customer Support Coordinator Susan Loeb at 1.503.261.0555 x 217 or susan.loeb@sportscarmarket.com.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly, keith.martin@sportscarmarket.com.
I look forward to seeing you in Portland next July, as you join us for this singular opportunity to celebrate SCM as it moves into its fourth decade. ♦
