My love affair with Citroëns started 50 years ago in San Francisco. I was 20 years old and in between studying intellectual history at Reed College in Portland and dance at The Juilliard School in New York City. I had decided to spend a few months with my grandmother, Dorel, […]
Part of the chatter that surrounds online auctions is the ability of non-certified viewers (“trolls”) to make authoritative comments. I was selling a Mercedes 220 Ponton online one time, and bidding was going along nicely. Suddenly a troll opined, “Do you know the heater boxes on those are lined with […]
I hadn’t driven our 2004 Mercedes SL 55 AMG since last June. Saturday was a clear, sunny, 70-degree day in the Columbia Gorge. I decided to take the SL out. I pressed the key fob remote with anticipation and nothing happened. I looked at the fob and a little red […]
Long before BMW offered a four-door 3-Series and Mercedes, the C-class, Alfa Romeo was selling “The Family Sedan That Wins Races.” It was the Giulia Super. More than 475,000 Giulia sedans were produced from 1962-78. While they came in a bewildering array of configurations (see http://www.berlinaregister.com/gul.htm), the only model officially […]
Recently, I took another vintage-car-inspired trip through time. For 44 years, Portland International Raceway has been the home of the All British Field Meet. Cars arrive on Friday, there is an informal concours on Saturday, and a swapmeet on Sunday. My good friends Paul Duchene and SCM contributor Jeff Zurschmeide […]
The writing is on the wall. The internal combustion engine is dead. Granted, it will take a long time to completely die. It certainly won’t happen in our lifetimes. Reflect upon this: At the dawn of the automotive revolution, electric cars were competitive with gasoline-powered ones. The lack of long-range, […]
I learned to drive when I was eight years old. My grandfather put me behind the wheel of his beloved Ford 9N tractor on our farm in Novato, CA, showed me how to depress the clutch, stick the shifter into first, engage the hand throttle and I was off. Most […]
Our 1991 Porsche 928 S4 has gone to a new owner. Courtesy of Matt Crandall (911r) and the gang at Avant-Garde Collection, it sold for $46,928 on Wednesday, August 25, on Bring A Trailer. The auction garnered 10,365 views, 823 watchers and 26 bids. Avant-Garde Collection is local to me […]
The value of our 1965 Volvo 122S increased by $5,000 in value in less than four months. On April 19, 2021, it sold on Bring a Trailer for $20,000. There were 851 watchers, 22,150 views, 105 comments and 13 bids. No Reserve: 1966 Volvo 122S After being listed […]
Three cars from the SCM fleet recently completed the 2021 SCM 1000 Classic. While they all finished the tour (“returning home on their wheels rather than a flatbed”), they were walking wounded at the end. This is not a bad thing. Old cars like to be driven, and by putting […]
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