March Editor’s Note
Welcome to the second issue of Road Scholars Magazine. In this we will offer you a thoughtful look at our car hobby from former auction specialist (and then founding curator of the Mullin Automotive Museum) Andrew Reilly. Elsewhere in this issue you will read long-time Los Angeles Times and Robb Report automotive journalist Paul Dean […]
Something Old, Something New
Automobile Design: Great Designers and Their Work This book first appeared in 1970, published by Robert Bentley. It provides excellent profiles of 11 of automotive history’s greatest design engineers. It is produced by some of the finest historians at the time, including the legendary Jacques Ickx writing about Amédée Bollée and his sons, exceptional innovators […]
Jeep, there’s only… err, two.
My patient and strong soul mate, albeit she who must be obeyed, was giving me The Look. Firm and steady as the Sphinx. Nothing life-threatening, you understand, yet oratorically composed which meant she was quite ready to pounce on her husband’s perceived insanity. “What are you thinking?” she asked. That’s never a good start. “You […]
The White Glove Obsession
It’s common in the world of fine art. It’s S.O.P. – standard operating procedure – among those who handle antiquities, historic documents, or archeological relics. Wear white gloves to handle delicate materials, to touch those objects that might be harmed by human skin oils. Some individuals refer to treating others with deferential – even painstaking […]
Scottsdale Reality Check
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service defines a hobby as “an activity not engaged in for profit.” The 2015 Scottsdale auction results suggest that hobbyists may be an emerging trend. And if these results have a theme, that might be reality check. To long-time auction observers, something seemed different immediately. No one heard Russian in Scottsdale. […]
Remember When the Collector Car Hobby had Seasons?
Like every year for the past 13, this January I found myself drawn to Scottsdale, Arizona, to the annual car auctions, like the proverbial “moth to the flame.” One night at dinner, friends commented they were continually amazed by the proliferation of car events. This led us to reflect on the depth and constancy of […]