or those of us old enough to remember what may have been our first magazine of a "sports car" genre (and I think that will comprise a goodly portion of the AONE membership), we probably all fondly remember Sports Car Graphic! For me, it was the magazine that got (and kept) me involved with sports cars, especially Alfas, "Big" Healeys, and Jags, of which I today own two of three. (I’m still working on the Big Healey!)

Like a lot of magazines, some come and others go; Sports Car Graphic left us in June of 1971. I’ll bet it comes as a shock to many of us that it was 34 years ago when what was our monthly bible ceased publication. Now tell me that we are not getting on in years when we fail to recognize the old but very true axiom, "Time flies!"

Sports Car Graphic was published by TC Brown, a devoted and enthusiastic sports car "nut" if there ever was one. Not only was he a sports car nut, but he was a lover of Alfa Romeos, bar none! I just found out recently that old TC, as is the case with his publication, is no longer with us; he passed away late last year at the ripe old age of 82. I’m not sure how involved within our sport he was over the past few years, but it is a treat to know that one of his late-life adventures was as a participant and driver in the Mille Miglia recreation races that take place every year in Italy, and he ran it in an Alfa! There’s a picture of said Alfa on the right.

It should probably also be noted that, after TC (who also was a former ad salesman in the early part of his career) shut down SCG, he continued for many, many years writing within the industry, with some of his work appearing in Road & Track; he also served for quite a few years as Editor-at-Large with Motor Trend.

There are a lot of stories out there about TC and some of the off-the-wall escapades in which he was involved. One of those stories dealt with the time he was pulled over for speeding because the exhaust note of his Lamborghini Miura sounded to the police officer as though he must have been speeding. As the story goes, old TC, livid over the ticket, concocted a bulletproof defense that would beat the charge in court, and then fell asleep through his court hearing!

Even better was the time he was selling the Miura and, while out on a "road test" with the car’s not-quite-new owner demonstrating how it should always be driven, he proceeded to roll it over and total it!

TC was also a motorcycle enthusiast and rode, of all things, a Honda "Cub" motorcycle across the US and then half of Europe before embarking on a trip that took him from the top of South America to its very tip! I mean, that would be a hell of an accomplishment on a "Gold Wing", let alone a Honda "Cub"!

TC was a very influential individual in his time, especially during his years as the publisher of Sports Car Graphic. One day, imported car "czar" and well-known "dictator" Max Hoffman called TC to complain about some articles that appeared in SCG that did not reflect too kindly on some of old Max’s imports. TC hung up the phone in Max’s ear and pretty much told him where to go. (I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to have heard that conversation!)

TC was a person who, as quoted in Road & Track, "gave curmudgeons and tightwads a good name", and he was a person from another era, the likes of which we will probably never see again! He will be missed by all, especially us Alfa types who can look back fondly on all of the wonderful stories and articles he wrote in SCG on our beloved marque.