Each year, this issue falls in the lull just before the great Super Bowl contest that is Monterey Car Week. Each of the auction companies on the Peninsula has its lineups set. All the seven- and eight-figure, market-defining cars have been extensively promoted and the potential bidders courted. Within a […]
Author: Keith Martin
Should Pristine Original Cars Be Banned from Vintage Racing?
We’re coming up on Monterey Car Week, and the great vintage car festival known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. As entertaining as the races will be, we should ask ourselves if some of these vintage cars really belong on the track. BMW is the featured marque, meaning at the […]
The Northwest Classic Rally is for Those Who Love to Drive
28 years ago, Sports Car Market (then the Alfa Romeo Market Letter) was a sponsor of the first Monte Shelton Northwest Classic Rally. Along with magazine co-founder Cindy Banzer, I drove a 1965 Giulia Sprint Speciale. We completed the 600-plus mile route without breaking down — and didn’t finish last, […]
Should I Switch to Porsche 356s from Alfas?
While driving with Miles Collier in the Northwest Passage tour, we had a discussion about 4-cylinder Alfas versus Porsche 356s. Miles felt that a well-sorted 356C would be every bit as delightful as one of the 105-series Alfas (1967 GTV, Duetto and Super) we were driving. I’ve driven a […]
Why We Do the Things We Do
According to Jerry Tilley, captain of the Aleutian Ballad, a crab boat featured in TV’s “The Deadliest Catch,” the scene in which a 60-foot rogue wave catches his 107-foot boat broadsides and flips it onto its beam end is one of the most-watched excerpts of the hit show on YouTube, […]
100 Miles in Four Old Cars on the Forest Grove Vineyard Tour!
Most concours weekends now incorporate some sort of driving event. Driving allows participants to enjoy the mechanical aspects of their cars — something that really isn’t a part of concours event. Participation in a tour often serves as a tiebreaker in concours judging. If two cars have an identical scores […]
Forest Grove Concours this Weekend!
There’s something special about a car event that happens in your own backyard. No planes to catch, no bags to pack. You get a chance to see a lot of local friends. And, best of all, you can pull a few cars out of the garage to enjoy with your […]
The SCM Fleet takes Shape
There have been many cars in the SCM Garage over the years, and most go on to new homes — while a select few are members of the family. For example, the 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo that we’ve enjoyed for almost two years has found a new home with ACC […]
Keith’s Blog: I Don’t Want a $30,000 Bugeye
I’ve made the same mistake I’ve been making for 40 years. I bought a car that I wasn’t familiar with, and I didn’t have an expert examine the car. So, once again, this car is going to cost me double what I wanted to spend. This all started out as […]
Keith’s Blog: Microcar Madness in Oregon
The logistics of major car shows can resemble a military operation. Restorations take years to get accomplished, and hundreds of car transporters converge at one spot to disgorge the finished products. As you thought that you need to showcase one of your car in this event then you might need […]