SCM is gearing up for our annual madcap tribute to Martin Swig. Swig, the founder of the California Mille, was famous for setting off on car trips at the drop of a hat. Thanks to him, I participated several times in the California Mille, along with the Carrera Nevada — […]
Keith Martin
Keith’s Blog: Which Three Alfas Would You Pick?
Over the years, I’ve found that the size of my collection is directly related to the number of slots I have in my garage. At one time, I had a 30’ x 40’ pole building in Northeast Portland that came along with a rental house I purchased. Not only did […]
Keith’s Blog: How Automatic is Manual Shifting
“I learned to drive on a stick” is a gearhead’s mantra. We all tell tales of the first three-pedal car we learned to operate. For some reason, it’s a badge of honor that we learned to drive a car and learned to operate a manual gearbox at the same time. […]
Keith’s Blog: The Car as a Horse
You wouldn’t ride a horse down Main Street, and soon you won’t drive a collector car down your town’s main drag. Twenty years ago, I wrote that in the future we would treat our old cars like horses. Our cars would be trailered to roads that were appropriate for them, […]
Keith’s Blog: Car Restoration and Human Restoration
I’m learning that just as car restorations have their own progressions, so does physical rehabilitation. This week I made some decisions about the restorations on my cars, and I made some steps forward with my own rehab. I’ve decided not to proceed with the full-bore, glass-and-headliner- out interior restoration of […]
Keith’s Blog: Does Every Car Require a Pebble Beach Nut-and-Bolt Restoration?
In preparation for the Revs Institute Symposium on Collecting, founder Miles Collier sent out a list of questions for participants to consider. Since not all of us can make it to Naples, FL, I will share some of the questions and my responses in the next few newsletters. I also […]
Keith’s Blog: I’m Getting Better!
Dear SCM Friends, It’s been a month since my stroke, and I wanted to touch base. I continue to make progress. A full recovery seems likely, but there are still months of hard work ahead. Doctors have found no underlying cause for my stroke. My blood pressure was 120/80 and […]
Keith’s Blog: Rally Rd. for Bragging Rights
Editor’s note: Mark Wigginton is taking over this space for a few weeks while Publisher Martin grinds away at his stroke rehabilitation. A bunch of us from SCM World Headquarters visited him a few days ago, and he’s making amazing progress at regaining mobility on his left side. The man […]
Keith’s Blog: Looking for a Porsche 911S PDK
I have a little bit of news to share with all of you. Last week, I was in my Portland condo and suddenly found my legs getting weaker and weaker. I was in the shower at the time, so I got out, shaved and brushed my teeth. Why I did […]
Keith’s Blog: Looking Back and Looking Forward
SCM’s 30th Anniversary year is now complete. And we are well on our way to celebrate our 31st year. At the end of the year, I like to reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to have old cars in our lives. More important than the cars and […]