January 2024
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Keith’s Blog: The Daily Vroom Interview with SCM Publisher Keith Martin
TDV: Hi Keith, thanks for speaking with us at The Daily Vroom. What inspired you to create Sports Car Market, and how has it influenced the classic car market over the years? KM: My role model was the Ferrari Market Letter, founded by Gerald Roush. It was well-written, and he required chassis numbers for all…
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Keith’s Blog: How Alfa Romeo Lost to Porsche
In 1964, Alfa Romeo and Porsche were roughly on par with their mass-production cars. The 356C and the Giulia Spider Veloce had similar performance. But by 1970 the two companies were worlds apart and have continued to diverge. Two things happened. First, in 1965 Porsche introduced the 6-cylinder 911. It immediately outclassed Alfa’s new offering…
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Well Bought and Sold
1993 Nissan 240SX S/N JN1MS36P6PW309175. 236,800 miles. “2.4-liter, 4-cylinder KA24DE, rated at 155 horsepower and 160 lb-ft of torque, 5-speed manual transmission, 18-inch NISMO RAYS 57CR wheels, a JDM Kouki 180SX Type X body kit, APEXi N1 coil-overs, NISMO front and rear lower control arms, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X Brembo front brake calipers, 300ZX Twin…
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Dakar or Bust?
I’ve been writing about off-road Porsches since 2003. That’s when my review of the new Cayenne models appeared in The New York Times. My first reaction to an SUV from Stuttgart was that it was like watching someone hiking the Yosemite Falls Trail in an Armani suit and Gucci loafers. However, Porsche management was more…
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Drummer Gets Snared
My favorite rock group of all time is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. You can imagine my excitement, then, when drummer Max Weinberg called my office and told me he was a longtime SCMer and “a huge fan of ‘Legal Files.’” Flattering indeed, but unfortunate that we made our acquaintance because he had…
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Grab Your Popcorn
I love movies about cars, racing, real events, real people and lots of drama. I’m also old enough to remember Dad taking me and my brothers to see “On Any Sunday” at the theater when we were children living in Southern California. That movie, directed and produced by Bruce Brown, was an instant classic, with…
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A Rose By Any Other Name
On the surface, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) had a great idea for a new lightweight 2-seat sports car. The 2012 co-development agreement with Mazda that led to the 2017–20 Fiat 124 Spider was originally intended to produce a new Alfa Romeo model. However, its CEO, the late Sergio Marchionne, nixed that plan, saying that…
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Keith’s Blog: Reserve or No Reserve at Online Auction?
I’ve been watching a variety of online chats about selling strategies for online auctions. They revolve around whether it is better to list a car with a reserve (a minimum price that must be met or the car doesn’t sell) or no reserve (the highest bid takes the car, no matter how low). Your approach…
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Breaking News: Stolen $23m Alfa Romeo 8C Recovered
SCM has learned that the stolen 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spyder that was the subject of the February 2023 “Legal Files” has been found. The car was located in a warehouse in North Carolina along with about 15 other stolen vehicles, according to a knowledgeable source. SCM is told that two men have…
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Keith’s Blog: Creating a Legacy, One Pound of Air at a Time
In a short period, my son Bradley’s access to the SCM fleet have made him a favorite of his cohorts at Lincoln High School, where he is a sophomore. He is the founder and president of the first car club in the history of the school, “The Cardinals Car Club.” (A cardinal is the Lincoln…