Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 30 years. As a writer, publisher, television commentator and enthusiast, he is constantly on the go, meeting collectors and getting involved in their activities throughout the world. He is the founder and publisher of the monthly Sports Car Market and bi-monthly American Car Collector magazines, has written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, is an emcee for numerous concours, and has his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity.
In the September issue of SCM, I predicted that sales in Monterey would total $331 million. As the dust continues to settle, it appears I was within a few million dollars — close enough.
The current sales total, roughly $330 million, represents a slight decline from the $343m sold in 2016. However, with the addition of a few post-block sales, 2017 will be essentially on par with 2016.
The mood at all of the auctions was thoughtful. Read More
A truffle hound has nothing on Robb Sass when it comes to spotting overlooked Affordable Classics. When he posted that he had just bought a very nice 911 for under $20k, my “I need one too” alarm sounded.
I sent him a message right away. He replied that very nice 1999 – 2004 911s (996 is their internal Porsche designation) can be found for under $20,000. With a determined search and motivated seller, $15,000 is the number. These were the Read More
It was a long, improbable journey and the Bradley GT almost made it.
Nearly 4,000 miles from its starting point in Fort Lauderdale, FL, SCM’s 45-year-old kit car finally came to a halt.
It had endured the burning summer sun and torrential downpours. Its brakes, doors and ignition systems had been rebuilt en route.
It got within two miles of its initial West Coast destination, Concorso Italiano in Monterey, when it came to an ignominious halt. Simultaneously, it suffered a Read More
Dust. Thick, clinging dust everywhere.
That’s a consequence of being 7th in line on a vintage Rover tour to far eastern Oregon.
Every year or so, Doug Shipman of the Oregon Chapter of the Pacific Coast Rover Club puts together a summer tour. Camping out is a part of the equation.
Our trip started in Portland. My 10-year-old son, Bradley, and I drove across Mount Hood on Highway 26 from our condo in downtown Portland. We headed 150 miles to Read More
There was something for everyone at the 18th Annual Collector Car and Classic Boat Show on August 26-27. Held in Lake Oswego, Oregon – a suburb of Portland – this show from the Oswego Heritage Council always attracts great cars and great people.
For example, an Austin-Healey 100S was on hand, amid a Bugeye Sprite, a C6 Challenge Corvette and a 1960s pickup truck.
With just 55 built at the factory for racing, the 100S is rare and valuable Read More
Monterey Mayhem is done for the year. Thousands of classic cars are streaming away from the Peninsula — some in trailers and some driven.
During the week, I watched RM Sothebys sell an Aston Martin DBR1 for a record-breaking $22.55m, Gooding hammer a Porsche 917K for new record of $14m and Bonhams set a record for a 1995 McLaren F1 at $15.6m.
SCM will have a complete blow-by-blow analysis in our next issue, with more information in this newsletter.
But Read More
As I write this, it’s Monday morning and Day Three of this year’s journey from Portland, OR to Monterey Car Week.
Our 1967 Alfa GTV has covered over 700 miles and is packed and ready for the final leg.
My co-pilot is SCM styling and design analyst Robert Cumberford, who started this trip from his home in Saint-Geniès, France, a village about 350 miles southwest of Paris.
Traveling with someone who has spent their entire life around the giants of Read More
2018 marks SCM’s 30th Anniversary. When we published our first issue of the Alfa Romeo Market Letter — quick-printed on blue paper — we never imagined the roller coaster ride that was ahead of us.
To celebrate this anniversary, we are going to have a five-day, 1,000-mile tour of Oregon’s best back roads. Dates are July 8 through July 13, 2018. The tour will begin and end in Portland, OR.
While many of the details are still being finalized, we Read More
The confetti cannons will belch their crumpled-paper payloads around 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 20. Best of Show for the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will have been crowned.
And with that culmination of the week’s activities, hundreds of thousands of car fanatics will begin the trek home from Monterey Car Week.
While our focus is on the transactions that take place that week, there is more than buy/sell going on. Between the auctions, concours, shows, and general get-togethers, Monterey Read More
“Dad, there’s a big clunk from the front of the GTV.”
That was my daughter Alexandra’s message to me as she headed home from Durant Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon.
We were on the 15th Annual Wine Tour, held as a prelude to the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance.
I enjoy this casual drive every year, as it gives me a chance to get several of my cars some much-needed exercise. SCM Editor-at-Large, good friend and co-emcee of the Forest Grove Read More
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