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.
I grew up in the Parkside District of San Francisco, with a view of the Pacific Ocean from the bedroom in the back of our house.
There was a bakery shop around the corner on Taraval Street. Each day on the way home from elementary school, I would stop in. The baker would squirt some icing into my mouth. I can still recall the sugar high when it hit my taste buds.
It’s no different now when I’m at a Read More
The SCM Bradley GT is one of a kind. When was the last time you saw one actually running and driving?
And now you can be part of the adventure. It’s being auctioned on Bring a Trailer at no reserve, with the auction closing this Thursday at 2:40 pm, Pacific time.
Our good friends Matt Crandall and Josh Bryan at the Avant-Garde Collection prepared the listing for us, and the Bradley has never looked so good.
These shenanigans started Read More
This was my fourth time attending the Hilton Head Island Concours d’ Elegance.
Over the years, it has grown to be a more than just a concours. It bills itself as a Motoring Festival, and that it is.
The festivities start the weekend before with the Savannah Speed Classic, which includes vintage races held in nearby Savannah.
The car show weekend kicks off on Friday, with a hanger party that this year featured the debut of the Gulfstream G500 Read More
I’d like to start following my own advice.
When someone tells me they have acquired a new classic car, one of the first things I say to them is to just leave it alone.
Attend to any basic running and safety issues and have the car inspected. (My 1967 Duetto’s brakes failed 30 miles after I bought the car. This happened while I was descending a curved section of a parking garage exit ramp. It created some excitement.)
But don’t Read More
It’s not as formal as a concours, but more upscale than a cars and coffee.
This was my third year as emcee of the European Auto Festival in Greenville, SC.
Held on a golf course adjacent to an Embassy Suites hotel, the Euro Auto Festival is a delightful event.
The mix of cars is eclectic, ranging from air-cooled Porsche SCs to Jaguar E-types all the way to surprise cars, such as this year’s barn-find Renault Le Car and three Opel Read More
On July 12 of this year, the last of the classic cars on the SCM 30th Anniversary tour arrived at the posh Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland, OR.
For the previous four days, these 1950s and 1960s sports cars, all owned and driven by SCM subscribers, explored the backroads of Oregon. Stops included Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Crater Lake and the lava fields of the McKenzie Pass.
Longtime contributor Ken Gross chronicles his participation in the event on p. Read More
“I thought you were shooting a gun at me.”
That’s what the police officer said when he pulled us over in Coos Bay, OR.
We were an unlikely group of adventurers. Me, co-conspirator Richard Lincoln (of Bradley GT and Autozam fame), my son Bradley — and Carrera, Richard’s cockapoo dog.
I decided a couple of months ago that I really needed to own a Ferrari 308 GT4. Maybe it was the changing of the seasons, maybe it was the Keto Read More
There was a new Ferrari Lusso waiting for me at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Silver and red, like the exterior of the museum, the 4-seat rocket was sleek and menacing.
It was a museum-themed weekend for me in Los Angeles. The Petersen was having its annual gala — and celebrating 70 years of Porsche at the same time.
The gala, with its rooftop tent erected just for this occasion, was a sold-out success. Wolfgang Porsche was presented the 2018 Icon Read More
Suddenly we have more cars than we have parking spaces. It’s those darn “accidental purchases” catching up with me.
So our 911 has to go.
It’s a 2003 996 6-speed coupe with sunroof. It’s an unusual and attractive seal gray with a light gray interior. The wheels have been powder-coated a dark gray. The VIN of the Porsche is WP0AA29973S620903.
We bought it about a year ago, and it’s been a delightful car. Read what I had to say about it Read More
In the years that SCM has been reporting on Monterey, we’ve watched the auction sales totals go from $10.8m in 1996 to this year’s $374.4m.
From just 209 cars being offered in 1996 at Monterey (Rick Cole and Christie’s), there were 1,389 cars looking for new buyers this year at six auctions.
The 2018 results mark this as “only the third-best Monterey,” with $396.7m in 2015 and $463.7m in 2014 holding the top positions for exuberant spending.
This issue of Read More
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