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 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 this, I don’t know.
A few minutes later, I couldn’t stand up. It suddenly dawned on me that I might be in trouble. I used my right leg to push Read More
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 the tours and the events are the people.
The enthusiasts I have met over the past three decades have enriched my life immeasurably.
Old car fanatics have a great sense Read More
SCM Executive Editor is taking over my blog for the Christmas holiday. He’s sharing a memory of his mother — and a sensational Matchbox garbage truck — from Christmas 1967:
I carry 57 years of Christmas memories around in my head — including the first time I ever kissed a girl — but the one I remember best is the oldest.
It was 1967, and I was a 6-year-old with a horrible allergy to grass pollen. We lived in the Read More
Irecently had a chance to drive two state-of-the-art supercars — a McLaren 720S and a Ferrari GTC4Lusso T.
The press kits that accompanied each car were full of cutting-edge technobabble. Lightweight turbines capable of 160,000 rpm. Twin injectors improving fuel nebulization. Magnetorheological dampers.
They carry price tags worthy of their prowess. The 720S that I drove stickers at $324,135, while the Lusso is at $347,930.
If this seems like a lot of money to you, you’re probably not a target Read More
As the year comes to a close, this is a good time to survey the SCM fleet.
Compared to years past, there is very little heavy lifting going on.
The only car sidelined with engine issues is our 1996 Autozam AZ-1. We blew the head gasket on the Autozam on the way to Monterey. It appears that the speed governor (set to about 60 mph) was removed from it, and that the engine boost had been turned up. I’ve learned Read More
Fun with an element of danger — that’s a forest run in a vintage Land Rover.
On Saturday afternoon, I got separated from the other 20 Rovers in my Caravan. I came to a fork in the road and had to make a decision. I made the wrong one.
Every year, the Pacific Coast Rover Club hosts a Christmas tour in Tillamook Forest. We meet in Banks, which is 25 miles west of Portland, OR, on State Highway 6.
It’s Read More
It was a hectic day. I had just picked up the Bertone 308 GT4 from Matt Crandall at Avant-Garde Collection. Its throttle had been sticking, which made driving in rush-hour traffic more exciting that I wanted it to be.
Matt’s ace mechanic Chris Smith attended to it quickly. It turned out to be a combination of throttle linkages that needed lubricating and poorly attached carpet balling up under the gas pedal. Cocoa mats are on the way.
A friend Read More
I barely saw the brake lights ahead of me go bright red before I started sliding sideways at 40 mph down the ice-covered highway.
For the past couple of years, I’ve had my own secret escape from the complexity — and sometimes drudgery — of the Thanksgiving holiday.
I simply pack up the SCM Defender 90 turbo diesel and head to Timberline Lodge.
Just 62 miles away from Portland at the 6,000-foot level of Mount Hood, Timberline opened in 1937. Read More
The next chapter in the life of the Bradley GT has started.
It sold last week on Bring A Trailer for $4,000. There were over 12,000 views of the auction. If we had charged just $1 for each view, think how far ahead we would be.
Our good friends at the Avant-Garde Collection, Matt Crandall and Josh Bryan, created the posting, and I must say the Bradley has never looked so good.
The new owner is Mark Brachmann, from Read More
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
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