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.
There is one element of a concours that is beyond our control: the weather.
We can spend years restoring our cars and attending to every little detail. Likewise, months of preparation can precede the one day of glory that concours anticipate.
But mother nature can have her own ideas.
This was the 22nd annual Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance. Concours organizers Thomas Ross and Mike Tilson had prepared an activity-filled weekend, and despite the rain, the enthusiasts who attended saw Read More
It was an all-Alfa weekend.
Last Thursday, the Alfa Romeo Club of Oregon hosted its annual “Red Duetto Tour.”
The brainchild of Fred and Lisa McNabb, the entry rules are simple. To participate, you must have a red “long-tail” Alfa spider, built between 1966-69.
Long-tail spiders were Alfa’s in-your-face response to impending safety regulations and larger bumpers. The Pininfarina-designed cars have impossibly delicate sloping front and rear ends. The slightest touch by another car when they are parked leaves a Read More
The 1964 Shelby Daytona Coupe. The 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II. The 1970 Porsche 917LH. The 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B MM.
These are some of the greatest racing cars of all time.
They are four of the 65 world-class racing cars in the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Fred Simeone is a retired neurosurgeon who began building his collection in 1972, when his father died and left him with $8,000 and four cars.
He Read More
We were sitting outside a Porta Potty near Tenmile, Oregon. Our unlikely four-car caravan had traveled about 200 miles from Portland before our first catastrophic failure.
Our group included a 1966 Citroën DS-21 décapotable (cabriolet) owned by Greg Long from Seattle, a 1972 Alfa Berlina that belonged to Brad Miller and his wife Nancy from Portland (and Paris), the SCM 1967 Giulia Super with me driving and son Bradley as my companion, and the SCM 1992 Autozam – a 660-cc, turbocharged Read More
Editor’s note: Keith Martin invited SCMers Luke Chennell and Richard Lincoln to come along on SCM’s Caravan to Concorso. Last week, Luke took over Keith’s Blog and wrote about the SCM Autozam blowing a head gasket. In this installment, Chennell takes us to California’s Lost Coast with a failing master cylinder:
I believe that fun is something that should be delivered good and hard. To do that requires hard work. It requires participation, kindred spirits and a commitment to goals.
Editor’s note: Keith Martin invited SCMers Luke Chennell and Richard Lincoln to come along on SCM’s Caravan to Concorso. The catch: They had to drive SCM’s Autozam. Luke took over Keith’s Blog this week to tell the tale:
Road trips start off with a great longing of what’s to come, to see the adventures along the way, to know what’s over the next hill. It’s what drives humans to want the “news,” to have stories to share with those who Read More
I’ve known Brad Miller for 20 years. We have many mutual friends, and his wife, Nancy, and I serve together on the board of directors of Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Brad, who’s a successful real-estate investor, and Nancy keep a barge in France in which they ply the canals of Europe several months each year.
He’s always been interested in sports cars, had a variety of late-model Porsches over the years and recently bought a 2010 Carrera S cabriolet.
He’s often Read More
It’s been a busy car weekend.
I spent Friday and Saturday in Olympia, Washington attending the Alfa Romeo National Convention. “Sempreverde,” Sea to Summit, attracted more than 200 Alfas and 400 registrants.
I drove the 1958 Sprint Veloce to the convention, and Doug Hartman and Julie Brown drove her 1969 GTV.
There were four “big Alfas” there. David Smith brought his 6C 2500 that just won Best of Show at the Forest Grove Concours along with one of just three Read More
Bradley and I visited a conservation and breeding facility for Galapagos tortoises last week. Located on San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands, its goal is to help keep these giant reptiles from extinction.
They were once thought to number over 200,000 on San Cristobal alone. Now, after centuries of being used as a convenient food source for passing ships (they can live up to two years in the hold of a ship with no food or water), their numbers have Read More
I practiced shooting poison-tipped darts with a blowgun in the Amazon rain forest yesterday.
The monkeys have nothing to fear from my aim.
It was a bucket-list thing, taking my son Bradley to an eco lodge in the Amazon (La Selva) and then to the Galapagos Islands.
Our trip here came on the heels of another bucket-list experience, hosting SCM’s first 1000-mile rally for classic cars.
There will be a full report on SCM 30 in the December issue. But Read More
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