When SCMer Greg Long listed a 1975 DS23 Pallas on Bring a Trailer, it caught my attention. In addition to being a very-late model with a 2.3-liter engine, it had a Citromatic 4-speed automatic that you shifted manually. I’ve always had a soft spot for Citroëns. Whenever I see one, […]
Author: Keith Martin
Keith’s Blog: The Uber Rollback Program
Three strikes and you’re out. That’s been my philosophy with old cars for some time. Recognizing that a car that comes into the SCM Collection may not have been used regularly, I anticipate a period of unreliability as they are put into service. However, our 1965 Volvo is testing my […]
Keith’s Blog: A Father’s Day Trifecta
I celebrated Father’s Day in car-guy style. In one day, my 13-year-old son Bradley and I drove special cars from three different eras. We started by taking the 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce out of storage. My good friend Neil D’Autremont has been managing the SCM cars. The car […]
Keith’s Blog: Finding New Experiences in Paris — and with Cars
When my daughter Alexandra and I go to Paris, our dinner the first night is always at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte. It’s a European chain that is known for its steak and fries (frites) — and its savory green-tinged steak sauce. Your only choices are how you want your […]
Every Car Is a Book
Think of the world of collectible cars as a giant lending library. While every book is different, most have just five chapters. Aware. Acquire. Activate. Exult. Farewell. These are the five chapters that mark the relationship with every collector car that comes into your life. When the last chapter is […]
Keith’s Blog: It’s All About the Suspension
As we shuffle the SCM car collection, one thing has become evident. With an old car, the most important thing you can do is make sure its suspension is in top shape. By their nature, sports cars that are now a half-century old have not had easy lives. In addition […]
Keith’s Blog: Grit at the Core
I watched a solitary jogger run down S.W. Clay Street this morning. He was wearing a mask. The streets were empty. On this past Friday night, Portland, Oregon was filled with a cacophony of sirens and popping sounds. Unaware of the civil unrest, I had just driven the SCM 1971 […]
Keith’s Blog: Where Should our Next Road Trip be To?
Summer is fast approaching. It’s our time of travel. I asked Bradley what places he would like to visit during the next decade. His list was short — but exotic. The Serengeti in Africa, Ayers Rock (Uluru) in Australia, The Pyramids in Egyp, the City of Petra in Jordan, and […]
Keith’s Blog: Jaguar and Volvo Progress Reports
Last week, I told the tale of taking the 1965 Volvo 122S and the 1971 Jaguar E-type S3 V12 to the Oregon coast. My daughter, Alex, drove one of the cars, and my son, Bradley was a co-pilot. Both cars failed at the end of the trip. When something wrong […]
A Time of Transformation
This pandemic sucker-punched all of us. In the past 30 days, the collector-car world has gone from hoping that things might stay the same to realizing they are changed forever. The cancellation of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Queen Mother of all car events, sent a clear signal. Is […]