Keith Martin
-
Keith’s Blog: Driving the “Bill Warner” Citroën
Three guys, a teenager and a dog. That’s what the passenger manifest looked like as we pulled the SCM Citroën out of the garage. A U.S. model 1971 DS21 Pallas, we bought it last year from SCMer Greg Long. A Citroën fanatic, he drove his DS21 cabriolet with us on our Caravan to Concorso a…
-
Show It Your Way
In the era before Cars & Coffee-style events, it was rare to see gatherings of collectible cars outside a highly organized setting. These were generally semi-formal concours-style events. They started with the early arrival of the entrants’ cars, sometimes before dawn. Cars were most often shown with the hoods shut, so that the overall design…
-
Keith’s Blog: No Need to Hurry
I attended my first Barrett-Jackson auction 30 years ago, in 1992. There might have been one or two other people on the plane to Phoenix from Portland who were going to the auction. At that time, it was a relatively unknown event. When I arrived, I recall being stunned and delighted by the sight of…
-
Keith’s Blog: Drive First, Shift Later
“Driving the Jaguar had to be one of the most unexpected experiences I’ve ever had. By unexpected I mean every time I thought the car was going to do something it managed to surprise me. Even by the time I thought I had mastered the car it managed to do something new. From the way…
-
Keith’s Blog: Thirty Alfas, 300 Miles
This past Saturday marked the 44th annual Old Spider Tour. Each year, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon (AROO) celebrates the early Spiders by having a tour. The tour commemorates club founder Bob McGill’s purchase of his 1958 Giulietta Spider, new, from Rambo Motors in Portland. He traded in his MGA and never looked back.…
-
Three-Shoes Were Made for Walking
Fred Amigo lived in a modest house on 28th Avenue near Quintara Street in the Parkside District of San Francisco. You could see the Pacific Ocean from the back of his home. I lived eight blocks away at 20th and Taraval. I first met Fred at an Alfa event in 1969, when I was 18…
-
Keith’s Blog: What’s the Point? Vintage Alfa, Porsche and Rover Resto-mods
There’s been a trend in the market the past few years that leaves me totally confused. Owners are taking vintage cars and updated or backdating them to perform better than they did when new. These resto-mods are often selling for six figures. This can be more than a nicely kept original. Even more confusing to…
-
Keith’s Blog: Euro or U.S. Headlights?
I’m trying to decide whether to convert my 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto headlights to recessed Euro-spec or keep the U.S.-spec chrome trim under the plexi covers. While admittedly a first-world problem, I have been vexed by this question since I purchased my car in 2014. My car, S/N AR661909 (and engine AR00536.09090), was delivered with…
-
Keith’s Blog: Citroën vs. Jaguar, Part II
Last week I described taking the 1971 SCM Citroën DS21 Pallas for a drive. My son Bradley accompanied me. He is gradually developing a tolerance – if not yet an affection – for the oddities the Citroën presents. After our morning drive, we topped the tank off with non-ethanol gas and slid the car into…
-
Keith’s Blog: 109 vs. 272
Three things came together this weekend to let me exercise two SCM cars. First, the weather was perfect. Well, perfect for Oregon in March: Overcast, about 50 degrees and occasional light sprinkles in the forecast. Second, both the 1971 Jaguar V12 2+2 and the 1971 Citroën DS21 Pallas were in fine fettle. Third, as my…