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 tried to keep the number of cars in my collection to a reasonable number. I. Really. Have. Tried.
But friends and circumstances are conspiring against me.
Was it really my fault that the 1972 Citroën Méhari I’ve always wanted was crossing the block at the same instant I arrived at the Silver auction in Fort McDowell? It was the fickle finger of fate, to be sure.
And the 1961 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale? I was simply in Fort Read More
Having me co-host a television show about cars sold at collector-car auctions is like turning a chocoholic loose in the Hershey factory.
When evaluating cars for “What’s My Car Worth?” a TV show I co-host on the Velocity channel, I find myself slipping from the objective to the subjective. “This ’67 Healey BJ8 drives nicely and will probably sell for $80k” moves all too quickly to: “I’d really like to own this car. It’s been months since I’ve had a Read More
This Sunday I’ll be on a plane to Rome. I’m participating in the 15th running of the Modena Cento Ore Classic.
My copilot is Lilly Pray, and it’s her first time driving in an event in Europe.
I’ve driven in the MCO several times before, in an Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super (with SCMer Monte Shelton), an Alfa Romeo GT Junior (with SCMer Joe Tomasetti) and a European 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera — the car we will be Read More
There comes a moment of truth for any old car that has been restored: the day you put that car on the road.
This past weekend, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon and the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club (headquartered in Seattle) put on a joint tour, “Motore Alfisti Avventura NW.” Dennis Torgeson, Forrest Whit and Gordy Hyde were the organizers. The tour was to be a weekend of reckoning for SCM’s 1958 Sprint Veloce. Was the Sprint really Read More
Denise McCluggage died on May 6.
From the very beginnings of The Alfa Romeo Market Letter, she was friendly and supportive of my publishing endeavors. When I was reviewing cars for the New York Times, our paths crossed many times at events. I remember thinking, “This woman raced Porsches and Ferraris, and now she’s writing about Kias.” It didn’t make sense to me.
As I got to know her better, I came to understand that she loved all aspects of Read More
My rule of thumb is that you can expect to spend about 10% of a car’s purchase price on it within the first few months of ownership.
Sometimes the expenditures are necessary, such as for repairs. Tuneups, tires, oil changes and the like fit into this category.
Other times they are just things you do to the car to “mark it” as yours, the way a dog lifts his leg on a tree. “Yes, I put in new carpets.” “The Read More
I’ve just returned from the 20th annual Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance. It’s held in Seabrook, Texas which is about an hour’s drive southeast of Houston.
It was a busy weekend in Texas, as just 260 miles north in Fort Worth, RM Sotheby’s sold the 78-lot Andrews Collection for a staggering $54m with 100% of lots hammered sold — an indicator that the market continues to be strong.
Back in Seabrook, enthusiasts enjoyed some of the world’s nicest classic cars Read More
The market has redefined itself over the past decade.
We’ve watched it happen from the SCM crow’s nest. From multi-million-dollar catalog auction sales to text-only postings on Craigslist, we keep a finger on the ever-changing pulse of the market.
Prices have soared in the category we follow most closely — sports cars from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Yet, we find a logic to most of these high fliers, and I believe they are indicative of a healthy, thoughtful market.
It’s time for SCM to consider adding a Next Gen Japanese car to its collection.
Japanese cars from the ’80s and ’90s have been popping up on my collector-car radar screen for the past couple of years. When I go to an auction and post pictures of the cars on offer to Facebook, the ones that get the most comments are invariably late-model Japanese.
This was the case in late March at Auctions America Fort Lauderdale, where a slightly ratty Read More
Sometimes all the pieces just fit together.
Each year, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon (AROO) begin the spring touring season with the “The Old Spider Tour.” The event originated as a tribute to club founder and longtime newsletter editor Bob McGill and his wife Margaret, and it always takes place around April 19 — the day McGill bought his beloved French Blue Giulietta Spider Normale in 1958.
Alfa owner Eric Roe organized this year’s run. The one-day Read More
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