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 took our 1967 Alfa Romeo GTV out for a drive through downtown traffic last week.
It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
The weather was overcast — but not raining — when I left SCM World Headquarters in Portland, OR.
The last time I had put miles on the GTV was when I drove it to Monterey last August. With Robert Cumberford as my co-pilot, it was a delightful trip.
The car never skipped a beat — Read More
The McLaren 570S Spider left a swirling vortex of freshly fallen snow in its wake. I was piloting the 562-hp supercar through Government Camp as I crossed Oregon’s Mount Hood on Highway 26.
The road was dry, and the snow wasn’t sticking. I felt confident pushing the Curacao Blue car just a little harder.
This was the third modern McLaren I’ve had the chance to drive.
Three years ago, it was the SV650 on the Northwest Passage Tour. Last year Read More
For the first time in ten years, I’ve just had a holiday in Scottsdale.
As there was no Arizona Concours this year, and shooting for “What’s My Car Worth” is on hold, my only official duties during Arizona Car Week were to host the SCM Insider’s Seminar at the Gooding Auction.
Aside from that, I spent the rest of my time doing exactly what I did before we started SCM — I lollygagged around the various auctions, kicked tires and Read More
Last week I wrote about the decisions I was making concerning the restoration of our 1961 Giulietta Sprint Speciale.
We need the car ready by the SCM 30th Anniversary Tour in July. Which means it should be on the road by the 1st of June to have time to shake it down before the tour.
Which further means that we need to start making decisions about the direction we want the restoration to take now.
Materials have to be Read More
The SCM 1961 Alfa Sprint Speciale is in transition.
When we bought it at Auctions America in Fort Lauderdale in March of 2015, it had been stored for at least 30 years in the Cayman Motor Museum.
Its engine was frozen — upon disassembly, it appeared the head gasket blew, and the car was pushed into a corner to sit for decades.
At least it had the correct engine (AR00120.00778) for the chassis (10120.177277).
It appears the car had been Read More
It’s a new year and a time for a fresh start.
For some of us, car collecting is like being stuck in a pounding surf, where each wave that hits sucks $5,000 out of your pocket.
For others, it’s a daily lesson in collector car math — buy a car for $50,000, put $50,000 into it just to make it decent — and then sell it for $50,000.
But maybe if we are just a little smarter and more thoughtful Read More
Last week I picked the first six cars I’d like to find under the Christmas tree. There’s no linear order to these selections. These are just cars I like — and that represent a specific point of view in the world of collector cars.
Last week’s six were the Mazda Miata (Best First Sports Car), Ferrari 308 GT4 (Best First Ferrari), 1974 VW Thing (Most Ridiculous Four-Seater), 1967-68 Ford Mustang (Best Affordable Pony Car), Hyundai or Kia (Best Modern Econobox), Read More
It’s every gearhead’s fantasy to wake up on December 25 and find the garage stuffed with a dozen new toys.
Here are my first six picks for your 2017 Yuletide surprises.
Best First Sports Car: The Mazda Miata has to be the iconic affordable sports car of the past 30 years. When it was introduced in 1990, the only other RWD convertible sports car available was the wheezy, rev-resistant, long-in-the-tooth, last-generation Alfa Spider.
The Miata offered the feel of an Read More
There’s been a lot of talk recently about Baby-Boomer collectors “thinning their collections” and “right-sizing them.”
Whether you have six cars, 60 or 600 — the dilemma is the same. Over the decades you’ve been collecting, as you’ve found the specific model you’ve been looking for, you acquire it — often paying above market — and tuck it away.
However, now, as you look over your garage, you realize that you can’t possibly drive them all. Further, the longer they Read More
I’ve had a glorious weekend with what are fast becoming my two favorite cars.
While the 1967 Alfa Romeo GTV and the 2003 Porsche 996 911 are are decades apart in construction, they offer many of the same driving rewards to an old-car enthusiast.
The Alfa is a tried-and-true front-engine, rear-wheel-drive design. The Porsche has a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration that the company has perfected over the past 50 years. In some ways, they are polar opposites.
Last Saturday, I Read More
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