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.
It was late on a Wednesday afternoon, and I was hoisting the Coleman tent and sleeping bags onto the roof rack of our Defender 90 in preparation for the weekend’s vintage Land Rover tour. Then the phone rang.
It was Jamie Knight, Group Director of the Bonhams Motoring department.
“Hello Keith,” he said. “It’s Bonhams’ 25th anniversary, and we’re having a little dinner to celebrate it at our London headquarters. I hoped you and your daughter would be able to Read More
My 23-year-old daughter Alexandra has had a summer of milestones. First, she graduated from Oregon State University, with a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship and a minor in Writing. (Two years ago, following a year studying in France, she earned a diploma in International Business from L’École de Management in Grenoble.)
Then, just last week Daimler Trucks North America offered her an internship in project coordination in their IT department. She starts September 8. Read More
Sometimes I just feel contrarian.
A few weeks ago I drove our 1967 Duetto on the Porsche club-sponsored Northwest Passage.
This past weekend, the Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Oregon had its annual summer tour. As I have five Alfas, naturally I decided to drive our 1967 Volvo 122S, a.k.a. “The Amazon.”
There was actually some logic to this choice. While the Duetto performed admirably on the Porsche tour, it felt rather like a mobile Read More
Monterey Classic Car Week 2014 is over.
You’ll be able to read the complete auction results in an upcoming issue of SCM, along with reports on the concours and gatherings.
For collectors, the most awaited moment was when the 250 GTO crossed the block at Bonhams on Thursday night. Some media fantasizers had predicted a final price in excess of $70m. Others said that if it didn’t hit $50m it would be called “a flop,” and the market Read More
It does say something about the nature of a tour when the primary topic of conversation each night revolves around whether or not your car has air conditioning. And when you offer someone the chance to drive your vintage Alfa in exchange for a turn behind the wheel of their late-model Porsche, you get turned down every time.
SCM has been a sponsor of the Oregon Region Porsche Club of America‘s Northwest Passage for many years. Jim and Read More
As the SCM fleet continues to grow, I am beginning to wonder just why we need so many old cars.
We currently have eight collector vehicles, ranging from a 1958 Giulietta Sprint Veloce to a 2000 Viper GTS ACR. That means eight insurance bills, eight parking stalls, eight sets of maintenance records, eight battery chargers and more.
The cars spend most of their time sitting, like a faithful dog looking out the window hoping his master will soon be home Read More
It’s been five years since I’ve been to the Concours d’Elegance of America (formerly known as Meadow Brook). I’d heard good things about the new location, and when Concours Chairman Larry Moss asked if I would be interested in being co-emcee, I eagerly accepted.
As Michigan has been the location of so many car manufacturing companies, there are traditions of car collecting and collections in the area that stretch back for nearly 100 years – a phenomenon unmatched in Read More
There’s nothing better than a great car event that happens in your own backyard. No packing, no airports, no rental cars, no hotel rooms – just go into the SCM garage, pull out your favorite car (and a couple for your good friends) and head out.
This was the 42nd year of the Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance, which is held on the tree-shaded campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR. While it’s a 26-mile trip from downtown Read More
Last week, I savored a four-wheeled gourmet experience at RM headquarters in Chatham, Ontario (Canada). CEO and founder Rob Myers invited me to spend a couple of days at RM, and a generous buffet line of cars awaited my arrival.
Gord Duff, one of RM’s top car specialists, showed me around, and he immediately offered the keys to his 1966 Shelby GT350. Upgraded from the original automatic to a Tremec 5-speed, the car was well-sorted and a delight to drive.
I recently came across a photo taken just after the 1992 California Mille. It showed me in a Ferrari PF cabriolet S2, along with my grandmother, Dorel McDowell.
I recall exactly how she came to be in that car. When I finished the tour, in my 1958 Giulietta Spider Veloce, one of the participants asked if I’d like to take his PF cab for a drive. I said yes, went to the family home on 20th Avenue in San Francisco, Read More
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