Keith Martin

Last week we talked about our 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider S4. It needs a new top, which will cost around $2,000. Well, that was just the tip of the used-car repair iceberg. About a year ago, my teenage son Bradley acquired a Volvo V70. I had started him out with a 1982 Corvette Collector Edition…

I will always recall the exact moment I bought our Alfa Romeo S4 Spider. I had found this 14k-mile car on eBay and was following it. But that was far from my mind as I enjoyed an afternoon drive in our lovely Citroën DS 21. It was twilight, and I had Bradley and his Scottie…

The newest addition to the SCM Fleet is a 2005 Porsche 911 C4S, VIN WP0AA29935S620075, Engine #M96/0366500527. I paid $32,550 for the car, fully loaded with Tiptronic. The car has 72,000 pampered (or at least what look like pampered) miles. However, there are no records of any maintenance done to the IMS bearing. I’m not…

This week’s blog post is from SCM Editor-in-Chief Jeff Sabatini. I just returned from Paris, where I very much enjoyed the Rétromobile show. We’ll have more on that in the May issue of SCM, including full reports from the four auctions that sold an impressive $186m of cars this year. This morning, however, my first…

Last week an SCMer responded to my blog by writing, “You’re selling the Jag? That’s been the best classic car you’ve ever owned. The most reliable, the most original and the least expensive to operate? Why?” I checked my records. When the 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe arrived in Portland on April 24, 2020, the…

The folks from Matt Crandall’s Avant-Garde Collection came and picked up our 33k-mile 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe. It will soon be offered on Bring a Trailer with no reserve by 911r. It was with mixed feelings that I watched it go. During the five years I have had the car, I have put over…

Now that you have your portable air pump, let’s look at one more thing to pay attention to as you prep your car for spring. Take a second to check the date codes on your tires. It’s also not a bad idea to make sure the spare holds air. You’d be surprised how flat that…

The stockings at the Martin condo were a little heavier this year. In addition to the miniature stuffed ferret, the travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste, and a bag of pistachios, there was a box. It contained a portable tire inflator. These apparatuses have gotten smaller and more efficient over the years. Now, they can be charged…