Keith Martin
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SCM’s Endless Summer
Imagine 40 classic cars — many of them Alfas — hitting redline as they climb to historic Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. Or after a day cruising the wide-open landscapes off Highway 97 past Fort Rock, gathering again to drive around crystal-clear Crater Lake. We’re just a couple of months away from the Sports Car…
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Keith’s Blog: 400 Miles in a 1965 Alfa
Just about 100 years ago, Bob McGill, one of the founders of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon, was born. Just about 60 years ago, McGill bought a new 1958 Alfa from Rambo Motors in Portland. A Normale, its serial number was 1495.02609. McGill died at age 92 in 2011. Exactly 40 years ago, Alfa…
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Keith’s Blog: 1,000 miles in a 15-year-old Porsche
When I bought my first car in 1967 — a 1960 Bugeye — it was just 7 years old. I bought my first Alfa in 1968, a 1963 Giulia Spider Veloce. It was 5 years old. By 1975, when it was 15 years old, the Bugeye was hopelessly archaic. The same was true for the…
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Keith’s Blog: Buicks, Rileys and Alfas – The La Jolla Concours
This past Sunday marked my 7th year as emcee of the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance. In the bright morning sunshine, I looked over the 135 cars on the lawn at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, which is right on beautiful La Jolla Cove. The setting, which overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean, of this concours rivals that…
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Keith’s Blog: Happy 60th Birthday to the Sprint
On April 3, 1958 — 60 years ago — our Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce rolled off the assembly line in Arese, Italy. In the small-displacement GT category, it was one of the most sophisticated cars in the world. The Sprint coupe was also the car that saved Alfa Romeo as it made a post-WWII…
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Keith’s Blog: Jurassic Park Meets Vintage Racing
The worst new car often performs better than the best old car. To remind myself of that, I try to rent the most basic car possible when I’m on the road. My ride for the past two weeks in Mexico has been a Hyundai Grand i10. This model doesn’t exist in the United States. The…
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The Siren Song of an MGA
I was about 30 miles south of Twin Falls, ID, when a connecting rod broke and exploded through the side of the engine block. I coasted silently to the side of the road in the late-afternoon sun. I was on State Highway 93 — right in the middle of nowhere. Although this happened 50 years…
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Keith’s Blog: From Amelia to Merida
Just 10 days ago, I watched as a spectacular 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ convertible and a 1963 Ferrari 250/275P were crowned as the winners of the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. One week later, I was climbing up the side of a 1,000-year-old Mayan pyramid in Yucatan, Mexico. Earlier that day I had explored a cave…
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Keith’s Blog: Judging Sports Cars at Amelia Island
The 23rd Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is in the history books. Best of Show Concours de Sport was a 1963 Ferrari 250/275 P owned by the JSL Motorsports Collection of Redwood City, CA. Best of Show Concours d’Elegance was won by a 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ convertible entered by Harry Yeaggy of Cincinnati, OH. (Video…
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Keith’s Blog: Join Me in the Caravan to Concorso in August!
On Saturday, August 18, I’m driving south from Portland, OR to Monterey. This will be my third year doing this — it took me 27 years to figure out that the perfect way to get to Monterey Car Week is in a classic car. Every year, SCM sponsors a class of Alfas at Concorso Italiano.…