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.
For the past 40 years, the Ferrari 250 GTO has been the “Mona Lisa” of the collector-car market.
They represent the last of the front-engined Ferrari customer cars that could be driven on the street and then taken to the track. They were contenders for overall victory in events such as the Tour de France. In their era, they were the ultimate usable supercar.
When one comes to market, the world sits up and notices.
In 2014, Alexandra and I Read More
A 1939 Alfa built by Ferrari captured Best of Show at the 46th Annual Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance on Sunday.
The concours is held on the tree-shaded lawn of the campus of Pacific University, 20 miles from Portland in Forest Grove. SCM Editor-at-Large Donald Osborne and I shared emcee duties for the sixth year.
With our current schedules, this is the only event Donald and I get to work together, and I thoroughly enjoy our camaraderie.
SCM and ACC have Read More
The 45 cars — and their driving teams — on SCM’s 30th Anniversary Tour are now roaming 1,000 miles of scenic Oregon backroads.
I’m along for the ride, and life is great.
The Tour started on Sunday afternoon, when the drivers brought their cars to a public display outside of the Portland Art Museum. The display was part of the museum’s “The Shape of Speed: Streamlined Automobiles and Motorcycles: 1930-1942” exhibit. The exhibit will continue through September 15. The Portland Read More
Editor’s note: Premier Financial Services recently interviewed Publisher Martin, and he had a lot of interesting things to say about his life in cars. We’re running the Residual Values interview this week instead of Publisher Martin’s regularly scheduled blog.
The nose of SCM’s 2006 Lotus Elise made a sharp cracking sound when it hit the parking lot divider. Suddenly everyone was looking my way.
There were 50 or so Porsches scattered around, with owners busily attaching their event stickers to the sides of their cars.
This was the 20th Annual Northwest Passage Tour, presented by the Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America. SCM has been a sponsor for ten of the years, and I’ve driven on eight Read More
There was no one home at the farmhouse; I knocked on all the doors.
I had seen a rototiller in the nearby shed, with one-gallon gas cans next to it.
“Anyone here?” I called out again. There was no answer, so I picked up a can and poured the contents into the empty tank of my 1960 Bugeye Sprite.
A couple of months ago, I recalled the story of my 1958 MGA that threw a rod Read More
Those of us who are addicted to old cars have daily opportunities to add to our collections. Whether it is an online auction, an ad in a club magazine — or simply a friend who has decided it’s time to sell — the temptation is there.
As an inveterate car hoarder, I’ve learned to ask myself a few questions before I pull the trigger:
First, am I ready for the agony of adding a car to the collection?
By now, Read More
Last weekend, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The four days were chock full of activities, mostly thanks to Lisa McNabb, the energizer bunny of the club.
I first joined the club in 1969, when I came to Reed College. Over the years, it has been my support group as I have dealt with my hopeless addiction to and infatuation with the cars of Alfa Romeo.
On Friday, ex-GTA racer Stu Moss organized a 200-mile tour Read More
Covering 1,000 miles in a 50-year-old car can be a daunting challenge.
For SCM30, coming up in early July, SCM will have all six of its Alfas entered. In all, they will be covering 6,000 miles. What could possibly go wrong?
SCM30 (our 30th anniversary tour) is in part a fundraiser for the Portland Art Museum. To that end, we made four of our Alfas available to those coming from out of state. For a $5,000 donation made to Read More
SCM’s 30th Anniversary Tour is fast approaching, so it’s time to test and finalize the route.
The route master is Neil d’Autremont of Sidedraught City. He’s given me the instructions for the last section of the final day. By freeway, it’s about a 100-mile stretch.
I’ve been planning to take the 1960 Bugeye on the scouting expedition. My plan is to head to Astoria, on the Oregon Coast, then down to Newport, then over to Sweet Home. It’s about Read More
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