Buy What You Love, Pay What You Should
Keith Martin
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21st Oregon Festival of Cars
Great car shows don’t happen by accident. The ingredients that go into a successful car event are similar all over the world. You need a good location, great cars and a thoughtful, hard-working team to pull it all together. Bend, Oregon is located 162 miles south and east of Portland, Oregon. With a population of…
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Wallowing in Vintage Cars
I’ve been an Alfa Pig this past week, wallowing in a twin-cam world of twisting roads and five-speed gearboxes. Last Thursday, the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon held their annual Red Duetto Tour. Organized by Fred and Lisa McNabb, participation is limited to long-tail Alfas (1966-69) painted red. If you own a blue Duetto, you’re…
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Monterey Week Isn’t Just About the Money
The pundits didn’t wait for the Monterey Car Week auctions to end before weighing in with banshee-like wails of market distress. “Saturday night auctions fail to meet 2015 levels” The Los Angeles Times headlined before the Gooding auction on Sunday. Bloomberg weighed in on Monday, “Monterey Auctions Continue to Slide after 2014 Peak.” “Next month,…
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An Afternoon in Sports Car Paradise
For more than 20 years, enthusiast Ken Ivey and his wife Bernice have hosted an informal gathering of car fanatics at their home in Aurora, Oregon, just south of Portland. Ken, a long-time 289 Cobra owner, recently exchanged his car for a Ferrari 246 GTS — and a completely different driving experience. I sit with…
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Judging Steam Cars and Improbable Coachwork
The French just do things differently. This is my third year as a judge at the Richard Mille Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours d’Elegance, and it is a delight to be back. By now I have my routine. Fly overnight from Portland on Wednesday, and arrive at Charles De Gaulle Airport early on Thursday. Check…
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The Barfmobile Hits the Oregon Trail
Among Alfista, the 4-door Giulia Super sedan has cult status. With the same race-bred suspension a the 105 Series coupes and spiders, the Super was advertised as “The Family Car that Wins Races.” Earlier this year, I took the SCM Super on an Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon tour, and my son Bradley and his…
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Festivities and Finances at Monterey 2016
This is coming to you from San Francisco International Airport, where I’m waiting to board my direct flight back to SCM World Headquarters in Portland. My ride from Monterey to SFO was a 2017 Chevrolet Volt, and driving this high-tech hybrid was a vehicular sorbet — a refreshing and relaxing change from a week of…
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My Monterey Car Week
It’s a good thing I like cars. Monterey Car Week is just about the busiest time of my year, and each day is saturated with cars. This will be my 29th year of attending the festivities on the Monterey Peninsula. I missed one year, 1991, as Alexandra was born that year on August 15. I…
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Money is Big, But Passion Drives the Hobby
Each year, this issue falls in the lull just before the great Super Bowl contest that is Monterey Car Week. Each of the auction companies on the Peninsula has its lineups set. All the seven- and eight-figure, market-defining cars have been extensively promoted and the potential bidders courted. Within a few days after you read…
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Should Pristine Original Cars Be Banned from Vintage Racing?
We’re coming up on Monterey Car Week, and the great vintage car festival known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. As entertaining as the races will be, we should ask ourselves if some of these vintage cars really belong on the track. BMW is the featured marque, meaning at the Laguna Seca race track you’ll…