Keith Martin
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The SCM Fleet takes Shape
There have been many cars in the SCM Garage over the years, and most go on to new homes — while a select few are members of the family. For example, the 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo that we’ve enjoyed for almost two years has found a new home with ACC contributor — and Corvette expert…
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Keith’s Blog: I Don’t Want a $30,000 Bugeye
I’ve made the same mistake I’ve been making for 40 years. I bought a car that I wasn’t familiar with, and I didn’t have an expert examine the car. So, once again, this car is going to cost me double what I wanted to spend. This all started out as a lark. My very first…
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Keith’s Blog: Microcar Madness in Oregon
The logistics of major car shows can resemble a military operation. Restorations take years to get accomplished, and hundreds of car transporters converge at one spot to disgorge the finished products. As you thought that you need to showcase one of your car in this event then you might need a car transporter to make…
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Mind If We Gawk?
It was just three months ago when, in this column, I pompously and piously pronounced that I would never again drive at excess speeds on a public highway. I referred to the 140 mph I had averaged testing the Ford GT in 2006. Two days later the call from Lamborghini came, asking if I would…
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Keith’s Blog: Three 50-Year-Old Alfas and 1,000 Miles
We’re on the final leg of the NW Passage, a tour put on by the Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America and sponsored by SCM. We started in Portland, Oregon, went to Leavenworth, Washington, then Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and spent the final night in Walla Walla, Washington. On Monday we headed home…
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Keith’s Blog: Prepping Three Alfas for the NW Passage
I’m not really a glutton for punishment — even if my actions indicate otherwise. Getting one 49-year-old car ready for a 1,000-mile, high-speed tour is enough of a challenge; getting three ready has been an adventure. The annual Northwest Passage tour begins this Thursday, June 9. The Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America…
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Keith’s Blog: No Concours Restoration for the Alfa
For those following the saga of our 1965 Alfa Giulia Spider, you’ve seen it go from a slightly disheveled but much-loved daily driver to a completely stripped shell. It was last year that we took it to Bill Gillham, in Jefferson, Oregon, for some minor rust repairs. As he dug into the car, he found…
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Saying Goodbye to the Amazon
It was two years ago that we watched our 1967 Volvo 122S arrive on a car hauler from Madison, WI. And now we’re going to watch it leave. Owning the Amazon has been a delightful and enlightening experience. It was a good car when it arrived (unlike so many of the cars that I acquire),…
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You Can Go Home Again
As you read this, the 2006 Lotus Elise that we sold in May of 2013 is in a car transporter and headed from Connecticut back to SCM World Headquarters in Portland, OR. We first drove an Elise in 2009; Legal Files contributor John Draneas has one. We were entranced. Weighing just 1,984 pounds, and propelled…
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Keith’s Blog: Porsche Turbo vs. Alfa Duetto: Size Does Matter
“Old age, experience and treachery will overcome youthful enthusiasm and talent. “ In car speak, that translates to: “A mature driver in a vintage 4-cylinder sports car can easily overtake someone younger and less-experienced — no matter what they are driving.” Two weeks ago, I discovered that saying is simply not true. I asked my…