Keith Martin

I hadn’t driven our 2004 Mercedes SL 55 AMG since last June. Saturday was a clear, sunny, 70-degree day in the Columbia Gorge. I decided to take the SL out. I pressed the key fob remote with anticipation and nothing happened. I looked at the fob and a little red light flashed, telling me the…

Long before BMW offered a four-door 3-Series and Mercedes, the C-class, Alfa Romeo was selling “The Family Sedan That Wins Races.” It was the Giulia Super. More than 475,000 Giulia sedans were produced from 1962-78. While they came in a bewildering array of configurations (see http://www.berlinaregister.com/gul.htm), the only model officially imported to the US was…

The text messages had been coming daily for a week or so. An immaculate 1971 Citroën DS21 Pallas with just over 12k miles on its odometer was on Bring a Trailer and Publisher Martin was bidding. After the car failed to meet reserve, he was able to strike a post-auction deal. Good for him – but…

The writing is on the wall. The internal combustion engine is dead. Granted, it will take a long time to completely die. It certainly won’t happen in our lifetimes. Reflect upon this: At the dawn of the automotive revolution, electric cars were competitive with gasoline-powered ones. The lack of long-range, quick-charging batteries led to their…

I learned to drive when I was eight years old. My grandfather put me behind the wheel of his beloved Ford 9N tractor on our farm in Novato, CA, showed me how to depress the clutch, stick the shifter into first, engage the hand throttle and I was off. Most kids today don’t have that…

Our 1991 Porsche 928 S4 has gone to a new owner. Courtesy of Matt Crandall (911r) and the gang at Avant-Garde Collection, it sold for $46,928 on Wednesday, August 25, on Bring A Trailer. The auction garnered 10,365 views, 823 watchers and 26 bids. Avant-Garde Collection is local to me here in Portland, and Matt…

The value of our 1965 Volvo 122S increased by $5,000 in value in less than four months.   On April 19, 2021, it sold on Bring a Trailer for $20,000. There were 851 watchers, 22,150 views, 105 comments and 13 bids. No Reserve: 1966 Volvo 122S   After being listed again, on August 18, it…

Like fog off the bay, the money rolled into Monterey last week. By Sunday, it had burned off. Our initial accounting has total sales approaching $352 million for the week. With five auctions and more than 1,000 cars on offer, getting outbid seemed to be the only excuse for not buying. Many records were set,…

Most of us got into the collector-car hobby because of the cars. Vintage cars are shiny and fun and they can do some pretty neat things, from making you money to taking you back in time. But cars are just the hook. What really keeps us involved in the hobby are the people. Play around…

SCM Executive Editor Jeff Sabatini took our 2006 Lotus Elise out for some exercise this weekend. While enjoying the car, he thought to check the date codes on the tires. They’re from 2007 and 2010. He commented that it appears the OEM Yokohama Advan tires are somewhat hard to find. And expensive. Tire Rack has…