Keith Martin

It’s been two years since I have been on a tour. I first had some medical challenges, which were followed directly by the pandemic. Effectively car events have been off-limits for me for a long time. But as we gradually emerge from our health crisis, a thoughtful return to normal is at hand. SCM Tour…

Are you ready for an adventure? A tour with no route book, no pre-determined places to eat and where you make your own reservations? Where anything that moves under its own power is welcome? If so, considering joining us in our annual pilgrimage from the Pacific Northwest to Monterey. Here’s the planning brief: We head…

We are just a couple of weeks away from the 2021 SCM 1000 Classic. We’ve been sold out for some time; our self-imposed limit is 45 cars. Featured this year are the cars of England, although any pre-1975 sports car is invited to apply. Our first tour featured Alfa Romeo, our second, the cars of…

We’ve been kicking around some thoughts about sports cars tours. I wanted to share them with you and get your reactions. I believe the future of tours will revolve around events that involve driving, immersion in the geography and culture of the areas you are in, and nightly “Conversations with Collectors” with like-minded enthusiasts. For…

A friend is driving his 1958 MGA on the upcoming SCM 1000. The route will take us over Mt. Hood, to Crater Lake and to other scenic destinations with plenty of elevation changes. “The brake drums and shoes on my car are tiny. I think I better upgrade to front discs.” “Why bother,” was my…

As we emerge from the pandemic, weekend morning car gatherings are beginning to be held again. While I believe that these gatherings represent an important part of our hobby, they are not without their issues. I have addressed this in part before, however here I will go into more detail. There are often long lines…

It costs real money to turn a classic car into a fun driver. Our 1965 Volvo 122S was a case in point. It was a decent car, but it still needed nearly $10,000 spent on it before it was enjoyable to take down the road.   With any old car you acquire, my advice is…

One moment, the 1971 Jaguar V12 coupe was hustling along at 70 mph on Highway 26, heading back to Portland after a satisfying lunch of fresh-caught rockfish at the South Bay Wild Fish House in Astoria, OR. The next, it was sitting silently, hood-up, by the side of the road. The Jag had been performing…

For $21,000, someone has become the new owner of the SCM Volvo 122S. Our friends at Avant-Garde Collection listed it for us on Bring a Trailer. “Being an automatic really held it back. If it had been a stick with overdrive it would easily have brought another $10,000,” said the owner, Matt Crandall (BaT moniker:…

When Keith offered up the U-boat for the 450-mile roundtrip to southern Oregon I had planned for the weekend, I did not hesitate to answer affirmatively. Being “between” cars myself, the opportunity to drive the SCM Porsche 928 rather than my wife’s diesel VW Jetta daily driver instantly transformed the trip into something special. We…