Keith Martin

  Would you sign up for the SCM Expedition? I watched with admiration and envy as the Copperstate 1000 added an off-road component. The Copperstate Overland is a six-day, five-night romp through the wilds of Arizona. A fully-supported luxury “glamping” moment, it is open to pre-1979 rigs, and limited to just a handful of participants —…

I’ve gotten spoiled by Bring a Trailer. One of the benefits of their bespoke listing format is that sellers have learned to be complete in their descriptions. If they are not, the BaT peanut gallery is sure to chime in. A case in point. A friend of mine recently purchased a 14-year-old BMW from a…

In just a few days, Bradley and I will be heading out for a 1,600-mile road trip. This journey is long overdue. It’s been almost two years since we threw our bags in the back of a car, put the top down and headed out from Portland. Our travel and vacation options are limited in…

Last week it was a 1975 Citroën DS23 that I backed off on. It sold for $37,800. This week’s temptation was a 2003 Ferrari 456M GTA. Matt Crandall at the Avant-Garde Collection is constantly getting in the way of my attempts be a thoughtful, patient collector. I asked him to handle some of the title work…

When SCMer Greg Long listed a 1975 DS23 Pallas on Bring a Trailer, it caught my attention. In addition to being a very-late model with a 2.3-liter engine, it had a Citromatic 4-speed automatic that you shifted manually. I’ve always had a soft spot for Citroëns. Whenever I see one, my collector car heart starts…

Three strikes and you’re out. That’s been my philosophy with old cars for some time. Recognizing that a car that comes into the SCM Collection may not have been used regularly, I anticipate a period of unreliability as they are put into service. However, our 1965 Volvo is testing my patience. When it first arrived,…

I celebrated Father’s Day in car-guy style. In one day, my 13-year-old son Bradley and I drove special cars from three different eras. We started by taking the 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce out of storage. My good friend Neil D’Autremont has been managing the SCM cars. The car was on the button. I’ve…

When my daughter Alexandra and I go to Paris, our dinner the first night is always at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte. It’s a European chain that is known for its steak and fries (frites) — and its savory green-tinged steak sauce. Your only choices are how you want your meat prepared, and which wine you…

As we shuffle the SCM car collection, one thing has become evident. With an old car, the most important thing you can do is make sure its suspension is in top shape. By their nature, sports cars that are now a half-century old have not had easy lives. In addition to being driven hard, nearly…

I watched a solitary jogger run down S.W. Clay Street this morning. He was wearing a mask. The streets were empty. On this past Friday night, Portland, Oregon was filled with a cacophony of sirens and popping sounds. Unaware of the civil unrest, I had just driven the SCM 1971 Jaguar E-type back from a…