When I bought my first car in 1967 — a 1960 Bugeye — it was just 7 years old. I bought my first Alfa in 1968, a 1963 Giulia Spider Veloce. It was 5 years old. By 1975, when it was 15 years old, the Bugeye was hopelessly archaic. The […]
Keith Martin
Keith’s Blog: Buicks, Rileys and Alfas – The La Jolla Concours
This past Sunday marked my 7th year as emcee of the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance. In the bright morning sunshine, I looked over the 135 cars on the lawn at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, which is right on beautiful La Jolla Cove. The setting, which overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean, […]
Keith’s Blog: Happy 60th Birthday to the Sprint
On April 3, 1958 — 60 years ago — our Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce rolled off the assembly line in Arese, Italy. In the small-displacement GT category, it was one of the most sophisticated cars in the world. The Sprint coupe was also the car that saved Alfa Romeo […]
Keith’s Blog: Jurassic Park Meets Vintage Racing
The worst new car often performs better than the best old car. To remind myself of that, I try to rent the most basic car possible when I’m on the road. My ride for the past two weeks in Mexico has been a Hyundai Grand i10. This model doesn’t exist […]
Keith’s Blog: From Amelia to Merida
Just 10 days ago, I watched as a spectacular 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ convertible and a 1963 Ferrari 250/275P were crowned as the winners of the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. One week later, I was climbing up the side of a 1,000-year-old Mayan pyramid in Yucatan, Mexico. Earlier that day […]
Keith’s Blog: Judging Sports Cars at Amelia Island
The 23rd Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is in the history books. Best of Show Concours de Sport was a 1963 Ferrari 250/275 P owned by the JSL Motorsports Collection of Redwood City, CA. Best of Show Concours d’Elegance was won by a 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ convertible entered by Harry […]
Keith’s Blog: Join Me in the Caravan to Concorso in August!
On Saturday, August 18, I’m driving south from Portland, OR to Monterey. This will be my third year doing this — it took me 27 years to figure out that the perfect way to get to Monterey Car Week is in a classic car. Every year, SCM sponsors a class […]
Keith’s Blog: Jay Leno Called Me a Communist!
It’s been five years since I last attended the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance. It’s a different event now than it was then. On Sunday there were 220 cars on display, ranging from appetizing to stunning. Lincoln was the featured marque. I’ll have a complete report next week. As a part […]
Keith’s Blog: An 8C 2300 Monza at a Hot Rod Show?
The Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Monza was one of the great sports cars of all time. Only 189 8C 2300s of all types were built, and Gooding sold one for $11,990,000 at their 2016 Pebble Beach auction. I wasn’t expecting to see one at the Salem Roadster Show, a gathering […]
Keith’s Blog: No Barfing in the Barfmobile: The Giulia Super Goes On A Tour
The Alfa 1967 Giulia Super is our family sports car. It has four doors and rear seats that can accommodate full-sized adults. Two summers ago, we took it on a 1,000-mile trip across Oregon. Bradley, then 8, and his friend Grayson occupied the rear seat. They lived in the back […]