Keith Martin
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Keith’s Blog: Which Three Alfas Would You Pick?
Over the years, I’ve found that the size of my collection is directly related to the number of slots I have in my garage. At one time, I had a 30’ x 40’ pole building in Northeast Portland that came along with a rental house I purchased. Not only did I immediately fill it with…
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Keith’s Blog: How Automatic is Manual Shifting
“I learned to drive on a stick” is a gearhead’s mantra. We all tell tales of the first three-pedal car we learned to operate. For some reason, it’s a badge of honor that we learned to drive a car and learned to operate a manual gearbox at the same time. I’ve taught several of my…
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Keith’s Blog: The Car as a Horse
You wouldn’t ride a horse down Main Street, and soon you won’t drive a collector car down your town’s main drag. Twenty years ago, I wrote that in the future we would treat our old cars like horses. Our cars would be trailered to roads that were appropriate for them, we would use them there…
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Keith’s Blog: Car Restoration and Human Restoration
I’m learning that just as car restorations have their own progressions, so does physical rehabilitation. This week I made some decisions about the restorations on my cars, and I made some steps forward with my own rehab. I’ve decided not to proceed with the full-bore, glass-and-headliner- out interior restoration of our 1961 Giulietta Sprint Speciale.…
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Keith’s Blog: Does Every Car Require a Pebble Beach Nut-and-Bolt Restoration?
In preparation for the Revs Institute Symposium on Collecting, founder Miles Collier sent out a list of questions for participants to consider. Since not all of us can make it to Naples, FL, I will share some of the questions and my responses in the next few newsletters. I also invite you to submit your…
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Keith’s Blog: I’m Getting Better!
Dear SCM Friends, It’s been a month since my stroke, and I wanted to touch base. I continue to make progress by visiting my therapist. Check out the schedule (Mon–Sat) here. A full recovery seems likely, but there are still months of hard work ahead. Doctors have found no underlying cause for my stroke. My…
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Keith’s Blog: Rally Rd. for Bragging Rights
Editor’s note: Mark Wigginton is taking over this space for a few weeks while Publisher Martin grinds away at his stroke rehabilitation. A bunch of us from SCM World Headquarters visited him a few days ago, and he’s making amazing progress at regaining mobility on his left side. The man is even playing the piano!…
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Keith’s Blog: Looking for a Porsche 911S PDK
I have a little bit of news to share with all of you. Last week, I was in my Portland condo and suddenly found my legs getting weaker and weaker. I was in the shower at the time, so I got out, shaved and brushed my teeth. Why I did this, I don’t know. A…
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Keith’s Blog: Looking Back and Looking Forward
SCM’s 30th Anniversary year is now complete. And we are well on our way to celebrate our 31st year. At the end of the year, I like to reflect on how fortunate we are to be able to have old cars in our lives. More important than the cars and the tours and the events…
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Keith’s Blog: SCM Executive Editor Chester Allen Remembers Christmas in 1967
SCM Executive Editor is taking over my blog for the Christmas holiday. He’s sharing a memory of his mother — and a sensational Matchbox garbage truck — from Christmas 1967: I carry 57 years of Christmas memories around in my head — including the first time I ever kissed a girl — but the one…