Keith Martin’s Adventures

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…

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…

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…

As the year comes to a close, this is a good time to survey the SCM fleet. Compared to years past, there is very little heavy lifting going on. The only car sidelined with engine issues is our 1996 Autozam AZ-1. We blew the head gasket on the Autozam on the way to Monterey. It…

Fun with an element of danger — that’s a forest run in a vintage Land Rover. On Saturday afternoon, I got separated from the other 20 Rovers in my Caravan. I came to a fork in the road and had to make a decision. I made the wrong one. Every year, the Pacific Coast Rover…

It was a hectic day. I had just picked up the Bertone 308 GT4 from Matt Crandall at Avant-Garde Collection. Its throttle had been sticking, which made driving in rush-hour traffic more exciting that I wanted it to be. Matt’s ace mechanic Chris Smith attended to it quickly. It turned out to be a combination…

I barely saw the brake lights ahead of me go bright red before I started sliding sideways at 40 mph down the ice-covered highway. For the past couple of years, I’ve had my own secret escape from the complexity — and sometimes drudgery — of the Thanksgiving holiday. I simply pack up the SCM Defender…

The next chapter in the life of the Bradley GT has started. It sold last week on Bring A Trailer for $4,000. There were over 12,000 views of the auction. If we had charged just $1 for each view, think how far ahead we would be. Our good friends at the Avant-Garde Collection, Matt Crandall…

  The SCM Bradley GT is one of a kind. When was the last time you saw one actually running and driving? And now you can be part of the adventure. It’s being auctioned on Bring a Trailer at no reserve, with the auction closing this Thursday at 2:40 pm, Pacific time. Our good friends…

  This was my fourth time attending the Hilton Head Island Concours d’ Elegance. Over the years, it has grown to be a more than just a concours. It bills itself as a Motoring Festival, and that it is. The festivities start the weekend before with the Savannah Speed Classic, which includes vintage races held…