Keith Martin

Now that our 1961 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale is coming back to life, we’ve got some questions to address. The car is an unusual mix of a well-aged mediocre paint job, excellent original chrome and a completely incorrect interior. From 20 feet away, the car looks terrific. This is why I was attracted to it…

There’s been a lot written about the demise of swap meets. We’ve all heard how the Internet is now the quick-and-easy way to find and or sell what you need. However, the human factor is overlooked in all this. Just as I believe land-based auctions are a way for like-minded enthusiasts to come together, so…

During the Cold War, a top-secret fallout shelter designed to house 1,100 people (every member of the U.S. Congress and one aide per politician) during a nuclear war was constructed under The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. This past Sunday, for the first time, The Greenbrier’s bunker became the home for a variety of…

“Do you want the spare parts that go with it?” It’s a familiar phrase when you make a new acquisition. More often than not, the seller is anxious to get rid of the spare parts that accumulated during their ownership. Sellers waving goodbye to a car are often happy to clear out their garage —…

Just about 100 years ago, Bob McGill, one of the founders of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon, was born. Just about 60 years ago, McGill bought a new 1958 Alfa from Rambo Motors in Portland. A Normale, its serial number was 1495.02609. McGill died at age 92 in 2011. Exactly 40 years ago, Alfa…

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 same was true for the…

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, of this concours rivals that…

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 as it made a post-WWII…

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 in the United States. The…

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 I had explored a cave…