Keith Martin

The Viper and the Alfa – Two Different Types of Snakes

As I’m still recovering from rotator-cuff surgery, I’ve become a passenger in the cars in the SCM collection. This weekend I rode in two of them: the 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce and the 2000 Dodge Viper GTS ACR. Aside from the snakes they each have in their logos, […]

The Best First Sports Car

This is a question that comes up all the time. Sometimes I’m asked, “What’s the best first Alfa Romeo or Ferrari?” Other times it is just, “I’m thinking of getting into vintage sports cars. Which one would I have the most fun with?” There are many layers to these types […]

Bidding and Touring With One Good Arm

Mitch Silver was ready for me last Saturday at the Portland Expo Center. I asked if I could have a left-arm bidder’s paddle, and he said yes. Tuesday I’d had rotator-cuff surgery, and my right arm was in a sling. That wasn’t going to stop me from seeing if the […]

Hitting Its Stride – The 2015 Pacific Northwest Concours

There’s something magical that happens when a performance comes together. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a brilliant performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth, a breath-taking rendition of Puccini’s “Un bel di, vedremo” from “Madame Butterfly” or an explosive presentation of “Rocka My Soul” from Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations.” With […]

Horses and Horsepower — the 2nd Annual Chantilly Concours

Jousting. That was a first for me. I’ve seen many things at car events, but never armed knights charging toward one another horseback. Losing a joust might entail being dumped from your horse, summersaulting mid-air and landing hard on the ground. Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille co-founder Patrick Peter has now found a […]

Just the Amazon and Me

Last Saturday I did something I haven’t done in quite a while — I took a little road trip by myself. It’s been a typically hectic few months. I’ve attended car events in Italy, Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington, but I haven’t had any “alone time” with my cars. The […]

A Weekend With The Gunnison Car Club

Once a year The Gunnison Car Club, under the able direction of Mike Callihan, takes over downtown Gunnison, Colorado, filling the streets with street rods, muscle cars, sports cars and pickups. This year the club selected me to receive The Lee Iacocca Award. Gunnison is 224 miles from the Denver International Airport […]

Quick Takes from the Monterey Week

Driving up Highway 101 from Monterey to the San Francisco airport, it was clear that the ball was over. Instead of Monterey Car Week’s sea of candy-colored Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches, a swarm of Kias, Toyotas and Chevrolets peppered the landscape. An occasional modern Fiat 500 served as the token […]

Concours at St. John’s Continues to Impress

Last year, I made my first visit to the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s and was surprised and delighted. Formerly known as the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance and held at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester, Michigan, the concours moved to its new location — the Inn at St. John’s […]