Keith Martin

We’ve written before that the doomsayers who are declaring the collector car hobby is dying are living on a different planet than we are here at SCM. In addition to Cars & Coffee and marque-specific tours (the Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America holds two tours per week), there is a new entry…

I was dropping off the Alfa Romeo Spider S4 at Mac’s Radiator shop to have the A/C compressor replaced. It was a hot day, and I asked about putting A/C in our 1975 Porsche 911S Sportomatic. They quoted me “about $10,000” if it is a factory A/C car with all the right holes and bits…

The place I have been storing some of my cars just sent me a note that my low-power trickle charger overcharged and ruined the new battery in the Lotus Elise. It was suggested to me that you should always put a trickle charger on a timer, so that it only charges a few hours a…

In August of 1980, we were on our way to Monterey when an ad in Hemmings Motor News caught my eye: “1965 Alfa Romeo Spider. Twin carburetor version. Two owners. Gray with red. $22,000.” This was followed by a Portland phone number. Times being what they were, I waited a couple of weeks until we…

“The Submerged Cathedral (La cathédrale engloutie)” was written for piano by Claude Debussy in 1910. It is based on an ancient myth of a cathedral that is submerged off the coast of an island. In the morning it rises up from the water, accompanied by the sounds of chanting priests, chiming bells and organ music,…

Social media has its plusses and minuses, but a definitive positive is the ability to find out about events you would never hear of otherwise. Late Friday night I was forwarded a notice of the “Discovery Vintage Car Show – Vintage Wheels and Timeless Appeal.” It was being held at Discovery High School in Camas,…

Through happenstance, SCMer Chris Bright and I ended up living a floor apart in the same condo. As you wind down through our building’s four levels of underground parking, you see some unusual cars. The most mysterious is covered, but a discerning eye can spot the sensuous lines of a 1956 Maserati 350S. Chris has…

The 2025 NW Passage — Spring, an annual tour put on by the Porsche Club of America Oregon Region, is fast approaching. From June 11-16, some 40 sports cars, mostly late-model Porsches, will set off on a 1,500-mile romp through the Pacific Northwest. Stops include Leavenworth, WA, Sandpoint, ID, and Walla Walla, WA. SCM has…

I’ve been attending the Portland Swap Meet for more than 30 years. It is billed as the largest auto swap meet on the West Coast. In the early, pre-internet days, walking though the swap meet gates was like dropping into an Alice in Wonderland hole with no idea what magical things you would find inside.…