Keith Martin
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My Monterey Car Week
It’s a good thing I like cars. Monterey Car Week is just about the busiest time of my year, and each day is saturated with cars. This will be my 29th year of attending the festivities on the Monterey Peninsula. I missed one year, 1991, as Alexandra was born that year on August 15. I…
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Should Pristine Original Cars Be Banned from Vintage Racing?
We’re coming up on Monterey Car Week, and the great vintage car festival known as the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. As entertaining as the races will be, we should ask ourselves if some of these vintage cars really belong on the track. BMW is the featured marque, meaning at the Laguna Seca race track you’ll…
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The Northwest Classic Rally is for Those Who Love to Drive
28 years ago, Sports Car Market (then the Alfa Romeo Market Letter) was a sponsor of the first Monte Shelton Northwest Classic Rally. Along with magazine co-founder Cindy Banzer, I drove a 1965 Giulia Sprint Speciale. We completed the 600-plus mile route without breaking down — and didn’t finish last, which made the event a…
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Should I Switch to Porsche 356s from Alfas?
While driving with Miles Collier in the Northwest Passage tour, we had a discussion about 4-cylinder Alfas versus Porsche 356s. Miles felt that a well-sorted 356C would be every bit as delightful as one of the 105-series Alfas (1967 GTV, Duetto and Super) we were driving. I’ve driven a few properly-prepared 356Bs and Cs,…
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100 Miles in Four Old Cars on the Forest Grove Vineyard Tour!
Most concours weekends now incorporate some sort of driving event. Driving allows participants to enjoy the mechanical aspects of their cars — something that really isn’t a part of concours event. Participation in a tour often serves as a tiebreaker in concours judging. If two cars have an identical scores (which is possible but unusual),…
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Forest Grove Concours this Weekend!
There’s something special about a car event that happens in your own backyard. No planes to catch, no bags to pack. You get a chance to see a lot of local friends. And, best of all, you can pull a few cars out of the garage to enjoy with your friends — without having to…
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The SCM Fleet takes Shape
There have been many cars in the SCM Garage over the years, and most go on to new homes — while a select few are members of the family. For example, the 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo that we’ve enjoyed for almost two years has found a new home with ACC contributor — and Corvette expert…
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Keith’s Blog: I Don’t Want a $30,000 Bugeye
I’ve made the same mistake I’ve been making for 40 years. I bought a car that I wasn’t familiar with, and I didn’t have an expert examine the car. So, once again, this car is going to cost me double what I wanted to spend. This all started out as a lark. My very first…
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Keith’s Blog: Microcar Madness in Oregon
The logistics of major car shows can resemble a military operation. Restorations take years to get accomplished, and hundreds of car transporters converge at one spot to disgorge the finished products. As you thought that you need to showcase one of your car in this event then you might need a car transporter to make…
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Keith’s Blog: Three 50-Year-Old Alfas and 1,000 Miles
We’re on the final leg of the NW Passage, a tour put on by the Oregon Region of the Porsche Club of America and sponsored by SCM. We started in Portland, Oregon, went to Leavenworth, Washington, then Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and spent the final night in Walla Walla, Washington. On Monday we headed home…