Keith Martin’s Adventures

Just a week ago we were rolling along on the Colorado Grand, surrounded by millions of dollars of exquisite machinery. The past weekend was a little different. Roger Dilts, the president of the Alfa Romeo Owners of Oregon, hosted the annual “President’s Tour,” a half-day event that sends those who love to drive down scenic…

I’m just back from four days and 1,000 miles of spectacular vintage motoring. The next issue of SCM will feature my full story on the Colorado Grand — along with Colin Comer’s thoughts on driving Chuck Wegner’s 250 GT TdF (a car he once owned) — but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite images…

We’re beginning the Colorado Grand today, a four-day, 1000-mile romp through some of the most breathtaking mountains and plains in the U.S. This will be my fifth time on the Grand, and I’m looking forward to it as an escape from the ordinary, and a chance to see old friends. What better way to get…

I’m in one of the conference rooms at LeMay — America’s Car Museum, waiting for a meeting of the marketing committee of the Board of Trustees, of which I am a member. I’ve been involved with the museum in a variety of ways since its first public meetings over a decade ago. It has been…

The Monday after Monterey Classic Car Week feels like a ceasefire. During the previous five days, over $300m cars had been hammered sold – and those are only the public transactions. (We’ll have complete coverage in the next issue of Sports Car Market.) But on Monday, all was quiet. Our favorite breakfast place in Carmel,…

The Monday after Classic Car Week in Monterey is strangely quiet. No herds of Lamborghini  Aventadors pushing their way through traffic. All the real Cobras are gone; you know if you see one today it’s a Tupperware special. I’m staying on through Thursday, to participate in the BMW CCA annual convention, Oktoberfest. Wendie drove our…

It was over a year ago that we persuaded SCMer Ned Scudder to part with his beloved Turkis-colored 1972 2002 tii. And on Wednesday, Wendie is planning to drive it from Portland to Monterey. But the path from acquisition to “in service” hasn’t been easy or short. The car was fundamentally sound, with a fresh…

In all the years I’ve had Alfas, I’ve never driven one to a National Convention held anywhere other than Portland. When it was announced that this years’ convention would be in Santa Rosa, CA  (55 miles north of San Francisco), I thought about going. When I was asked to be the emcee of the Concorso…

The 2013 edition of the local Porsche Club tour, Northwest Passage, took place this past weekend. SCM, Chubb Collector Car Insurance and Sunset Porsche-Audi were the sponsors. We invited two good friends from L.A., Mark Berns and Jaime Gesundheit, to join us and offered them our 1967 GTV. As they are both deeply immersed in…

One of my favorite sounds this time of year is the door to the SCM under-office garage opening and closing. Most often, it means that one of the SCM cars is either heading to the shop or returning, getting ready for the tours ahead. For instance, this morning Subscriptions Manager Rich Coparanis drove the 1965…