Keith Martin’s Adventures

I’ve been involved with LeMay — America’s Car Museum in a variety of ways over the past decade, from casual observer to board member. Under the leadership of President and CEO David Madeira, fundraisers generated over $85m, the museum was built, and a year ago last weekend, it opened to the public. This is cause…

This week it’s really Tony’s Tale. I decided a couple of weeks ago that it would be good to exercise some of the SCM fleet, specifically the four-doors we have in the basement. As I was busy being the hovering “mother hen” and shepherding the gerbils down the freeway, I asked Tony to be both…

There’s been a lot of change in the SCM garage the past few months, and all of it for the good. In the recent past, we’ve been sampling cars that have always intrigued us, to see if they had staying power once they were daily drivers. I’ll be the first to admit that collector-car hot…

Our 1989 Range Rover has been a memory-making machine, from the moment Alex and I picked up the car in Manhattan Beach from SCMer Jeffrey Stout and drove it back to Portland. It’s been a car for all seasons; I recall the last Pacific Coast Rover Club snow run, its wheels furiously churning up the…

I’ll take memories of two personalities away from this year’s Keels and Wheels: Roy Rogers, for his ownership and on-screen promotion of the diminutive Yellow Jacket boats, which were a featured marque at this year’s concours; and Al Unser, Jr. who was the Grand Marshal, and whom I had the opportunity to interview three times…

Here’s a quick update on the SCM fleet. The 1989 Range Rover Classic is going to a subscriber in California – he’s looking forward to using the Rangie to haul some vintage motorcycles from Idaho to The Quail. No luck on an Alfa Giulia Super yet, although I’ve had several sent my way. As with…

Here’s an update on the SCM collection. Some months ago, I asked your advice as to what we should keep and what we should sell. You were not shy with your suggestions. This is what has gone: the SAAB Sonett went to an SCMer in Florida and the BMW 633 went to an SCMer in Seattle. John Darack, a longtime…

I was at the Silver Auction here in Portland this weekend. I enjoy Silver Auctions — they are low-key, they always have a few interesting cars, and most of the bidding is at a level where I can be a player — unlike in Monterey, where anything under $1m is really just collector car fodder.…

The past week was a blur of vintage cars, with Legoland, wild animals and the USS Midway aircraft carrier thrown in for good measure. I brought the family to La Jolla last Wednesday. The professional reason for coming down was to emcee, for the third time, at the La Jolla Concours d’ Elegance. But we…

I’d like to thank everyone who offered their opinions about my desire to mount Hella driving lights on my 1972 BMW 2002tii. I would say that 2/3 of you thought putting lights on the car was a mistake, and all of you were strongly opposed to drilling holes in the virgin bumpers. However, along with…