Author: Keith Martin

Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 40 years. As a writer, publisher, television commentator and enthusiast, he is constantly on the go, meeting collectors and getting involved in their activities throughout the world. He is the founder and publisher of the monthly Sports Car Market, now in its 37th year. Keith has written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, has been an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrmann Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, and more. He has served on the board of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar's Award.

Winter’s Coming – Store Your Car or Drive It?

We had an unseasonably hot summer in Portland. I went so far as to buy a vintage Volvo 122S with factory air-conditioning just to beat the heat. It’s been dry as well – the desiccated skeletons of the potted plants on my deck bear mute testimony to the futility of […]

Should Alex Say Goodbye to Her BMW?

My daughter Alex has had her trusty 1995 318i BMW for more than six years. The car is white over tan with a 5-speed, and Alex has put over 50,000 miles on it. I find that the 4-cylinder engine is a perfect match for the chassis, offering enough speed for […]

Drag Racing a Parsnip at the Concours de Maryhill

Car shows happen in the most unlikely places. This weekend, the Goldendale Motorsports Association hosted the 16th annual Concours de Maryhill and hillclimb. The venue was the Maryhill Museum of Art, 103 miles east of Portland, overlooking the Columbia River. Entrepreneur Sam Hill built Maryhill and dedicated it to the public in […]

When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

  Is it fair to say that we love our cars? Over time, we develop relationships with them based on the things we have done with them — from changing spark plugs to repairing upholstery to going on tours and rallies. In a way, a favorite car is like a […]

The Making of a Next-Gen Gearhead

Bradley’s first crash wasn’t his biggest one, but it was a wake-up call. When you go down on a motorcycle, even on a little one and in the dirt, you go down hard. We talk a lot about how to get kids involved in our world of cars and motorcycles […]

The 1958 Sprint and a 5,128-Foot Summit

It’s been a little over two years since I bought the SCM 1958 Alfa Sprint Veloce, s/n 1993E.06524. It was an accidental purchase as I was leaving Concorso Italiano, and the little Alfa appeared to need nothing. I’d been looking for an “eyebrow” Sprint Veloce for more than a decade […]

The Chantilly Concours – Already a Winner

I am on the plane home from the inaugural Chantilly Concours d’Elegance, and I feel a little bit like a gearhead Cinderella having to leave the ball. Participants began arriving at the Chantilly Chateau, located 35 miles north of Paris, on Friday, September 5th. Cars were unloaded the morning of […]

From GTO to Mercer in 72 Hours

It was late on a Wednesday afternoon, and I was hoisting the Coleman tent and sleeping bags onto the roof rack of our Defender 90 in preparation for the weekend’s vintage Land Rover tour. Then the phone rang. It was Jamie Knight, Group Director of the Bonhams Motoring department. “Hello […]

Alex, the Viper and Timberline Lodge

My 23-year-old daughter Alexandra has had a summer of milestones. First, she graduated from Oregon State University, with a B.S. in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurship and a minor in Writing. (Two years ago, following a year studying in France, she earned a diploma in International Business from […]