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 […]
We’ve seen more gators than ducks or beavers recently, as we’ve spent 20 of the past 30 days in Florida, with our home state of Oregon becoming more of an imagined entity than a place.
We had barely unpacked our bags from our February trip to Rétromobile when it was time for another early-morning taxi to PDX. Our ultimate destination was the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance, but we thought we’d sneak in a side trip to a resort in the Bahamas for a non-car-related vacation. (Such a thing exists for the Martin family? I can already see you shaking your box-end wrenches in disbelief.)
Atlantis, as the resort was called, was an exercise in fantasy — especially if you are 5-year-old Bradley Martin and get to feed manta rays and swim with dolphins. One of the mega-yachts docked at the resort was named “Never Again III.” I’m sure every SCMer has cars they would christen the same.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Just weeks ago I was toodling through the Arizona desert, sneaking away from the auctions for a quick drive to Sedona in a lovely dark blue Aston Martin V8 Vantage. I was seeking a brief respite from the ceaseless shattering of world records at the auctions being held, where one […]
As you know, we’ve been wrestling for a few months to install a rear-seat shoulder harness in the 1967 GTV, so that we could put 5-year-old Bradley there in his booster seat. Early on we gave up on an inertia reel, opting instead for a belt that adjusted both at […]
See You in Paris First, it’s not too late to call your pilots and get your Bombardier fired up for the trip to Paris. The annual SCM reception at Retromobile will be held on Wednesday, from 5:30 to 7:00. Join me, Wendie, Alex and sponsors Donald Osborne and Ed Fallon […]
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