If you’ve been following the classic car scene, you’ve likely heard of Keith Martin. He’s the mastermind behind Sports Car Market and a cornerstone in the world of collector cars. You can read our interview with Keith here.

Today, we’re not just talking about any car; we’re diving into the story of Keith’s cherished 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto, now up for auction.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

Back in March 2014, after an exhaustive search, Keith stumbled upon a 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto tucked away in a garage in Gervais, Oregon. This wasn’t just any car; it was his dream Duetto, chassis AR661909. With its striking red finish and black convertible top, it was love at first sight. Keith, like many of us, was captivated by the Duetto after seeing it in "The Graduate." That movie moment sparked a lifelong obsession.

A Journey Filled with Memories

Keith didn’t just own this car; he lived with it. He had Nasko install an upgraded Dave Rugh suspension and refreshed the interior with parts from Matt Jones at Re-Originals. Guy Recordon restored the factory steel Pininfarina hardtop, making it even more special.

This car wasn’t a garage queen. It’s been on countless adventures, including several SCM 1000 tours and the 50th Anniversary of the Duetto at Concorso Italiano in 2016. Keith drove it everywhere, and it never let him down. It was more than just a car; it was a companion.

Facing Life’s Challenges

In 2019, life threw a curveball. Keith suffered a stroke and could no longer drive a manual-shift car. It was a life-changing event, one that forced him to confront a harsh reality. He hoped to regain the ability to drive it, but that day never came. Despite the emotional tug, he knew it was time to let go.

A Collector’s Dream, Full of Heart

Keith’s Duetto is a labor of love. It’s finished in its factory red, with a black convertible top and a steel hardtop restored by Guy Recordon. The car features Carello headlamp covers, Bilstein shocks, Rugh Engineering springs, adjustable front A-arms, ATE disc brakes, and 15” steel wheels. Inside, the low-back bucket seats are trimmed in black skai vinyl. The 1.6L twin-cam inline-four engine, paired with dual Weber DCOE carburetors and a five-speed manual transmission, makes this car a joy to drive.

Before putting it up for sale, Keith ensured it was in top shape. Recent work included repairing the tachometer, resealing the valve covers, and replacing the muffler and fuel lines. The Duetto comes with 2015 correspondence from Automobilismo Storico Centro Documentazione, service records dating back to 1988, and a clean Oregon title listing it as a 1967 model.

A Heartfelt Farewell

Letting go of this Duetto isn’t just about selling a car; it’s about closing a significant chapter of Keith’s life. It’s the car he’s loved for over 60 years, filled with memories of road trips and shared moments with his children, Alexandra and Bradley. But Keith understands that life moves on, and sometimes, so must our beloved cars.

My Thoughts and Hopes

Seeing Keith part with this Duetto is a reminder that our connection with cars goes beyond metal and paint. It's about the journeys, the memories, and the passion that each drive ignites. This Duetto isn't just a car; it's a symbol of Keith's enduring love for Alfa Romeos and the rich history he's built around it.

This sale is being handled by one of the best in the business, Matt Crandall of the Avant-Garde Collection, known as “911r” on Bring a Trailer. A top seller for a top car—this pairing promises to bring out the best in the auction.

As this beloved 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto goes up for auction, there's a sense of bittersweet anticipation. It's a chance for someone new to create their own legacy with this incredible car. Given its impeccable history and the love poured into it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it breaks sale records. This isn’t just another auction; it’s an opportunity to own a piece of Keith Martin's heart and soul.

For the lucky bidder, it’s a chance to continue the story, to create new memories with a car that’s been cherished and cared for by one of the greats in the classic car world. This isn’t just about buying a car; it’s about becoming part of its history, feeling the same wind in your hair that Keith did, and knowing that you’re driving something truly special.

With last week’s announcement from BaT about taking a cut from post-auction deals, it’s high time we discuss how the top platforms could be raking in more revenue.

Today, we’re zooming in on Doug DeMuro’s brainchild, Cars & Bids—the platform we all know and keep an eye on.

Their revenue streams are pretty straightforward. They charge a percentage of the sale during an auction, and if they hustle hard and negotiate a post-auction sale, they take a cut of that too. Simple enough, right?

But, they’re struggling to grow the business like their new(ish) owners want. And one thing we know about Private Equity, they demand growth.

C&B when they were taken over back in 2023, brought on a stellar CEO, then let him go, probably because the growth wasn’t happening fast enough (simplified reason, but we won’t get into the nitty-gritty here). So, how can they go from selling 75% of their listings—20-25 vehicles a day—to even more? Listing more cars is the obvious answer, but it’s not that simple. They’re already trying several strategies.

1. First up, they’re going after dealers. Just look at the ads on social media. This could be gold if they nail it. That being said, their ads aren’t the best. I’m no ad guru, but I’ve chatted with a few, and they all agree: there’s a lot more they could be doing, especially targeting dealers.

2. Then there’s weekend sales. I’ve harped on this before and written numerous articles about it. Cars get sold over the weekend, often the higher-end ones! The stats are clear. I get it, nobody wants to work weekends. And with C&B, they need manpower because the after-sales part is crucial. But they could easily find a way to make it work over the weekend. They could (gasp!) test it.

3. Doug has always said he only wants to target modern cars from the '80s onwards, which makes sense. Stick to what you’re good at. To some extent, they’re doing this with success, but not the growth they’re after.

   For instance, they’ve nailed selling Rivians. They run ads targeting Rivian buyers (not sellers, and again, the ads could be MUCH better). But unless they get better at finding cars they sell well, maybe they should think about selling older cars. They’re missing a significant chunk of the market. How significant? Look at what BaT did in June. You can’t expect C&B to match those numbers (circa $33m 1900-1979), but with a push, they could get significant results. They could even package it as a special month or two for older collector cars in September and October to test the waters.

   

4. Next up is community. They launched a ‘community’ section a few months back, and it’s okay. Nothing groundbreaking, not really sure what it brings the site?

   So why not take a cue from competitors? Run meetups, utilize Doug’s travel schedule, and arrange Cars & Coffee events. If not Doug, use other team members and build from there. Collecting Cars, with a much smaller audience, does this so well. This way, they can build a stronger community and find local partners for the site, just like BaT. Local partners have been and continue to be a huge part of BaT’s success.

Below is C&B traffic (declining, but still extremely significant) compared to Collecting Cars.

Maybe just maybe some of those 4-5million monthly visitors are interested in older cars?

Every time I see Collecting Cars traffic (below), I can’t help but think they are way overachieving. Imagine what they could do with more traffic? ( a post for another day!)

At the end of the day, the Cars & Bids team know their business inside out. They consistently nail it, selling over 75% of their cars daily. But if they want to grow, they need to embrace some risk. No risk, no reward, right? We can get a bit sentimental about how we think our business should run. But often, small changes and additions are the way forward.

Look at BaT. Do they need to shake things up with big innovations? Some might say they could just cruise along as they are. But Randy and the team get it—they know they can’t stay stagnant if they want to keep climbing.

I just don’t think Cars & Bids takes enough risks. What I’ve highlighted here is just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless opportunities if they really want to grow. They’ve achieved what some might call the hard part: consistent sales over time. But the real magic happens after that. That’s where empires are built, and that requires taking some calculated risks.