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Lee Kell has owned many vehicles over the years, yet he鈥檚 proof that most people do remember their first. In his case, it was a 1929 Ford Model A.

鈥淚鈥檝e had a car fetish since I was a teenager,鈥� said Kell, of Kell, Alterman & Runstein. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really more of an addiction. I used to buy cars and my parents didn鈥檛 know anything about it. I got into trouble three or four times for that.鈥�

Kell, whose father, Ray, was a co-founder of the law firm, learned the mechanics side of his hobby during high school and college.

鈥淭hat was the only way I could keep stuff running because I had no money,鈥� he said.

Circumstances have changed a bit since then. Kell now owns 10 cars that are divided into two categories: 鈥渄rivers鈥� and the classic collection. The classic collection includes a ’77 MGB, a ’65 Mustang, a ’54 Mercury, a ’56 Continental Mark II, a ’35 Hudson TerraPlane, and a ’72 Volvo 1800E Coupe.

When good weather allows, Kell picks a ride from the collection stored in a North Portland garage and hits the road. He says the most important piece of advice he can offer about classic cars is that the engines need to run regularly.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to drive them,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey deteriorate worse than you can imagine if you don鈥檛.鈥�

The drivers include a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300E that Kell鈥檚 mother owned. He says she hardly drove it, but put it through its paces nonetheless with a series of accidents. Kell recently retired the car because it has 160,000-plus miles and its repair costs exceed its value. His granddaughter is driving it through the summer, then he will donate it to the Oregon Humane Society.

Kell鈥檚 new love is a 2009 Mercedes-Benz sports wagon. He also has a motor home he drives to University of Oregon football games, and an 鈥�88 Ford pickup that is available for family use when only a truck will do the job.

Like asking someone to name their favorite child, there is no preferred vehicle in the collection for Kell. Rather, each reminds him of a particular aspiration he held as a teenager. And, while he鈥檚 been collecting cars for several decades, he admits there are plenty he admires that he doesn鈥檛 have.

鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to get a Cadillac Brougham or Eldorado, anything from 1958 on. I love those big ones,鈥� he said.

And, ever a true car lover, Kell refuses to cast dispersions on any model, even those that generated national ridicule. When reminded of the Gremlin, Kell fondly recalled the AMC Pacer, which his wife called 鈥渢he pregnant egg.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not one of these guys who think they were ugly cars,鈥� Kell said. 鈥淚 think they were unusual experiments by companies that were trying to create something new and different. The Gremlin was ahead of its time.鈥�