Simanaitis Says

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Category Archives: Classic Bits

A TRIP BACK TO NASCAR—1982

“BEFORE OUR TRIP TO CHARLOTTE, I probably couldn’t have challenged one of that city’s average 10-year-olds with my NASCAR knowledge.” Indeed, it’s even less so for me today 43 years … Continue reading

November 25, 2025 · Leave a comment

“WINDOW; WINDOW IN THE TEST; WHO’S AMONG THE VERY BEST?” PART 2

YESTERDAY, THE 1982 R&T BOUND VOLUME brought back memories of tire testing. We continue here with details of our hard-working tire-changing crew, confidence windows, blind testing, and an R&T visit … Continue reading

November 15, 2025 · Leave a comment

“WINDOW; WINDOW IN THE TEST; WHO’S AMONG THE VERY BEST?” PART 1

I WAS RECENTLY RESEARCHING SOMETHING OR OTHER in the 1982 bound volume of R&T and came upon this subhead cited above. It brought memories of a significant achievement during my … Continue reading

November 14, 2025 · 2 Comments

WHAT A LITTLE SWEETHEART! PART 2

YESTERDAY IN PART 1, WE BEGAN DESCRIBING the Fiat 508S Balilla Corsa, its Balilla moniker honoring an 18th-century Italian patriot.  Today, Classic & Sports Car’s Richard Heseltine focuses on the … Continue reading

November 9, 2025 · 2 Comments

WHAT A LITTLE SWEETHEART! PART 1

“CHE PICCOLA DOLCEZZA!,” GOOGLE TRANSLATE offered, eventually. And Richard Heseltine’s writeup of the “Fiat 508S Balilla Corsa,” Classic & Sports Car, October 16, 2025, certainly fits this description. What’s more, … Continue reading

November 8, 2025 · Leave a comment

FERRARI 212 VIGNALE SALON AND CLASSIC TEST

I’VE GROWN ENAMORED OF R&T’S CLASSIC TESTS, what the magazine termed accurate syntheses “of material published during the time the car was produced.” Recently, this R&T time machine was actuated … Continue reading

October 2, 2025 · 1 Comment

1934 ALFA ROMEO 2.3 MILLE MIGLIA: SALON (AND ROAD TEST, SORTA)

“THIS CAR TURNS OUT TO BE THE FIFTH ALFA ROMEO PASSENGER CAR which appeared on R&T’s cover,” the magazine recounted in September 1958. (Indeed, R&T Vol. 1 No. 1, July … Continue reading

September 20, 2025 · 2 Comments

MERCEDES-BENZ 300-SL ROADSTERS—1958 AND 50 YEARS HENCE

“TURN RIGHT AT THE VALKYRIE, AND Drive Straight to Valhalla,” read R&T’s subhead for its January 1958 Road Test of the 300-SL Roadster.   Image from “Brooklands Double Twelve,” SimanaitisSays, … Continue reading

September 13, 2025 · 1 Comment

R&T/B&B TESTS THE POGUAR

“ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE ARGUED,” Bounce & Bound wrote in January 1955, “that the scrutiny of a road test crew should be confined to the technical and performance aspects of … Continue reading

September 7, 2025 · 4 Comments

C&SC’S LUST-WORTHY CLASSICS PART 2

YESTERDAY WE BEGAN SELECTING FAVS from Classic & Sports Car’s “29 Sexy Cars for the Masses.” We continue here in Part 2 with others from its list, also accompanied by … Continue reading

August 31, 2025 · 2 Comments